Tips for safe, easy travel with a senior

by Renata Gelman, RN, B.S.N., is assistant director of clinical services at Partners in Care

Traveling can be an extra source of stress for caregivers and seniors alike. The idea of handling a loved one’s limited mobility, chronic illness, depression or other health conditions while away from home can lead to anxiety rather than anticipation. To ensure everyone feels prepared, discuss the hypothetical itinerary before booking and acknowledge any concerns your loved one may have. Addressing the unknowns in your travel plans will help everyone feel more confident and replace apprehension with excitement.

Attention to detail is crucial when planning a vacation with a senior, whether it’s a short road trip, a cruise or a cross-country flight. Think about accessibility features you will need, how much luggage and medical equipment you’ll be traveling with, and special needs that must be met throughout the trip. The easiest way to anticipate your loved one’s needs is to take detailed notes while going through their daily routine at home and while on outings. Take these factors into account when booking flights, rental cars, hotel rooms and scheduling activities. Be sure to request the accommodations you know you will need and inquire about additional accessibility features that the airline, hotel or other businesses offer that may come in handy. For example, you may want to book hotel rooms that are located on the first floor and/or are adjoining, arrange for specialty meals that meet your loved one’s dietary restrictions, or reserve aisle seats near the lavatories on the airplane for easier toileting.

Always bring extra doses of medication and copies of your loved one’s prescriptions when traveling. If you will be flying, ensure each prescription is in its original container and double-check with your loved one’s doctor to see if you will need any special documentation for traveling with certain medications.

Replicating your loved one’s routine and surroundings as closely as possible will help them feel more relaxed while in an unfamiliar environment, especially if they have Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. Bring a few of their favorite objects and comforts from home, such as photographs, a cherished blanket or a few books. These items will make your loved one feel more at ease in their new surroundings.

Remember, it’s your vacation, too. Make sure to set a schedule for your family members to pitch in with caregiving. Alternate planning activities as a family with time for each of you to get a break from providing care. For example, if your loved one tends to nap in the afternoons or retire early in the evenings, trade off caregiving duties with other family members so that each of you has some time to explore or relax.

Bring a comprehensive emergency checklist in case your loved one experiences a medical setback while traveling. This should include a complete prescriptions list, physician contact information, pertinent medical history, and any contact info for family and friends.

With careful planning and some minor accommodations, many seniors can still participate in family vacations. However, travel—especially demanding, long-distance trips—is typically inadvisable for seniors who are in poor health or the end stages of dementia. Families, particularly those with young children, should make the most of their limited opportunities for vacations and precious bonding time. If an aging or ill loved one cannot feasibly participate, there are several kinds of respite care that can enable you to get away and feel confident that they’re receiving quality care in your absence.

Calidore brings the “California Gold” standard of chamber music to Ventura!

String Quartet has won the decade’s most prestigious honors for chamber music.

by Richard Newsham

Find out for yourself why the young Calidore String Quartet, from L.A.’s Colburn School of Music, has won the decade’s most prestigious honors for chamber music as it’s traversed the globe’s top venues, delighting audiences at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BBC Proms, Berlin Konzerthaus—and now the Ventura College Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 14, at 3 p.m., as the ensemble concludes the first weekend of the Ventura Music Festival’s 25th season.

The two violinists, violist and cellist will engage listeners with Beethoven’s inward spiraling Opus 127, as the composer moved from struggle to a Hindu-inspired inner peace, complete with playful “leapfrog” games among the strings. Next comes the Pulitzer Prize-winning American Gen X-er composer Caroline Shaw whose Three Essays are inspired by Marilynne Robinson’s essential essays, The Givenness of Things, the “echo” chamber of today’s social media, and the elegant Japanese programming language Ruby. Calidore concludes with Mendelssohn’s final work, Opus 80, a poignant cry for and celebration of his beloved and recently-deceased sister Fanny.

The string quartet with its intimate, complex, interwoven fabric of sound “is an amazing way to converse musically with others,” says Shaw—a kind of music “that will be contemporary forever,” added Stravinsky—“a strange composite being” of four individuals who share communal decisions yet do things spontaneously, requiring the other players to respond in real time. It’s “a zone of magic” for every audience to witness–don’t miss “the Calidore experience!”

Richard Newsham is a Ventura Music Festival consultant

CAPS Media Records Community Council Meetings

Westside Community Council meeting is seen on CAPS.

