With Your Family in Mind

The holidays are a wonderful time to connect with family.  If you have a loved one going through the stages of memory loss, this can be very difficult, especially during the holidays.  But there are gifts that you can give that will help your loved one remember and also help them enjoy themselves.

I’d like to thank all who voted Comfort Keepers In-Home Care Best Senior Care in Santa Clarita for the fifth year in a row.  We have been serving Santa Clarita for nearly 13 years now, and take pride in the ability to give seniors the opportunity to remain in the comfort of their own home.  Sometimes, all that’s needed is a helping hand to do so. 

Every day we wonder how many individuals and families do not apply to foster or adopt children due to the misconceptions about what it takes to help a child in need.  Children’s Bureau families need to have the willingness, ability and resources to protect and nurture children, meet developmental needs and address delays, support relationships with the child’s birth families, connect the child to safe and nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime and be willing and able to work as a member of a professional team. Beyond these minimum requirements, there are specifics that are many times misconstrued.

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.” – Oprah Winfrey
Too often we receive calls from clients who want to get divorced but they don’t want to spend their children’s college funds to make it happen.  Divorce statistics are high.  Divorce is more common today and the dynamics have changed.  People are talking more openly about divorce and learning they have options.

During divorce it is common for conversations between spouses to become tense, teary or impossible to manage.
Unfortunately, however, communicating with your spouse may be necessary to finalize your divorce, or, if you have children, to continue co-parenting together. If you are in a tense situation, use any one, or a combination of these methods for communicating with your spouse.

Around this time of year when the weather starts getting nice again, parents tend to catch a disease called “summer fever.”  Symptoms include: leaving work early, playing golf, and blowing off every important financial decision until after the summer’s over!

Families looking for caregivers to provide help at home for their loved ones got a scare recently with a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study concluded that families need to be cautious that the agency is not misrepresenting their caregivers’ skills and their agencies’ training and supervision.  Not every homecare agency offers the help a family may need.

The City of Santa Clarita is proud to share that the food collected this past August as part of the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry’s Summer Food Drive provided approximately 2,089 meals for Santa Clarita families. 
“On behalf of the Santa Clarita City Council, I want to extend a big thank you to everyone in the community who participated in the summer food drive,” said Mayor Bob Kellar. “As a result of all the generous donations and food received, we are one step closer to alleviating hunger in our community.” 

The ARTree Community Arts Center had a fun filled summer with classes at both community centers, the creation and installation of a new mural known as the “Ever-Changing Wall,” on Railroad Avenue, and activities for both Senses and Art Slam events.

Explosive teen anger is real and it’s not a normal phase teens are going through.
Anger is regarded as negative; we’re taught that it’s all right to express anxiety, depression, or other emotions, but not to express anger.

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. Children in need of placement range from newborns to 18-year-olds. 

In long-term marriages, unless the parties agree otherwise, the court retains jurisdiction over the issue of spousal support. In most cases, by the time retirement comes around, there is a fixed amount of support ordered. Seldom do we see a clause in a dissolution judgment that steps down or terminates spousal support upon retirement.

Here is some good news for people who live in or are thinking of entering - a “continuing care retirement community”.   These are communities for older people that provide an entire continuum of care, from independent living to nursing home.  These communities are an appealing option, but they can be very expensive.  The good news is that there is a tax break that could help defray the costs.

If you’re looking for a law firm that does it all and sees the case through from start to finish, then look no further.  Bill Keller and his daughter, Jennifer Keller Smith, are both attorneys practicing law together in Los Angeles with offices in Manhattan Beach and in Valencia. 

As California goes, so goes the United States, though many around the country hate to admit it.  Our state is simply the most populated state in the union so, when things are decided here on the issues of the day, they tend to have an effect that reverberates all over the country . . . well almost. Enter Comprehensive Immigration Reform, how do I know it will pass?

In a recent movie called Blue Jasmine written and directed by Woody Allen, Cate Blanchett plays one of two adoptive sisters whose perfect life deteriorates when her husband’s played by Alex Baldwin illegal financial dealings come to light.  In a stirring performance as Jasmine, Cate Blanchett portrays a woman unable to cope with separation and loss. 

This is the perfect time to make a change. While we are still in a seller’s market, allowing you to get a great price for your home… historically low interest rates make it an ideal time to purchase as well.
Whether you have outgrown your condo, and you are ready for that home with a yard, or the kids have grown up and moved out and you would like a lower maintenance property, this is the ideal time to sell and buy.
There are several things to think about when selling and purchasing concurrently.

We have all hard the saying, “Use it or lose it” when it comes to exercise programs.  It couldn’t be truer!  Regular physical activity can help the human body maintain, repair, and improve itself. Anyone, regardless of his or her age, can benefit from an exercise program.