April 2014

@aoa . . . e-news from Alliance on Aging

Have You Registered?

The Aging with Vitality festival is fast approaching. Be sure to return your completed registration form to Michelle Lopez by Tuesday, April 8 so you don't miss out on this exciting educational opportunity. (Pre-registration IS required.) There will be both English and Spanish presenters, information and resource tables from Monterey County senior organizations, live music and a yoga presentation!

Need more info? Click the bubble above for the full speaker lineup and to download the registration form.

The Clock is Ticking

The Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) program still has tax preparation appointments available. There will also be a special "pop-up" day on Monday, April 14th. On this day only, tax prep volunteers will be at the American Legion in Salinas between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. to prepare your taxes. This is a first come, first served event. This service is provided to low income seniors at no cost to the tax payer.

Please contact Michelle Lopez at 831.655.4241 to schedule an appointment or click below to learn more about the program.

No Time?

Do you have too much to do and not enough time in your day to wait around for a consignment appointment? Spirals now offers "Drop-Off Consignment" to speed up the intake process. Here's how it works: You bring in up to 20 items of clothing, accessories, household items or jewelry and drop them off at the store any time during business hours. No appointment needed. You fill out a couple of forms, leave your items at the front desk and that's it. Intake staff will review your items when they are able and consign whatever they can. If something is not accepted for consignment because it's out of season, soiled, too worn, or damaged, it becomes a donation to the Alliance on Aging and a donation receipt listing these items will be waiting for you at the store for pickup. Remember, clothing must come in clean, pressed and on hangers or they will automatically become donations. If you need hangers, stop by the store and staff will be happy to give you hangers that await recycling. If you want to donate rather than consign, there is no item limit and clothing does not have to be on hangers. Questions? Call us at 831.383.5030 or stop by the store and we'll be happy to talk with you.

Keeping Healthy in Your Senior Years

It's more important than ever to keep a healthy lifestyle in your senior years and Dr. Christine Ponzio can help you learn how to do just that. She is the featured speaker at a free Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (SVMHS) "Ask the Experts" event on April 16. A board certified family practice physician, Dr. Ponzio has been in private practice in Gonzalez since 1984, and has had privileges at SVMHS for almost 30 years. She enjoys helping families in her community live long and healthy lives.

Click the button below for more information or call 831.759.1890 to RSVP.

Be a voice for seniors and hop on the bus!

For the third consecutive year, a busload of seniors from throughout the county will appear before our county Board of Supervisors and celebrate Older American's Month. Sponsored by Monterey County's Community Voice for Aging and in partnership with Monterey Salinas Transit (MST), this is a timely opportunity for all of us to let our policy makers understand how critical the "Older Americans Act" programs are to seniors in our community. Bus

If you are interested in hopping on the bus, call 831.655.1334 beginning April 15 for bus pickup locations.

California Long Term Care Reform Act

"Over the past twenty years, residential care/assisted living has become the fastest growing component of long term care. With approximately 31,000 residential care/assisted living communities now serving one million residents across the country, the demand for assisted living will continue to grow with the rapid increase in the aging population. In California, these facilities are licensed as Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs)" . . . click here to read more.

Right now, you have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve the lives of assisted living residents and raise the quality of the care they receive. A group of state legislators have introduced nine bills sponsored by the California Associated of Nursing Home Reform (CANHR), collectively known as the RCFE Reform Act of 2014. Support letter from you are important. The RCFE Reform Act is aimed at improving oversight of residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), enhancing residents' rights and modernizing care standards. There are nine bills that make up the Act and you can send letters of support with a click. Act now! CANHR has created a webpage for individuals to easily register their support for the bills. Please share this link with the staff or members of your group so they can express their individual support for RCFE reform.

I Remember MAMA

Many older women living in nursing homes and residential care facilities are alone and have little or no contact with anyone from the community. This coming Mother's Day YOU CAN CHANGE THAT! You can brighten the day of these lonely women by helping the Alliance on Aging's Ombudsman program with our 20th annual salute to mothers, I Remember MAMA. At the same time, you can honor your mother, grandmother or their memory by having a flowering plant delivered to woman living in long-term care who might not otherwise be acknowledged on this special day. Together, we can let these incredible women know they have not been forgotten! These ladies are important members of our community. They are our parents and our grandparents, people who have contributed to the history of our community and our families in so many ways.

Click here to donate so that we may deliver a flowering plant(s) in time for Mother's Day.

If you would like to help deliver plants please call 655-7559 to speak with Christine Lawson. It is a truly rewarding experience to see how delighted the women are to receive a beautiful plant and also a visitor. Families are encouraged to participate.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call

Christine Lawson, Development Associate at

831.655.7559.

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