With Your Family in Mind

Among our varied interests, my husband and I love to travel.  We have recently returned from an educational trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.  The history of these two countries and the cultural exposure we had was riveting.  The opportunity to see how others live, work, raise their children, and interact was fascinating.  We also were able to visit war remembrance sites and see how both countries reconstruct and survive significant tragic events.  How we as Americans are perceived and treated is very interesting. 

Recently, the Los Angeles Superior Court announced substantial staff cuts and courtroom closures.  Resources have been dwindling for quite some time.  In April the Court announced it plans for the most significant reduction of services in its history.  By June 30, the Court will reduce its staff by nearly 350 workers and close 56 courtrooms.  Notices have already gone out in certain types of cases that court reporters will not be made available at all hearings. 

Santa Clarita Valley Zonta Club’s May business meeting featured the award of $7,750 in grants to five local organizations who assist women and children, and $2000 in scholarships to two young women.  Through their efforts, the recipients strive to improve the status of women and children through health, education, and service.
The Young Women in Public Affairs $1,000 scholarship recipient, Jesica Sathy, has demonstrated leadership skills, community service activities and international awareness.  Jesica, a student at Valencia High School, is a member of the Human Rights Watch Organization Student Task Force, which advocates for child rights and social justice worldwide.

The timing of a bankruptcy is often an important decision for a debtor that wants to get the full benefit of the bankruptcy stay and the discharge.  In a Chapter 13 case, debtors restructure their debt, so the time to file often depends on whether a lender is close to taking back secured property, such as a home (by foreclosure) or a car (by repossession).  A Chapter 13 case is often designed to stop creditor actions while the debtor sets up a plan to pay back missed payments on secured debts while eliminating some of their unsecured debt.  Waiting too long could result in foreclosure of their home or repossession of their car.

From drugs and drinking to shopping and smoking.  These can be habits; things we do without much thought or analysis to them, but they can also develop into something more compulsive.  So how do we know when a bad habit becomes something more serious?
There are five stages of habitual to addictive.

The 2011-2012 school year has proved to be an especially exciting one for us here at Golden Oak Adult School.  In addition to new course offerings and expansion of our more popular ones, Golden Oak now enthusiastically sponsors a 17 piece jazz band that provides affordable concerts at West Ranch High School, with the next performance slated for June 9 at 7:30 p.m.  We have also enhanced our Vocational/Career Technical education classes and have added new certificate classes.  

Understand what’s causing your loved one’s resistance and how you can encourage support. Are you faced with a loved one resisting to any type of care?  This is one of the toughest challenges you can face with your aging loved one.  Through your support and understanding, you can foster acceptance.

What is the root of not wanting assistance?
Understanding what your loved one is going through in the aging process will gain your empathy for him or her.  He or she is most likely dealing with the loss of; physical, mental, and independence.  Admitting to care may mean surrendering their privacy, which can result in embarrassment that he or she can no longer take care of things.  Remember, your loved one does not want to become a burden on the family, which results in stubbornness and unwillingness to participate, but mostly, concerned with financial means.

Have you ever felt as though you were sleepwalking through your life?  It seems a cliché, but one worth contemplating.  Most of us live each day, year after year, without much thought about where we are going or who we are.  Our society gives us a message that if we are satisfying our material needs with a house, a decent career or money, some vacation time and a good family that we have fulfilled our purpose.  Many people add some religion or spirituality to this.  Yet even when we have fulfilled this formula for happiness, there often seems to be something missing.
We live our lives mechanically, without deep inner thought as to its meaning and substance.  Too afraid to get deep and too easily satisfied with the material existence our society encourages- often creating a life of mediocrity.

