With Your Family in Mind

Physical changes may include loss of bone density, lowered heart rates, as well as thickening of the arteries and/or heart. Skin becomes dry, thinner and incurs wrinkles as it loses elasticity. Tooth enamel becomes weaker with age and may lead to decay. Gum disease is more common in older adults, as are changes in vision and hearing, lowered appetites and loss of muscle mass.

If you’re thinking of putting your house on the market, you may be tempted to list it at a high price just to see if you can get it. Think again! It is important to price your home appropriately from the day it goes on the market; this is critical to getting it sold quickly and for the best price.
Research has shown the first two weeks on market is critical.  Many homeowners want to list their homes based on what they paid for it, or to recoup the upgrades they did while living there.  In reality, your home is worth only what the market will bear.  

How do you find care for yourself or an aging parent?  The choices can be overwhelming.  Essentially, there are three choices: private hire, domestic referral agencies and full service companies. 
With a private hire caregiver, you are responsible for finding, interviewing and conducting background checks on candidates.  Then you must negotiate schedule, salary and benefits.  A written contract clearly outlining duties and expectations is essential. 

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?” – Anna and the French Kiss

A difficult issue for some, especially parents when going through a divorce, is what to do with the house.  Will uprooting the kids have a negative impact on them?  Often in mediation, parents are looking for a solution which involves one parent or the other keeping the family residence.

Facebook will now let users pick someone to manage their account after they die.  They will now be allowed to pick a “legacy contact” to take certain actions after a Facebook user’s death, such as post on the page and update the profile picture.  Previously, the account would be locked so no other person could post any information.

Some things in life are certain; love, sometimes. Taxes, yes. Divorce, a realist would say at least one. Yet many often refer to as a failure. Ironically it is often the very institution of marriage itself that expects us to respect and obey harmful issues such as domestic violence, gambling, drinking/drugs and/or lying. Why exiting is considered a failure is an absolute abuse and misuse of the word ‘failure.’

Spousal and family support are generally deductible as “alimony” by the payor and taxable to the recipient and child support is generally nondeductible and nontaxable.
However, here are some problems that can arise:

Many people who aren’t addicts suffer from addictive personality.  An addictive personality describes someone who has a high vulnerability to participate in behaviors they may, or may not, consciously know is wrong for them.  These are often called bad habits or negative behavioral patterns.  The most common ones are:
• Relationships:  Creating negative patterns in our personal relationships can include “drama,” abuse, dominance, submissiveness, passive-aggressiveness to name a few.

Caring, compassionate, child-focused, concerned and comforting.  Is this how you “C” yourself?  If so, Children’s Bureau invites willing adults to become a resource family to children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or provide legal permanency by adoption if needed.  There are approximately 64,000 children in foster care in California.  Los Angeles County’s foster care population exceeds 21,000 children with 450 foster children waiting to be connected to a family who will adopt.

At Visitng Angels we proudly care for our Veterans, their spouses and surviving spouses every day. Our commitment to their care is just one of the ways we demonstrate appreciation for their service to our country.
One in three seniors in this country is a veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran.

I often meet young people who want to know whether I like what I do as a lawyer.  The answer is that it usually depends upon the day, and sometimes, on the time of the day that you ask me. People become lawyers for different reasons.  Some are drawn to the money.  Others do it because they want to help people. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I care very much about my clients.  When a client comes to me with a problem, I want to do everything I can legally do to help that client.

I think all of us in Santa Clarita would agree that, once again, we have been experiencing amazing weather!  As I write this, it is about 80 degrees, windy and very, very sunny! The funny thing is – even though we all enjoy this weather – everyone is upset that we are in the fourth year of a terrible drought!  Daily I hear people expressing concern that even though we were optimistic in December, our wet weather, once again, eludes us! So many trees are in bloom, my daffodils are already out and our green hills could be a precursor to a dry fire season fueled with the beauty we see today. 

Have you ever thought of becoming a foster parent or wanted to adopt a child in need of permanency? Koinonia Family Services is now serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, and is looking for families who want to provide safe, caring, and nurturing homes for children who are in need of short-term or long-term placement.

After a long or even a short hospital stay, anyone appreciates the value of sleeping in one’s own bed. No one to wake you during the night, no more pokes, prods or beeps and buzzes. Just you – snuggled up under your own covers within the familiar sights and smells of home.
As wonderful as that sounds, there are a few things to consider regarding transitioning from a hospital back into the home. For many seniors, this process may be complicated depending on their circumstances.

Coming from a long line of dentists in the family, I knew at a very young age that taking care of people’s teeth is a great career path to be in. As it turns out, many agree. The U.S. News and World Report recently published the 25 Best Jobs in 2015, with “Dentist” ranking number one on the list, and “Dental Hygienist” coming in at number five.

If you are going to get a divorce you have a few options.  You can hire an attorney, hire a professional service like ours or do it yourself.  The direction you go depends on your specific circumstances.
I want to speak about the folks considering doing their own divorce and more specifically, those considering using an online divorce service.
There are hundreds of online companies out there of varying levels of cost.  You can find services from $39 up to about $300.

I meet with many families who are concerned about their elderly parents.  Mom has dementia, needs constant supervision, and will run out of money paying for care.  Dad had a stroke, and his care costs in the skilled nursing facility are $8,000 per month.  Mom’s medical issues are worsening, and she is forgetful, refusing help, and becoming a danger to herself.

There is a huge variation among assisted living facilities. While this can make the process of choosing seem daunting, the plus side is that you have a good chance of finding a facility that is perfectly suited to your preferences and needs.
As you start your search, try not to get overwhelmed by all the options.