We would normally put this police report in our crime section but thought it important enough to include in our senior section as a warning and in case Saide Cruz may have worked for you.

On 8/13/15 at about 1700hrs, a patrol officer was dispatched to the 5000 Block of Hollings Street reference a late reported fraud. The victim 74-year old male) discovered fraudulent activity on his checking account dating back to the first part of July 2015. The fraudulent activity included several thousand dollars missing from the victim’s checking account and forged checks written out to Saide Cruz (24 from Oxnard). Cruz had been working as the victim’s care giver from April 2015, and was let go in July 2015.

Major Crime Detectives began investigating the case and discovered that over the past few years, Cruz has worked for several different privately owned businesses in Ventura County that provide care to the elderly.   Cruz was currently working for a care facility in the City of Oxnard.

On 8/27/15 at about 1300hrs, Detectives arrested Cruz without incident. A search of her residence revealed additional checks that did not belong to her. Cruz was booked at the Ventura County Jail for elder abuse, residential burglary and possession of stolen property.

This investigation is ongoing, any additional victims or anyone with information related to this incident is urged to call Det. Cpl. Hixson at (805) 339-4478.                  

For a variety of reasons, it becomes increasingly difficult for aging individuals to manage daily tasks, such as getting to the grocery store, cleaning house, and keeping up with paying the bills. Even more arduous to navigate are the arenas beyond the everyday, such as estate planning, identity theft protection, and healthcare.

Seniors constitute a significant portion of our community here in Ventura County. In fact, the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging reports residents over the age of 60 will constitute 24% of the county’s population by 2020. The vision to create a one-stop shop to assist seniors with finding help for any given issue is not only philanthropic, it is vital to the well-being of the seniors who live in this community.

All-Care Senior Support Center connects seniors to services in an interesting way. The founders of the organization have created a network of local senior-serving organizations that come to the center on a rotating basis to offer free consultations to seniors who are interested in a particular service, whether it be financial services, legal advice, or veterans services. The center posts an updated schedule each month indicating which businesses and agencies will be providing consultations at the center in the following weeks. Seniors can then make appointments to meet with a representative who can provide guidance for a particular issue.

The center also offers fun activities such as a matchmaking service, bingo, exercise training, and gardening.

All-Care Senior Center is the brainchild of three individuals who have worked in varying capacities to serve the senior population.

Rosa Gasparian always saw the need for a better solution when it came to quality senior care. Working at a medical supply retail store allowed Rosa to see how confused seniors were when it came to understanding their options for obtaining support for their everyday needs.

Connie De La Rosa is a former social worker for the County of Ventura. In recent years she has overseen A Tender Touch Senior Placement, where she works to place seniors in proper care facilities.

Brian Campbell is a former pharmaceutical sales representative who was looking for a new venture. Inspired by his friend, Rosa, and her work with the senior community.

Additionally, the center provides referral services to home health care and hospice care facilities that provide excellent quality of care.

These are only a portion of the services All-Care provides at no cost to seniors. Learn more about the center at www.all-careservice.com. They are located at 2991 Loma Vista.

The Ventura Council for Seniors (VCS) meets at the Ventura Avenue Adult Center (VAAC) on the third Wednesday of every month from 9:30-11am. This organization is designed to provide a forum to discuss issues and initiatives and to develop recommendations for City Council consideration. The VCS is designated by the Ventura City Council as the representative organization of all seniors in the City of Ventura. They meet monthly to consider and gather input on local issues important to all seniors. Please come to network and contribute valuable information with your peers.

The Ventura Avenue Adult Center is located at 550 N. Ventura Ave. Parking is available onsite.

We are in the middle of a massive, unprecedented wealth transfer.

The greatest transfer of wealth in history is happening right now, according to a study from the Boston College Center on Wealth and Philanthropy. This means that you need to ensure you’re well organized when it comes to things like your probate valuation, wealth planning, and wills. It will be much easier for the heirs if the estate is easily passed down.

And with this being said, a staggering amount – $59 trillion – is projected to be passed down to heirs, charities and taxes between 2007 and 2061. Relatives looking to leave something behind to their family members will likely have consulted with their Estate Planning Attorney in order to prepare for the transfer of wealth upon their passing.

