Q: Do you whether Senior Concerns will offer its seminars for caregivers this year? A: Yes. The Caregiver University series will start next month. Alan Ungar, certified financial planner, and Lori Bliss, Senior Concerns’ case manager and senior advocate, will present “Is It Possible to Cover the Cost of Long-Term Care?” The seminar will address long-term-care planning and the options available to cover its costs. The seminar will be from 4-6:30 p.m. Sept. 10 at Senior Concerns Day Care Center, 401 Hodencamp Road in Thousand Oaks. Reservations are suggested and may be made by calling 497-0189. If you need respite care for a special needs senior so you can attend the seminar, arrangements can be made when you make your reservations. The series will continue with: “Caring for the Caregiver,” Sept. 12 “Grandparents Raising Grandkids,” Sept. 17 “Caring for a Loved One With Traumatic Brain Injury,” Sept. 24 “The 10 Signs Your Aging Loved One Needs Help,” Oct. 10 “How to Have the Talk With Aging Parents.” Oct. 17 Q: I just received an email from a friend that explained how a bystander can detect the possibility that someone is having a stroke. I thought perhaps it might be a good item for your column. A: Thank you for sharing. I will be glad to spread the word. Doctors have said a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three questions represented by the first three letters of the word “stroke.” Smile: Ask the person to smile. Difficulty smiling or a crooked smile may be a sign of a stroke. Talk: Ask the person to talk. The inability to say a simple sentence may be a sign of a stroke. Raise: Ask the person to raise both arms. The inability to raise an arm may be a sign of a stroke. There also is a fourth sign. Ask the person to stick out his or her tongue. A tongue that goes to one side may indicate a stroke. If the person has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 and describe the symptoms. Getting help within three hours can often reverse the effects of a stroke. MEDICARE SEMINARS Medicare and Part D plans in 2014 and Covered California update: Sept. 10: 9:30 a.m., Pleasant Valley Senior Center, 1605 E. Burnley St. in Camarillo. Call 482-4881 for more information. Sept. 12: 9 a.m., Help of Ojai/Little House, 111 W. Santa Ana Road in Ojai. Call 646-5122 for more information. Sept. 12: 10 a.m., Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, 646 County Square Drive in Ventura. Call 477-7310 for more information. OTHER HAPPENINGS Wednesday: Ron Bamieh, criminal defense attorney, will present “Clearing Your Criminal Record,” 5:30-6:30 p.m., Ventura County Law Library, 800 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura. Call 642-8982 for more information. Sept. 11: “Volunteering — a Win-Win Situation” seminar, 1:30-3 p.m., Westlake Village Civic Center, 31200 E. Oak Crest Drive in Westlake Village. Call 495-6250 for more information. Sept. 13: Fraud prevention summit seminar. A panel presentation will address many types of fraud: medical/Medicare, telephone marketers, door-to-door “workers” offering a good deal and mail. It will be at the Goebel Senior Adult Center, 1385 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks. Watch for more information next week. Betty Berry is a senior advocate for Senior Concerns. The advocates are located at the Goebel Senior Adult Center, 1385 E. Janss Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362, or call 495-6250 or email betty@seniorconcerns.org . Please include your telephone number. More …
