Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, March 11, 2023

14 
Mountain View News Saturday, March 11, 2023 
14 
Mountain View News Saturday, March 11, 2023 
ASSISTED LIVING OR NURSING HOME? 

There are many myths about Assisted Living being like 
Nursing Homes. This is not true at all. Nursing facilities 
are for those with chronic health issues who require care 
around the clock from medical professionals. 

In Assisted Living, one will get the support as needed, 
such as getting help with showering, grooming, and 
dressing. Again, these services are based on the seniors 
needs. 

There are many reasons in working with us. At Safe Path 
for Seniors, we will assess the senior and depending on their care needs and budget, make recommendations. 
For example, we may suggest that the right fit is a Board and Care Home (normally a 6-bedroom house) as 
opposed to an Assisted Living Community or a Memory Support Facility. You will work with an experienced 
agent who 
knows the industry well and will give you recommendations. The good news is that there is no cost for this 
service. 


If you have any questions about placing a loved one, visit www.safepathforseniors.com or call Steve at 
626-999-6913 

GETTING PAID AS A FAMILY CARETAKER 


Dear Savvy Senior:
I have been taking care of my elderly father for over 
a year and it’s taking a toll on my finances because I 
can only work part-time. Are there any resources you 
know about that can help family caregivers get paid? 
Seeking Support 

Dear Seeking:
Caring for an elder parent can be challenging in 
many ways, but it can be especially difficult financially 
if you have to miss work to provide care. 
Fortunately, there are a number of government programs 
and other tips that may be able to help you 
monetarily while you care for your dad. Here are 
some options to explore. 

Medicaid Assistance 

All 50 states and the District of Columbia offer 
self-directed Medicaid services for long-term care. 
These programs let states grant waivers that allow 
income-qualified individuals to manage their own 
long-term home-care services. In some states, that 
can include hiring a family member to provide care. 

Benefits, coverage, eligibility and rules differ from 
state to state. Program names also vary. What’s 
called “consumer directed care” in one state, may 
be called “participant-directed services,” “in-home 
supportive services” or “cash and counseling” in 
another. Contact your state Medicaid program to 
ask about its options or to start the sign-up process. 

Veterans Benefits 

If your dad is a military veteran, there are several 
different VA programs he may be eligible for that 
provide financial assistance to family caregivers, 
including: 

Veteran-Directed Care: Available in most states, 
this program provides a needs-based monthly budget 
for long-term care services. (VA.gov/geriatrics/
pages/Veteran-Directed_Care.asp) 

Aid & Attendance or Housebound benefits: These 
programs provide a monthly payment to veterans 
and survivors who receive a VA pension and 
who either need assistance with activities of daily 
living (i.e., bathing, dressing, going to the bathroom), 
or are housebound. (VA.gov/pension/ 
aid-attendance-housebound) 

Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family 
Caregivers: This provides a monthly stipend to 
family members who serve as caregivers for veterans 
who need assistance with daily living activities 
because of an injury or illness sustained in the 

line of duty. (Caregiver.va.gov/support/support_ 
benefits.asp) 

Other Options

If your dad has some savings or other assets, discuss 
the possibility of him paying you for the care you 
provide, or talk to your siblings to see if they can 
chip in. 

If they agree, consider drafting a short-written contract 
that details the terms of your work and payment 
arrangements, so everyone involved knows 
what to expect. A contract will also help avoid potential 
problems should your dad ever need to apply 
for Medicaid for nursing home care. 

Also, check to see if your dad has any long-term 
care insurance that covers in-home care. If he does, 
in some cases those benefits may be used to pay you. 

Tax Breaks 

There are also tax credits and deductions you may 
be eligible for as your dad’s caregiver that can help. 

For example, if your dad lives with you and you’re 
paying at least half of his living expenses, and his 
gross income was less than $4,400 (in 2022) not 
counting his Social Security, you can claim him as 
a dependent on your taxes and get a $500 tax credit. 