CAPS Medias’ ever-expanding community wide services include ongoing collaborations with Community Councils throughout Ventura. CAPS records, broadcasts and streams the local meetings, and provides the councils with the recorded event for their use. CAPS recorded the East Ventura Community Council meetings in April and May and will cover the EVCC meeting in June. CAPS also recorded the Westside Community Council meeting in June and will cover the Midtown Community Council meeting in July. Every meeting is broadcast on CAPS Channel 6 and streamed on capsmedia.org the week following the meeting and the councils post the events on their websites and social media. Other community councils interested in having CAPS Media record their meeting should contact CAPS at [email protected] or call 805-658-0500.

A CAPS Congratulations to all the college, high school, middle school and elementary school graduates in Ventura. And congratulations to this year’s Mayor for a Moment honorees who are all headed to middle school in the fall. The Mayor for a Moment student recognition program is a collaboration with the City of Ventura, the Ventura Unified School District and CAPS Media. Each month an outstanding 5th grader is selected by the individual elementary schools. CAPS Media produces video profiles on the young mayors and their schools which are shown when the outstanding students are recognized at City Council meetings and VUSD School Board Meetings. The Mayor for a Moment Class of 2018-2019 are Tyleigh Matheson (Loma Vista), Jazzmn Viot-Preciado (ATLAS), Alexa Swanson (E.P. Foster), Darby Mussehl (Blanche Reynolds). Ammar Atiah (Elmhurst), Joey Becerra (Junipero Serra), Ella Dritz (Mound) and Lily Sheldon (Pierpont).

CAPS is always eager to provide the public with tours of the CAPS Media Center. In the past few weeks CAPS Media has welcomed numerous community leaders and members of the public for individual tours including Deputy Mayor Sofia Rubalcava, Councilmember Jim Friedman, City Manager Alex McIntyre, Deputy City Manager Barry Fisher, Ventura Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Roger Rice and others. The tours of the facility include the video studio and control room, radio station, video equipment, editing stations, production truck and more, providing the opportunity to see first-hand the extensive resources and services provided by CAPS Media to the community.

Everyone is welcome at CAPS. Tours of the CAPS Media Center can be arranged for any community group including nonprofit and faith based organizations, youth groups, service clubs and more. In addition, the CAPS Media Center conference room is available to nonprofit and educational groups for community meetings. The conference room accommodates up to 30 people. Those interested in scheduling a tour or a meeting at the CAPS Media Center should contact CAPS at [email protected] or call 805-658-0500.

All of the resources and training at the CAPS Media Center are available to the entire Ventura community. To find out more go to capsmedia.org/events, sign up for the next orientation class on the first Thursday of the month and discover that for a low annual membership fee members can receive hands-on instruction in videography, video editing, radio production (additional fee required) and more. All Member/Producers have access to CAPS Media’s state-of-the-art facilities including video cameras, editing systems, the fully equipped television and radio studios and more. All of the information is online at capsmedia.org, or you can call 805-658-0500 to get complete information.

Vol. 12, No. 19 – June 19 – July 2, 2019 – The Pet Page

∙ SPAN Thrift Store is providing $10 spays and neuters for low income cat and dog friends.

The clinic will take place in the SPAN Thrift Store parking lot 110 N. Olive St. (behind Vons on Main) on Thursday, June 27th. Please call to schedule an appointment(805) 584-3823.

∙ Dog Days Of Summer. Walk your furry friends at Buenaventura Golf Course every Sunday through Sept. 1, 5pm to sunset. Drink and food specials available on the patio. www.buenaventuragolg.com/dog. 5882 Olivas Park Dr.

Pam Williams has a new helper at her side.

∙ Ventura resident Pam Williams has a new helper by her side. Pam recently graduated from two weeks of training and received her third service dog from Canine Companions for Independence, a non-profit organization that breeds, raises and trains assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

Pam has a spinal cord injury and was matched with Hibiscus, a two-year-old yellow Labrador/Golden Retriever cross, who has been professionally trained in over 40 commands. Hibiscus assists Pam by picking up dropped items, turning on and off lights, opening and closing doors and drawers and other tasks that will enable her to live a more independent life.

During Team Training, students are strategically matched with assistance dogs and learn how to work with them safely and effectively. Though costs to breed, raise, train and assistance dog and provide ongoing support to the team are estimated at $50,000, Canine Companions assistance dogs are provided free of charge to recipients.

Pam says, “Hibiscus will help me be more confident with a best friend by my side.”

Canine Companions for Independence provides expertly-trained assistance dogs to children and adults with disabilities. For more information, call 1-800-572-BARK or visit www.cci.org.

