“I don’t think that my joints need replacing yet but maybe I should attend just in case”
Scamp

As Ventura County’s only non-profit Home Health and Hospice provider, Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association supports the total well-being of our community.  As part of their services, they host free monthly education classes throughout the county which include the following:

Adult Bereavement Support Group Wednesdays, September 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, from 6:30-8:00pm.  These groups are open to individuals who have experienced loss and are free of charge. Call 642-0239 for more information or email [email protected].

Newly Bereaved Support Group Thursday, September 10th from 6-7:30pm.  This monthly group is designed for adults who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one and is free. Call 642-0239 for more information or email [email protected].  These groups meet every 2nd Thursday of each month.

Joint Replacement Classes. Thursday, September 3rd from 1:00-2:00pm. You will learn what to expect before, during and after knee or hip replacement surgery and how to be an active participant in your care. These meetings are 1st Thursday of each month.

Monday, September 14th for both English and Spanish speaking.  English 4:00-5:00pm and Spanish 5:30-6:30pm. You will learn what to expect before, during and after knee or hip replacement surgery and how to be an active participant in your care.

All at Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association offices, in the Community Room at 1996 Eastman Avenue, Suite 109 in Ventura. For information or to RSVP call Dinah Davis at  642-0239 ext. 739.

“This feels better than my chair getting a massage”

The SCAN Health & Wellness Center in Ventura is offering 15-minute chair massage for seniors 55 and older and their caregivers. Certified Massage Therapist Linda Mac Dougall has many years of experience in treating older adults with chronic and acute conditions with therapeutic massage. Schedule your appointment for a Wednesday in September (9/9, 9/16, 9/23 & 9/30) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The seated, fully-clothed neck, shoulder and back massages cost $15 per session, and can help you feel refreshed, relaxed and rejuvenated. The SCAN Health & Wellness Center is located at 6633 Telephone Rd., Suite 100. To make an appointment 658-0365.

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.