By: Alicia Doyle, Ventura County Star Food and wine pairings and auction items including a Caribbean cruise will be featured at the 27th Ultimate Dining Experience benefit. The event raises money for Senior Concerns, a Thousand Oaks-based nonprofit that serves seniors and their caregivers in Ventura and western Los Angeles counties. The net fundraising goal is $130,000, similar to last year’s, said Andrea Gallagher, president of Senior Concerns. “Each year, Senior Concerns must raise 30 percent of its budget to fill the gap between grant funding and fees, and the actual cost of providing vital support services … to frail and needy seniors,” Gallagher said. Chefs’ samplings and wine will be served in a garden, and there will be live music. Tickets are $210 per person or $395 per couple. A silent auction will include trips, wines, dinners at local restaurants and tickets to events. A live auction will feature a seven-day Caribbean cruise, 4-carat diamond hoop earrings and a Temecula trip with wine tasting, dinner, lodging and a balloon ride. Suzanne Hogan, silent-auction chairwoman, tapped into Senior Concerns a couple of years ago to help her mother, who has Parkinson’s disease. “Trying to care for my mother was a 24-7 undertaking, as she had some dementia. … I didn’t know what to do. It was so overwhelming,” she said. Senior Concerns advised Hogan on options available and provided respite day care as she struggled to rearrange her life. “I had suffered a heart attack … and now felt on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” Hogan said. “There were many days sitting in the office there at Senior Concerns crying.” A short time after, Hogan’s mother started attending the adult day care program at Senior Concerns. “This was a godsend. … My mother could not stay by herself while I ran errands or went to the doctor. She was extremely frightened of new experiences and people. She trusted no one but me and my husband.” Within three days, Hogan’s mother asked her, ” ‘Why can’t I go to that place with the other people and the music?’ ” Hogan said. “She felt safe and happy at Senior Concerns. … My mother improved dramatically,” Hogan said. “She became the social person that she had previously been, and her wicked sense of humor returned.” Proceeds from the fundraiser will help support services including an adult day program for cognitively impaired seniors, Alzheimer’s day care resource center, senior advocates, Brain Fitness programs, evening seminars and case management More …