“We are in the middle of a massive, unprecedented wealth transfer from the World War II generation to the Baby Boomers, and then to subsequent generations,” says family wealth guru John Pankauski, author of the new book, “Pankauski’s Trustee’s Guide: 10 Steps to Family Trustee Excellence.”

“But much of that wealth will not be given to beneficiaries outright.”

Instead, he says, it will be held in a trust, which is a distinct entity, much like a corporation. The trust is managed by a trustee, who protects the trust property for the benefit of the beneficiaries.

Sounds good – as long as trustees are honest individuals who don’t use the trust as a personal ATM, and simmering rivalries among beneficiaries don’t explode, Pankauski says.

The best way to ensure money is handled correctly – and honestly – is to pick the right trustee, but the right one may not be obvious, he says.

Pankauski, founder of the Pankauski Law Firm (www.pankauskilawfirm.com), offers perspective on how to choose a trustee.

• Don’t choose just anyone! Family members, friends and even felons theoretically could be entrusted with managing an inheritor’s money. But tread carefully. The decision on the trustee should be treated like a business consideration, not a personal one.

• Multiple trustees are allowed, but can cause problems. Personal relationships that were previously cordial can turn icy when there are multiple trustees. Co-trustees administer the trust by majority rule unless the trust document demands unanimous decisions.

• Being a trustee is a great responsibility. Perfection is not required, but incompetence won’t be tolerated. Criticisms could flow freely. If you’re holding a lot of cash and the markets go up, beneficiaries complain that you failed to capture those gains. If you’re fully invested in the market and the market takes a dip, the beneficiaries complain that you are overexposed. You may be fairly compensated for your duties as trustee, but the money may not be worth the potential headaches.

• You don’t have to accept the appointment. You can decline to serve. Merely sign a one-page document, which can be as brief as a sentence, stating you decline. No reason is required.

You can agree to serve and later resign. But doing so raises a host of issues. You can’t just ditch your duties. You are still in charge until there is a smooth transition to a successor.

John Pankauski, the grandson of Polish and Lithuanian immigrants, was deeply influenced by his parents – products of the Depression and World War II who imparted their values of hard work and thrift. He studied political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He attended Suffolk University Law School in Boston, and later obtained a master’s degree in law from the University of Miami School of Law’s Graduate Program in estate planning.

Genevieve Basso, who has volunteered 47 plus years of service at Community Memorial Hospital, welcomed her first great grandson, born Wednesday August 6.  He was born at CMH.  His great grandmother, Genevieve was born in Ventura County.  Genevieve’s daughter, grandmother of newborn,  and granddaughter, mother of new born, were born at CMH.  What a proud time for all.

Community Memorial Hospital’s Auxiliary continues to seek new volunteers.  Varied tasks, hours of service and days of service are available.  Please stop by the Auxiliary front desk and speak with a volunteer and pick up an application.

It is never “too late” to take care of our skin! Damage to the skin can be repaired and future damage prevented.

If you’re saying “it’s too late,” you may ask “why should I bother?” According to Alicia Bankston, Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay, the top reason to take care of our skin has to do more with self-esteem than anything else. Taking care of ourselves gives us confidence, and that lets us present the best part of ourselves to the world. Though beauty is ultimately on the inside, without confidence, we hide that inner beauty from the rest of the world.

Top 5 ways to take care of our skin:

Use Sunscreen: No matter how much time we spend in it, the sun’s rays affect the health of our skin. Age spots, or more kindly called “beauty spots,” come from too much time in the sun and too little protection. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer. Prevention from harmful sun exposure is best. Your sunscreen should protect against UVA and UVB rays (or be “broad-spectrum”), be rated SPF 30 or higher, and preferably be a serum which sinks deeper into the layers of your skin than a typical lotion.

Moisturize: As our body ages, we lose moisture and thus volume, first, in our face! This makes sense since our face is the most exposed throughout our life. A good moisturizer need not feel greasy or heavy. We can also lose moisture in our skin due to medications or conditions that affect us as we age, and that lack of moisture can cause tremendous discomfort. Different skin moisturizers can benefit different people. For those of us who are conscious about aging, you might be interested in looking at something similar to these cbd skin care products. CBD oils help with anti-aging by lifting and firming the skin, hopefully making us look younger! However, there are so many different types of skin moisturizers out there, finding the right one for your skin is so important.

