With Your Family in Mind

The Balanced Care Method™ (BCM) is based on a study of centenarians from Okinawa, Japan. It incorporates specific lifestyle findings in its home care philosophy.
The Okinawa Centenarian Study found that Okinawans experience long life spans as well as enjoy good health well into advanced age. 

When working with my clients who are buyers in Santa Clarita, especially the first time homebuyers, I often find myself fielding many questions about what they should expect as they progress through the process of buying a home.  Most already have the big picture in mind, of course, but in many ways the home-buying process is dissimilar from other large purchases they are used to making.  Working with me, and my team, is equally unique for them.

Not everyone needs a Living Trust. If, for example, you have little or no property in your name, alone, and no minor children, you may not need a living trust. A simple will may suffice. (By “property”, we don’t mean only real estate, but also personal property, such as cars, furniture, jewelry, and other “stuff”.)

“Communication is a skill that you can learn. It’s like riding a bicycle or typing. If you’re willing to work at it, you can rapidly improve the quality of every part of your life.” – Brian Tracy
Communication patterns between spouses affect conflict and the way family members cope with conflict. 

An Advance Medical Directive (Health Care Power of Attorney) gives instructions on the kind of medical care you would like to receive should you become unable to express your wishes yourself.  It often designates someone to make medical decisions for you.  This is an extremely important document- but it will not be of much value in an emergency if it is tucked away in a safe deposit box or in a file cabinet where no one can easily find it.

If someone had asked me this question even five years ago, my answer would have been, ‘of course.’
My answer as of today is that it probably won’t exist as it does today. Why?
Society as we know, is quickly changing; moving faster with easier access to media and communication tools. This ease and accessibility opens doors, allowing people to feel more confident in their desires and in what they want and need out of life.

There are two types of support in California.  One is child support and the other is spousal support.  There are two types of orders in California dissolution cases.  One is a temporary order during the pendency of the case, called a pendente lite order.  And the other is an order after judgment.  Child support awards are modifiable based upon changed circumstances irrespective of judgment.  The concept makes sense, because it will usually be in the best interest of the child for the parent with more custodial time to get a greater support award when the supporting party can afford to pay more.

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.

Most seniors probably don’t think of this, but some of the delights of Valentine’s Day, such as romance, wine, fruit and chocolate can be down right good for the heart, according to research from the University of Michigan.
Of course, moderation is always key when enjoying food and wine.

What if you had filed for divorce years ago and assumed your divorce was finalized and had not thought about it for years?  And let’s say you were about to get remarried or were already re-married.  Now let’s say you realized....  You were not divorced!
Sound like a nightmare?  I’m sure it is.  Sound impossible?  I can assure you it is not.

Dental assistants play a valuable role in any dental office. Not only do they increase a dentist’s efficiency in providing excellent care, but they also play an important role in gaining the patients’ trust and making them feel relaxed and comfortable with their visit. 
If you have strong communication and people skills, enjoy working with your hands as well as your mind and want a career with responsibility, dental assisting is for you.

Today was an emotionally draining day.  I had four appointments – one regarding an update to an existing Living Trust, and three having to do with senior parents in their 80’s whose health is declining.  Plans had to be made for the senior’s long-term care, and paying for that expensive care. ...

If you are contemplating divorce, establishing a date of separation is crucial and can heavily impact your matter. IRMO Davis, Sheryl and Keith married in 1993 and have two children. In 1999 the marriage between Sheryl and Keith broke down and they stopped sharing a bedroom. Sheryl believed the marriage was over but agreed to keep up appearances “for the sake of the children.”

Home Care Assistance of Santa Clarita is proud to introduce to the Santa Clarita and North Valleys the Cognitive Therapeutics Method™, an activity-based cognitive intervention program, designed to delay the onset of new symptoms and the progression of existing symptoms in individuals with mild to moderate dementia. Based on cutting-edge scientific research and a National Institutes of Health report suggesting that mental stimulation is associated with slower cognitive decline, the Method currently includes over 20 activities targeting the five primary cognitive domains. Home Care Assistance caregivers are trained in the Method so that clients receive one-on-one mental stimulation as well as support with basic care and activities of daily living, supporting overall quality of life.

You have to stand up for yourself when no one else will. - Anonymous

A recent article in the Family Court Review explored the myths and truths about self-represented litigants in divorce. The author (Greacen) cited a legal white paper which claimed that self-represented litigants (“SRLs”) strain the court system, burden judges, and do a poor job. 

It’s New Year’s Resolutions time, an ideal opportunity to get our legal and financial houses in order. Here are some resolutions we can all accomplish:
1. Organization
• Label and store all closed bank and financial accounts.

Caring, compassionate, child-focused, concerned and comforting.  Is this how you “c” yourself?  If so, the 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 children are unable to be safely returned to their birth family. 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.

Social Security retirement benefits by themselves are generally not taxable - but people with even a modest amount of income in addition to their Social Security payments may end up having to pay taxes on their benefits.