Let’s face it, financial trouble is one of the top reasons couples divorce today.  With the housing market in the dumps, unemployment through the roof and the cost of education skyrocketing it’s been tough for all of us here in the ‘real world.’  When times get tough, marriages get strained.   A prenuptial agreement between Hollywood’s rich and famous often makes headlines, but it has a little known friend; the postnup.  This lesser known medium can be a great avenue to salvage shaky marriages.
What is a postnup?  It is any written agreement entered into between spouses after they say, “I do.”

A common mistake with families is they wait too long to plan for college and end up un-prepared, misinformed and without the many opportunities to get free money.  Summertime is perfect college planning time and working with a College Planning Expert can offer immediate benefits.
Number One: Know Your Expected Family Contribution Costs

In a historic move Action’s non-profit Parent & Teen Support Group Programs has created The Action Family Zone – A common gathering place for all teenagers that want to develop a stronger sense of self; by discovering passion and purpose.  The Zone will open sometime in the middle of June at 20655 Soledad Canyon Road, Units 24 and 25, in Saugus.  Centrally located in Santa Clarita, the facility will host a myriad of activities for youth between the ages of 13 to 17 years of age.

Every child deserves to have a safe, loving and permanent home.  Children’s Bureau needs foster families who will care specifically for infants and toddlers during the reunification process with their parents.  There are also 114,000 children currently in foster care who are unable to return to their families of origin.  Children’s Bureau is seeking caring families to consider adopting these older children and large sibling sets.  The agency is holding a monthly information meeting for those interested in learning more on Saturday, June 23 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the Westfield Valencia Town Center located at 24201 West Valencia Boulevard in Valencia.

Senior citizens and their families should be aware of a little-known policy and practice by hospitals, which is called “observation status.”  Failure to understand this issue can result in very expensive medical bills not covered by insurance.
After a hospital stay, many patients require therapy or “rehabilitation” in a skilled nursing facility.  Medicare (or the senior’s insurance) will pay up to 100 days for this rehabilitation and therapy (days 21 to 100 with a co-pay), but only if the patient stayed a minimum of three days in the hospital first.  If insurance does not pay, then skilled nursing can be between $5,000 to $30,000 per month.

Readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita continue to send in great questions about the voiceover business, but this one is typical of many that I receive:
Q: “I’m not an actor, but I’ve done some announcements for a local cable television station.  Do I have any chance of doing announcing for radio and television commercials?” — Edward M., Valencia, California

The normal aging process instigates changes throughout the body. Perhaps the most important change seniors undergo relates to nutrition. As a body ages, so does its nutritional requirements. Seniors may need to adjust vitamin and mineral intake depending on their gender, metabolic rate and for disease management purposes. Depending on a senior’s individual needs, caloric intake may need to be monitored to ensure good health.

MBK Senior Living’s Summerhill Villa is the third community to receive a ”Dementia Program of Distinction” status from Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA).  This prestigious award has been given to only 33 communities nationwide.  The company’s Crown Cove and Casa de Santa Fe have also been recognized for their standards of excellence in memory care.  AFA’s “Excellence in Care” was established to recognize dementia care communities that achieve established standards for quality care for residents and their families. 

Keeping the body hydrated is particularly important for the elderly.  In addition to proper diet and exercise, hydration plays a very significant role in healthy living for seniors.  With the warm weather approaching, the risk for seniors suffering from dehydration increases.
A loss of hydration can impact how seniors look and feel.  As our body ages, we experience a decrease in our total body water and our thirst sensation also decreases.
Dehydration, therefore, can happen much more quickly and occurs more frequently in our seniors.  And the loss of fluid can be serious, affecting the heart, kidneys and brain and in extreme cases can be life threatening.  There is also an increased risk of falling because dehydration can make seniors weak and dizzy.

“The loss of love is not nearly as painful as our resistance to accepting it is.” – Tigress Luv
There are many theories about the emotional journey when a marriage comes to an end.  In this article and others to follow, we take a look at one theory that compresses the many stages of divorce to four general phases: Deliberation; Litigation; Transition: and Post Divorce (or Redirection) (John Haynes, Ph.D.).