Treat skin areas differently: Your facial skin is different from the skin on your body, and both are different from the skin around your eyes. It is important to use a “facial cleanser” on your face and an “eye cream” around your eye area. The skin around your eyes is thinner and has no oil glands (one reason we show age here first), so moisturizing here is different than moisturizing other areas.

Exfoliate, gently: It is nice to have this step included in the cleansing process (like a 3 in 1 cleanser). And daily exfoliation should be gentle! Exfoliation helps slough off the dead skin on the surface so that the new skin underneath can come to the surface. As we age, the skin has a harder time getting rid of the dead skin, and important step to the rejuvenation process. The skin repairs itself when we allow it to do so with good care.

Treat your face like a balloon: Be careful not to pop it. Keep in mind, you are washing your face, not the floor! When taking care of your skin, gentle is better. Rubbing and tugging breaks down the elastin of our skin. And as we age, we lose collagen, a key in firm skin. Be gentle, if possible, using the three outer fingers of our hand to apply moisturizers to the face area in particular.

For more information call 200-7756

What do school kids and retirees have in common during these dog days of summer? For many, it’s having lots of time and not knowing what to do with it.

“But that comparison begins to breakdown almost immediately, because in a few short weeks, kids go back to school, but retirees have an indefinite amount of time to contend with,” says financial advisor Jeff Bucher, president of Citizen Advisory Group (www.citizenadvisory.com), a firm that engages its community with education and charity efforts.

“Worse still for retirees, many don’t know if they can afford the time they have left, which may not be yielding a satisfying lifestyle. After all the technical details I review with clients and their finances, such as protecting and growing their money, I sometimes offer a bit of unexpected advice: consider your employment options.”

Many people who take his advice often do so more for overall happiness than money, he says. Work gives us structure, purpose and a social network. Bucher reviews many fun options that retirees often find appealing.

• Golf course: This is a popular option since so many retirees love golf. And, if you are a morning person, work at a golf course is perfectly suited for you. Some popular jobs available at a golf course for retirees include golf shop staff, ranger, starters and golf course maintenance.

• Retail: A smiling face and a pleasant disposition has earned many retirees positions as greeters at local stores.

• Theater events: If you love entertainment, consider being an usher at a venue (Like the Rubicon). Ushers assist fans to their seats and help answer any questions the fans may have. The job may have perks, such as free tickets.

• Tour guide: A tour guide’s job is to introduce people to places that they are unfamiliar with, which may include wineries, museums and a city’s historical locations (Ventura has many of these).

• Theme park / zoo: If you want to brag about your job to your grandkids, look into the local zoo or theme park. Some of the most popular jobs for retirees at these parks include ticket takers, working at a merchandise stand or helping assist guests at an information booth.

• Your current or former job. This one may throw you for a loop, but it could be perfect. You’ll likely maintain the same salary as the rest of your earning years; it’s something you already know and are good at; and, many people derived much satisfaction from their profession. You may find new freedom in knowing that this job is more optional than before, which may engender a sense of freedom and, perhaps, an outside-the-box mentality.

Jeff Bucher is president of Citizen Advisory Group (www.citizenadvisory.com). Bucher is a former standout wrestler at The Ohio State University, where he earned an athletic scholarship and honed his leadership skills while earning four varsity letters (Is there a senior wrestling team?)

Breeze: Like many seniors today engaging in much more physical activities is an option. Like Breeze publisher Sheldon and his way over 65 (age not amount) buddies who play tennis at Pierpont Racquet Club, Ventura College and Camino Real Park

On September 9, 5:30-6:30 attorneys from Cunningham Legal will be discussing IRA Inheritance Trusts. Thinking of naming a trust as your primary beneficiary? Join us as attorneys discuss the pros and cons of this process.

Signups encouraged but not required: http://goo.gl/forms/FWhlCCp1Eq

The Ventura County Law Library is located in the Ventura county Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Ave, facing parking lot “A”. Contact the library at 642-8982 with questions.