∙ On Thursday, June 27, the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura will join companies around the globe in opening their doors to employees’ furry, four-legged best friends for PSI’s 21st annual Take Your Dog To Work Day (TYDTWDay®).

TYDTWDay was established by Pet Sitters International (PSI) in 1999. This annual event urges businesses around the globe to experience the joys of dogs in the workplace for just one day to celebrate the great companions’ dogs make.

The 2019 celebration marks the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura’s fifth year of TYDTWDay participation.

“The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura is excited to go to the dogs for a good cause! We see this event as a way to recognize the important role dogs play in our employees’ lives and an opportunity to make a positive impact on our local community,” says Cheryl Tabbi, Human Resources Manager.

The Housing Authority has a variety of activities planned, including photo sessions and doggie “wag bags.”

For more information visit www.takeyourdog.com or PSI at (336) 983-9222, ext. 23230 or [email protected]. To learn more about the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura or its TYDTWDay celebration, visit www.hacityventura.org or e-mail CBeck@hacityventuraThe 2019 celebration marks the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura’s fifth year of TYDTWDay participation.

“The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura is excited to go to the dogs for a

good cause! “says Cheryl Tabbi, Human Resources Manager.

K-9 Teams laid a rose for each of the K-9s who died the line of duty in 2018.

∙ The National Police Dog Foundation, FOP DC Lodge #1, and United for Blue
co-hosted the 2nd Annual Police K-9 Memorial Service at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC.

The memorial service included a rose and wreath-laying ceremony to honor the memory of fallen police K-9s who have given their lives in the line of duty.

The Foundation has established the K-9 Memorial Fund to honor these fallen K-9 heroes, and help fund the replacement of these K-9s.

Please consider donating to the K-9 Memorial Fund to ensure the continuation of this well-deserving event and keep our K-9 units strong. Please help us honor those who gave their lives for our safety.

Donations help offset:
Replacement and training of fallen K-9s — approximately $25,000.00 per K-9 to be street ready

Annual Police K-9 Memorial Service during Police Week in Washington, DC

To donate, please go to www.nationalpolicedogfoundation.org/donate/k-9-memorial-fund.

Special Olympics Flame of Hope carried through Ventura

Legs are run in conjunction with various members of law enforcement.

The Special Olympics Flame of Hope was carried through Ventura on June 6! The Special Olympics Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) is comprised of nine different “legs” ranging from San Luis Obispo to the California-Mexico border. Legs are run in conjunction with various members of law enforcement agencies from throughout the region and Special Olympic Athletes. The Flame of Hope was carried by various agencies all the way to Cal State Long Beach to light the cauldron for the 2019 Special Olympics Summer Games!

The LETR is an international fundraising and public awareness campaign for the Special Olympics and is comprised of the Torch Run, Tip-A-Cop, and other fundraising events. For over twenty-five years, Ventura County law enforcement agencies have been raising tens of thousands of dollars annually to benefit Special Olympics of Ventura County. The money helps Ventura County Special Olympics to offer free, year-round, sports training and competition to over 600 individuals with intellectual disabilities ages eight years and up, who participate in seventeen sports at forty-five training sites throughout Ventura County.

Vol. 12, No. 19 – June 19 – July 2, 2019 – Forever Homes Wanted

Adoptable Meadow is one of 59 bunnies who came to Ventura County Animal Services from the same household. VCAS officers, staff, and Bunny Brigade volunteers sprang into action when the owners sought help, setting up cages for the adult rabbits and finding foster homes for over 30 babies.The adult rabbits like Meadow are now spayed or neutered and available for adoption. facebook.com/VCASBunnyBrigade. Ventura County Animal Services – Camarillo location – 600 Aviation Drive
Meadow A710029

Hi: I’m Adolfo a handsome and smart 5-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier X who was rescued from Animal Services. I know my breed gets a bad rap, but I hope you’ll stop by to meet me as you’re sure to fall in love and want to take me home.

I love playing fetch and know many commands – sit, stay, roll over to name a few. I’m playful, focused and treat motivated.

I need a home with no small dogs and possibly no cats too. Since I can jump pretty high, I may do best in a home with no small children as I may accidentally knock them over.

While at VCAS, I was able to participate in the Dog Genie’s Nose Work class and in Mutts Manners and I was doing well in both classes. I was well liked by their staff and volunteers too.

Canine Adoption and Rescue League C.A.R.L.CARL Adoption Center-call 644-7387 for more information.

Residents moving into newly built Westview Village

The $60 million first phase replaces 72 deteriorated public housing units.

