Betty Berry’s Column
Senior Concerns’ Senior Advocate Betty Berry’s column appears weekly in the Ventura County Star.
Senior Concerns celebrates 50 years of supporting Ventura County’s aging population
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 8, 2025, highlighted the vital role of Senior Concerns, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting older adults and their caregivers in the Conejo Valley area. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Senior Concerns has become a trusted resource, serving approximately 13,000 seniors [...]
Daryl Hannah spreads love to seniors with her therapy mini horses – Today Show
Darryl Hannah's Romeo Roadshow and Senior Concerns were highlighted again, this time in "Sunday Today with Willie Geist," part of the Today Show. To learn more about this special therapy horse program visit: https://romeoroadshow.com/
The wonderful benefits of Adult Day Programs
Q: What is an Adult Day Care Center? A: Adult Day Care programs are licensed care facilities that provide social and personal care services to adults during the day in a group setting. This means the person can live at home and go for part of the day to enjoy [...]
Empowering caregivers: A vital necessity for our future
That role may include physical assistance, emotional support, advocacy and care coordination, health monitoring, and long-term care planning. For many of us who have assumed the role of family caregiver (or had it thrust upon us), this crucial role in a loved one’s life in some ways defines us, [...]
Honoring Family Caregivers
Every year, Senior Concerns hosts a Caregiver Recognition Day event to honor family caregivers. As we prepare for this year’s event, I am again reminded of our community’s incredible strength and compassion. I often write about issues that family caregivers manage every day. While each person’s needs are unique, [...]
Andrea Gallagher receives Community Leadership Award
Andrea Gallagher - Community Leadership Award Andrea is the Executive Director of Senior Concerns. She has transformed the lives of seniors and caregivers through her leadership and advocacy. Motivated by her personal experience, she has built a comprehensive network of services that support aging with dignity across the Conejo [...]
Standing Up To Ageism
I recently heard Doctor Karen Gorback talk about standing up to ageism. I have written about this topic before and felt it deserved more attention as it is an ongoing issue in our community. Dr. Gorback shared that it is important to recognize the problem, understand why it is [...]
Senior Concerns Hosts Ultimate Evening by Conejo Valley Lifestyle Magazine
Conejo Valley Lifestyle magazine features Senior Concerns in its April Issue: https://citylifestyle.com/articles/senior-concerns-hosts-ultimate-evening
Senior Concerns to Honor Family Caregivers at Annual Recognition Event
Thousand Oaks, Calif.— Senior Concerns will host its annual Family Caregiver Recognition Day on Tuesday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. at Los Robles Greens (299 S Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks). This year’s theme, “Invigorating Your Caregiver Power,” will include empowering presentations by experts in the community. Attendees will enjoy [...]
Helping seniors get around town independently
Q: What is the Dial-A-Ride program, and where is it available? I have heard many different things about this transportation program and would like to know more. A: Dial-A-Ride (DAR) is a transit program that provides paratransit and senior origin-to-destination transportation service to those who cannot use the fixed-route [...]
Daryl Hannah’s Mane Attraction – NBC News Feature
NBC News with Lester Holt The seniors at an adult daycare in California have made fast-friends with two mini horses and handler, actress and filmmaker Daryl Hannah. The horse therapy is helping improve their quality of life. NBC News’ Steve Patterson has the story. To learn more about this [...]
Patients struggle to retain medical information
Whose responsibility is it to remind older adult patients of their next programmed appointment? Let’s say a patient is supposed to have an in-office procedure every six months. For whatever reason, that appointment was not booked in advance. In a perfect world, both the physician’s office and the patient [...]
Concern for seniors is this organization’s guiding light by The Acorn
The Acorn By John Loesing newstip@theacorn.com THE GOLDEN ONE —Senior Concerns Golden Girls dancers pose during the organization’s 50th anniversary celebration March 15 at the Hyatt Regency Westlake. Photos by SUSAN WEININGER/Acorn Newspapers The 58 million Americans who are 65 years and older don’t care to [...]
Tidbits
Every so often, I think of topics that are not deep enough to be the subject of an entire column but may be noteworthy. I call these tidbits because they are small and interesting items of information. Sharing my recent tidbits with you today. Hotel Stay Recently, my husband [...]
Opening a dialogue when a parent is resistant to having their hearing tested
Q: My mother refuses to have her hearing tested even though we keep telling her she is missing out on our conversations. How can I convince her to get hearing aids? A: When one person in a relationship notices hearing loss in the other person, it can often lead [...]
Mane attraction: The therapy horses with a Hollywood connection bringing joy to seniors in Ventura County
KCLU | By Caroline FeradayPublished March 5, 2025 at 4:25 PM PST They’re a four-legged friend who can help provide emotional support and a sense of connection…no, not dogs but miniature horses!There's excitement at the clip clop sound of star-attraction Romeo as he arrives at this non-profit adult day care program for older [...]
Senior Concerns: A 50-year Lifeline for Seniors – Valley Vista Neighbors Feature
Valley Vista Neighbors Magazine March 2025 Edition Senior Concerns: A 50-year Lifeline for Seniors Living in this area of southern California, we enjoy a wealth of resources, not the least of which are available for the elderly in our communities and for those who care for them. [...]
Concerned about seniors? We are – The Acorn Editorial
The Acorn EDITORIAL February 28, 2025 For five decades, Senior Concerns has been serving the needs of Conejo Valley’s older adults and their caregivers. To celebrate, the Thousand Oaks nonprofit has chosen “The Golden One” as the theme for its annual Ultimate Dining Experience, set for March. The [...]
Exploring options to affording In-home caregiving
Q: I was surprised to hear the price of hiring in-home care. How do people afford to pay for care at home?A: The cost of hiring a caregiver through an agency is at an all-time high. It can seem very overwhelming if you are not familiar with the industry. Rates [...]
Personal control is important for older adults
The other day I was talking to my mom about a challenging interaction I was having with a gentleman. My mom was amused at this person’s bad behavior.I jokingly told my mother, “If you think he is so funny, maybe you should spend time with him.”My mother quickly responded by [...]
