With Your Family in Mind

In-home caregivers come to the home to help seniors with chores like cooking or yard work which can be strenuous in the heat.  They also make sure seniors take proper precautions to beat the heat.  These guidelines are important for all caregivers to know:
• Wear lightweight, loose fitting clothes – Caregivers help with laundry and can make sure seniors have enough clean, lightweight clothes to stay cool.

The population of the City of Santa Clarita grew from 205,075 in January 2013 to 209,130 in January 2014, according to a report by the California State Department of Finance. The new population count represents a growth of 4,055 residents, or 1.98 percent, in the City of Santa Clarita.
“The City of Santa Clarita is known for its exceptional quality of life, community-driven leadership and top notch municipal services,” said Mayor Laurene Weste. 

As a pre-teen in the early 1970’s, I remember my mother crying about my grandmother’s health issues.  My grandmother had many falls in her later years, resulting in broken hips, repeated admissions to the hospital, rehabilitation and therapies in facilities, discharges back home, only to repeat the process within a short period of time.  It was very clear that my grandmother was unable to live by herself safely.  I saw the decline, but was too young to help.

Some of the complications arise in the family law environment from passport and visa problems.  That is particularly true where the parties have children and are contesting custody.  In these situations, it requires the signature of both parents to receive passports and most visas, or an order from the family court, before the federal or foreign (in some circumstances) government will issue the necessary travel documents.

When a debtor(s) defaults on an account, the creditor has a variety of collection options.  Most creditors begin by sending past due notices or demands to see if the debtor can/will bring the account current voluntarily.  Some creditors attempt to get payments through phone calls, often harassing the debtor at work or home.  Each creditor has its own policies as to how long they will attempt to collect through calls or written demands, which both require the debtor to pay voluntarily. 

Respite refers to short-term, temporary care to allow caregivers and family members a break from their daily routine.  It can also be used for those individuals who require short-term assistance while recovering from an illness or accident.
Families and caregivers who provide constant care for their elderly family member may need some time away from their responsibilities to tend to their own needs.  Respite care allows caregivers to take this time while knowing that their family member will be well cared for by trained staff. 

How mature are your kids?  Many of them are destined for college, but are they ready?  There’s more to preparing for college than a qualifying GPA and completing the required classes.  Many kids still have to be nagged by parents to keep up with their assigned work, follow through with responsibilities and the “unpredictables” that come up frequently.  Many of them still don’t clean their rooms, get to bed on time, come home on time, do chores, etc. without being told 10 times first.

Grandpa committed an act of kindness: He executed a living trust. He knew that this would insure that, after his death, his assets would be distributed in accordance with his wishes, without the expense and inconvenience of probate proceedings.
He didn’t want to spend much money on estate planning, so he utilized the services of a paralegal service.
When he died, his two daughters found:

The scent of summer is in the air!  As the days get longer and the nights get warmer, our beautiful Valley comes to its fullest bloom.  ‘Tis the season to be outdoors, enjoy family life in the heart of our communities and keep your health in check!
Want to reconnect with your health and wellness? 

Hopefully you will reach a point in your dissolution proceedings where you have the opportunity to settle your case.  A frequent sticking point is the issue of the duration of spousal support.  Usually a judgment will include language indicating that spousal support will end on a certain date.

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.

Stress happens during exciting fun-filled activities as well as during negative times.  Summer commitments with graduations, weddings, and long desired vacations are also likely to produce stress.  Add that to parental responsibilities and people wonder why they hunger for a vacation and getaway.  If you know someone who is a Foster/Adoptive
Parent, their summer commitments are likely to have skyrocketed.

Dealing with your former spouse, co parenting…this is the world only the post divorce parent understands. Here are some tips that may help you along that path.
1. Love your children more than you hate your ex spouse–No matter how much you dislike your ex spouse for what they did to you during your marriage and/or your divorce, it’s important to always put your children first. Loving your children more than you dislike your ex spouse will always be the right decision.

For aging adults, it’s quite easy for the room that’s considered a primary gathering place—the kitchen—to instead become a nightmare. Not only are seniors over the age of 65 more likely to be injured in a kitchen fire, they are more likely to suffer a fall injury due to: items stored out of reach—both too high and too low—and the likelihood that meals are carried to eat in another room.

Terry Savage, a reporter for Creators Syndicate, Inc. recently discussed a website for seniors to use in locating the many programs at the federal, state and local level that are designed especially for seniors.  This could make all the difference for an elderly friend or parent who is trying to make “ends meet.”

It’s not too late to still enroll in some “cool” courses before the hot summer arrives.
With summer fast approaching, you might think it’s too late to have some fun at Golden Oak. 

It is not merely the amount of communication that needs to be improved in a relationship it is the quality of it.  Quality does not simply mean talking about good things, it means having the needed skill to talk about anything that needs to be discussed and doing it strategically, sensitively, responsibly and most of all smartly and effectively.  If we are skilled we can talk about anything!
When communicating it is very important to be understood but it is so much more important to not be MIS-understood!  This takes skill.

It is apparent that many people are living longer than our grandparents.  Associated with this is the opportunity for people to remain productive in the workforce at an older age.  There are active employees who continue to work after crossing the once upon a time traditional “65 year” mark.  With age can come barriers, and this is as true in the workplace, as at home.
One of these potential barriers is memory loss and impaired thinking.  Add to this the possibility of an early onset of these conditions, and an individual, family or employer may find themselves dealing with something they were not expecting.