Housing Authority City of San Buenaventura completes phase one of redevelopment

Ventura, Calif.—Residents have begun moving into the newly constructed Westview Village apartments as the Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura (HACSB), a public housing authority dedicated to promoting quality of life through affordable, healthy housing and community-based development, completes phase one of a four-phase redevelopment effort.

The $60 million first phase of construction broke ground in 2017 and replaces 72 deteriorated public housing units with 131 modern affordable one- to four-bedroom apartments. When all four phases of development are complete, the community will provide 320 LEED‐certified new construction homes, including 50 homes for seniors and 34 for-sale homes. The HACSB anticipates that the redeveloped Westview Village community will be the first LEED‐Neighborhood Development certified community in Ventura County.

The HACSB is working in partnership with San Francisco-based nonprofit developer BRIDGE Housing Corp., to redevelop the Westview Village site through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Rental Assistance Demonstration program. Driven by 10 years of planning and community outreach, the redevelopment effort aims to revitalize and expand housing opportunities for Ventura residents by delivering affordability and improved infrastructure and amenities while achieving modern, current design and construction standards that better meet the needs of families and seniors.

“Our mission goes beyond building housing. We’re working to build healthy communities that connect resources with needs and create partnerships to enhance the quality of life for our residents,” said HACSB Chief Executive Officer Denise M. Wise.

Beyond the physical attributes of the project, the HACSB Community Services Department works to develop community partnerships to help residents achieve personal goals related to literacy and education, health and wellness, job training and employment. “Our housing authority is more than shade and shelter. We work to support residents’ personal growth and economic self‐sufficiency,” said Wise.

The Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura is the developer, services coordinator and property manager. Mainstreet Architects + Planners Inc. is the Executive Architect and Cannon Constructors South is the General Contractor for the Phase I project.

Westview Village is the city of Ventura’s oldest and largest public housing complex.

The Housing Authority of the City Of San Buenaventura (HACSB) is the largest residential landlord in the City of Ventura, currently managing 295 public housing units, 705 nonprofit affordable rental units, and more than 1,500 Section 8 vouchers. The agency is actively working to increase the supply of affordable housing and to improve the quality of life for hundreds more of the low-income residents of the City of Ventura.

Vol. 12, No. 19 – June 19 – July 2, 2019 – Opinion/Editorial

∙I want to thank the Ventura Port District for inserting the Harbor Views Newsletter in this issue. Nice to know that they feel the Breeze is the best way to contact Venturans.

Commenting on gun violence, Gov. Gavin Newsom stated, “From San Bernardino to Ventura to Poway, too many Californians have already died from gun violence.” Strange that we got mentioned. Normally that would be good but maybe not in this case. Makes it sound as if we have lots of gun shootings here.

∙The Ventura City Council accepted a recommendation from Ventura’s water sources General Manager Susan Rungren to remain in a Stage 3 Water Shortage Event.

This means rate payers will continue to be divided into four cost tiers.

Apparently, rates won’t increase, but rates will remain the same through fiscal year 2019-20.

The fact that the City remains in Stage 3 seems strange to me, even the State has declared that we no longer have a water shortage.

∙In 2011, Ventura, and some homeowners in the Pierpont area, came to an agreement on who would clean sand from the beach in front of their properties that was blocking their ocean views.

Per this agreement, the City would remove tons of dirt and haul it away. Of course, the sand just comes back and now the City is being sued once again by a few owners.

The City claims that this is a natural occurring condition, and even if the City is held responsible it should not be the only one to pay for the removal costs.

What really confuses the issue (and others) is that the City owns 40 feet of the beach in front of the homes and the State owns the beach to the ocean, so the question becomes just whose sand is this and who should pay?

Never have understood why the State still owns part of our beaches. Can’t they just give it to us?

∙Cannabis in the news:

Businesses that focus on manufacturing, testing and distributing cannabis can apply to operate in Oxnard starting next month because the Oxnard City Council has voted to relax the current ban.

With a unanimous vote, Council gave preliminary approval for cannabis distributors and manufacturers and a testing lab to open in the city. Oxnard is considering allowing up to eight manufacturers, three distributors and one testing lab.

Port Hueneme cannabis dispensaries are contributing $30,000 in order to continue presenting the City’s Fourth of July fireworks show.

When, oh when, will our City Council get it?

∙I went online to make a DMV reservation. The next available appointment is in August which isn’t too bad considering that is about how long you would sit there without a reservation.

∙How to make foreign friends – An American airstrike accidentally killed at least eight Afghan police officers in southern Afghanistan.

