With Your Family in Mind

“It’s almost Thanksgiving, I can’t believe he’s not here.”  “I wish I could just cancel Christmas this year.”  “How can I go on without her?”
The empty chair at holiday dinners can cause enormous pain.  Whether this will be your 1st, 10th or 50th year without your loved one, holidays are sad reminders of those we have lost.
“As a society we are not trained or prepared to deal with life’s most predictable event and that is loss,” said Jeff Zhorne, MA, a grief counselor and resident of Valencia.  This includes death, divorce, breakup, retirement, empty nest, loss of trust or any of 40 other losses we can expect during our lifetimes.

Summer has come to a close, a new school year has begun, students and parents alike must get back into the groove of another school year and nightly homework.  
Students who struggle with academics oftentimes find homework to be another time of the day when their struggle is reinforced.  This struggle often throws a household into chaos, however with the proper tools and skills, parents can help their students become confident in their daily homework routine.  

At least 300,000 people in North America are affected by a movement disorder called Dystonia.  It affects men, women and children of all ages and presently there is no cure.  With the help of medical professionals around the world, there are multiple treatment options, and scientists continue to research new therapies. Dystonia is a movement disorder, causing the muscles in the body to contract and spasm involuntarily. The neurological mechanism that makes muscles relax when they are not in use does not function properly. Opposing muscles often contract simultaneously as if they are ‘competing’ for control of a body part.

“Children are great imitators.  So give them something great to imitate.” Author Unknown Do children have a voice in decisions during and after a divorce, including custody?  How will divorce affect the participation of children in parental decision making?
The answers are complex.  It is helpful to answer these questions by being clear about the role of parents in a family. 

Much of the excitement behind October 31 stems from the opportunity that individuals receive to detach themselves from their own identity and clothe themselves with another.  There is much pride taken in being able to become someone else on this day.  Some of the extravagant measures taken to become another personality reveal that many people anticipate this opportunity all year long. 

As your parent, or loved one ages, is your responsibility in caring for their needs changing?  Is your role becoming more of a caregiver?  Caring for a loved one can be challenging and overwhelming at times.  The solution to your peace of mind could be in an Assisted Living Community.
In assisted living, residents have as much independence as they desire.  Communities are designed to provide residents with hotel-style services and amenities with the understanding that assistance with personal care and support services are available.  Services may include; nutritious meals prepared daily; transportation to medical facilities, shopping, excursions; variety of social and enrichment programs lead by an Activities Director; full service beauty salon; medication management; bathing; dressing; grooming; escorting; and more.

It’s “Date Night” Friday…
The one night a week when you and your spouse spend time together… talk about the week… have a nice leisurely dinner… just the two of you.
You’ve lined up a babysitter…

The confusion between home care and home health is remaining so prevalent that I thought I would revisit the topic.  Home “Health” is medical in nature.  Home Health is prescribed by your physician for a nurse or other licensed medical professional to come to the home and attend to whatever has required the visit.  It could range from wound care, administering medication, pain management, checking vitals, etc.  The visit is very quick in nature, tasks accomplished, and they’re gone in usually less than an hour.  Insurance will pay for Home Health if prescribed by a doctor.

“My name is Emily and in seven years, I will be an alcoholic. I’ll start drinking in the eighth grade. But my parents won’t really notice because I’ll do okay in school and everything will be okay. But everything won’t be okay. Kids who drink before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol problems when they are adults.”
“My name is Brandon and in nine years I will be an alcoholic. I’ll start drinking with the older kids and whatever they do, I’ll do. I know I will start with alcohol, but I’m not sure how it’s going to end.”

Golden Oak is excited to offer this new class, taught by Santa Clarita’s very own plant expert and certified arborist, John Windsor.  Over eight sessions, students will learn plant identification, care and maintenance, soil preparation, pruning techniques, irrigation, container gardening, and much more. 

In the recent economic downturn, many homes lost considerable value and stock portfolios gyrated.  If this is the case for you, then you should consider reviewing your estate plan.
If your will or trust divides your estate into percentages for beneficiaries, then changes in value won’t affect the proportions by which your estate is distributed.  However, if you have included specific bequests in your will or trust, then a rise or fall in your net worth could have significant consequences. 

Today I received an email from a colleague referring me to an article posted in the LA Times.  She wrote: “Drug deaths due to prescrip drugs now outnumbers deaths from car accidents nationwide.  The stats in this brief article are very alarming.” Along with this, I recently read an article in The Signal addressing Heroin in the Santa Clarita Valley.  The article states that… “more than 400 residents have overdosed; a fourth of those were under the age of 24, according to law enforcement.”  With this in mind I wanted to share some thoughts with intent to intelligently address this growing and very serious concern.

The kids are back in school and with that comes a lot of worry for many parents.  How will they do?  Will they be more motivated than they were last year?  Less motivated?  Is this the year they try pot? Alcohol?  Pills?  Sex?  How do we keep them on track when it always seems like everything we do is met with defiance, apathy or failure? 

A reader of The Magazine of Santa Clarita prompts this month’s answer to the question of what skills are necessary for audiobook narration.
Q: I’m a professional commercial voice actor, but I’d love to get into narrating audiobooks, and don’t know what specialized skills it takes to do it professionally. 

Imagine if Steve Jobs had no time to tinker in his garage because he had to go to piano lessons… and SAT prep class… and art class… and was on a travel basketball team that had practice five days a week… and away games on the weekend.
Denise Clark Pope, author of Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed-Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students, is certain Steve wouldn’t have been able to juggle it all and still invent the Mac. 

According to a recent article in USA Today, a majority of Baby Boomers say they are likely to become caregivers for their parents.  However, only half can name any medications their parents take.
USA Today cited a survey of 600 adults ages 45 to 65, conducted by a national Home Care Agency.  The study found that a surprising number of adult children don’t know how many medications their parents take, whether the parent has a safe deposit box, or even where their parent’s financial information is located. 

High Holy Days services should be inspirational and dynamic.  Temple Beth Ami (TBA), Santa Clarita’s only Reform congregation, creates an innovative program that engages the mind and spirit.

To divorce or not to divorce, that is the question.  So what’s the answer?  When a client comes to my office for a divorce consultation, one of the first issues to be considered is whether the marriage can be saved.  For me, both parties should be willing to go for marriage counseling.