∙The FBI released documents on the bureau’s short-lived investigation into Bigfoot which was done in 1977.

The 22 documents show that the bureau’s Scientific and Technical Services Division examined 15 hairs sent by Peter Byrne, who was head of the now-defunct Bigfoot Information Center and Exhibition in Oregon, and determined they were from a newspaper publisher and not bigfoot.

∙I like to keep our readers informed. Researchers say they have observed parity-time symmetry breaking for the first time in an experiment. The result was obtained using a “dilation” technique on a single-spin system – a nitrogen-vacancy centre in diamond. The system could be used as a platform for studying new and exotic physics, such as new topological variants, quantum thermodynamics and quantum criticality, in non-Hermitian quantum systems.

According to current physics theories, the universe is governed by certain fundamental symmetries. One of these looks at the relation between parity (P) or “handedness” and time (T) and describes the oddness or evenness of a quantum particle and whether it is moving forwards or backwards in time. When a PT transformation is applied to a quantum system it appears the same as the original.

I hope that clarifies it for you. I’m sure no other explanation is necessary.

∙ Perhaps athlete’s salaries are getting out of hand. The LA Lakers (they play basketball) feel that they need one more star on the team, but they only have about $25M a year to offer. Unfortunately, that isn’t enough money to obtain a marquee player.

∙ Ocean levels are rising due to climate change. Some scientists say that sea levels could rise nearly three feet by the year 2100. However, others claim that is incorrect and feel sea levels could rise more than double that amount if global temperatures increase more than expected.

If sea levels were to rise by more than 6 feet, which the study’s authors believe is possible – an event they said, “lies within the 90% uncertainty bounds,” – the devastation could be catastrophic. A rise in temperatures by 5 degrees Celsius would cause significant declines in ice levels in Greenland, as well as Antarctica.

I know that the cause of climate change is debatable, but the fact that it exists is certainly not.

Vol. 12, No. 19 – June 19 – July 2, 2019 – A View from House Seats

by Shirley Lorraine
Murder, mayhem & music take stage in Simi

The year span is 1907-09. The tale, told in retrospect as a jail-house memoir, is one of deception, death and dastardly deeds. Set to music. The audience is warned that what they are about to see may be disturbing and, if they are easily offended, they are free to leave the theater now.

And so, presented by the Actor’s Repertory Theatre of Simi, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder, the Tony-award winning musical penned by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutyak, begins at the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center.

The vocal range of the cast is simply superior. Operatic in places, often reminiscent of Gilbert & Sullivan in its rapid-fire delivery, the lyrics are delivered with impertinence and impunity throughout. What a treat.

Montague “Monty” Navarro (Vincent Perez), upon mourning his mother’s recent demise, is visited by a mysterious stranger, Miss Shingle (Sydney Bowers) who informs him that he, in fact, is a distant heir to the earldom of Highhurst Castle. There are a few minor problems, however. His presence is not recognized by Highurst residents the D’Ysquith family as his mother was disconnected from the line years ago, and there are eight heirs ahead of him for the title. No matter.

Young Monty is in love with Sibella Hallward (Deborah Robin) although she desires to marry for money over heart. Monty accepts the challenge and vows to make his way to the top of the heir-chain by seeing that each heir meets an untimely death. Along the way he intrigues and is pursued by Phoebe D’Ysquith (Siena Avila), a distant cousin.

The entire D’Ysquith line (nine characters) is played by Adam Womak, each character distinct although with uncanny resemblances. Womak is clearly reveling in the chance to play such varied roles and does so in fine fashion, pulling out all the stops.

Six additional seasoned actors fill in as servants, portraits (yes, portraits) and lesser characters to great effect. Adding to their inclusion are highly stylized movements, a wide range of vocal talents and full immersion in their roles. Each of them brings with them a long list of theatrical credits.

Director Will Shupe and musical director Gary Poirot must be especially proud of the abundance of talent this cast displays. There are no weak voices among them. In additional to their sheer strength, the actors are also using microphones to overcome the right-in-front live orchestra. At times the volume overrides the lyrics, but the voices are so fine it is still easy to be impressed.

Period costuming by Joshua Stapel is on point and beautifully styled. The lush fabrics and detailed designs are visually appealing works of art.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder presents a decidedly light-hearted foray in time. The high energy performance keeps the actors on their toes and the audience on the edge of their seats with anticipation of the next twist. Performances are crisp, vocals are superb, and the evening is highly satisfying.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder runs through July 14. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $28 adults, $24 seniors/students, $20 12 and under. (805) 583-7900 or www.simi-arts.org