If you can’t claim him as a dependent, you may still 
be able to get a tax deduction if you’re paying more 
than half his living expenses including medical and 
long-term care costs, and they exceed 7.5 percent of 
your adjusted gross income. You can include your 
own medical expenses in calculating the total. To 
see which medical expenses you can deduct, see IRS 
Publication 502 at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf. 

Or, if you’re paying for in-home care or adult day 
care for your dad so you can work, you might qualify 
for the Dependent Care Tax Credit which can be 
worth as much as $1,050. To claim this credit, you’ll 
need to fill out IRS Form 2441 (IRS.gov/pub/irspdf/
f2441.pdf) when you file your federal return. 

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. 
Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.
org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today 
show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 

FAMILY MATTERS

 By Marc Garlett 


YOUR RIGHTS AS THE PARENT OF A YOUNG ADULT 


What you need to know if a medical crisis hits. 

As a parent, you are quite accustomed to managing your children's 
medical affairs, as circumstances require. But what happens when those 
“children” turn 18, now adults in the eyes of the law, and need urgent 
medical attention far from home? 

The simple fact is that the day your child turns 18, he or she becomes 

an adult and has the legal rights of an adult. This means that you lose 

your prior held rights to make medical (among other) decisions for your child unless your child 

executes legal documents giving you those rights back. Without the proper legal documents, ac


cessing medical information and even being informed about your adult child’s medical condition 

can be difficult and, in some cases, impossible. 

When sending kids off to college, it is crucial to consider the legal implications of an accident or 
medical emergency on your ability to stay informed and participate in important decision-making 
for your young adult child. Medical professionals are responsible for following the Privacy 
Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which ensures medical 
privacy protection for all adults. Once your child turns 18, they are (from a legal perspective 
at least) no more attached to you than a stranger, making communication about medical issues 
tricky if your child is incapacitated and not able to grant permission on their own. 

In California, three legal documents can make all the difference when a medical crisis strikes 
and your young adult child is far from home. When utilized together, they can ensure a parent or 
trusted adult is kept in the loop about care and treatment when a child over the age of 18 experiences 
a medical event while away at college, traveling, or living far from home. 

HIPAA 

Essentially like a permission slip, this authorization allows your adult child to specify who is allowed 
access to their personal medical information. Specific information can be withheld, such 
as drug use, sexual activity, and mental health issues so that additional privacy can be protected 
if desired. 

Medical Power of Attorney 

Designates an agent to make medical decisions for the young adult. This could be you, as the parent 
or another trusted adult. This document should not only include a primary choice of agent, 
but backups, too, in case the first choice cannot serve for any reason. 

Durable Financial Power of Attorney 

Allows the parent or another trusted adult to take care of personal business if the adult child 
cannot do so. This document would allow the parent to take care of such important tasks such as 
signing tax returns, paying bills, and accessing bank accounts for the incapacitated adult child. 
A durable power of attorney is powerful and gives broad access to sensitive financial and legal 
decision-making and should only be given to a trusted relative or friend. 

The milestones come quickly once children graduate from high school and enter the big, wide 
world away from home. As your family navigates these significant changes, take some time to 
determine the steps necessary to ensure excellent communication and peace of mind if a medical 
emergency arises. Consider including your young adult children in the process. 

To your health, wealth, and family legacy, 

Marc Garlett, Esq.
Cali Law Family Legacy Matterswww.caliLaw.com 
626.355.4000 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …March Birthdays* 

Cathy Flammer, Clare Marquardt, Karen Blachly, Carla Duplex, Ella 
Guttman, Viky Tchatlian, Mary Cooper, Sun Liu, Helen Wallis, Nancy Fox, 
Martha Cassara, Rita Johnson, Sharon Murphy, Heather Sheets, Mercedes 
Campos, Dorothy Webster,Terri Elder, Carol Cerrina, Amy Putnam, Sally 
Contreras 

* To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 
YEAR of birth not required 
DOMINOES TRAIN GAME 
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park House 

The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto one or 
more trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions that 
you may have. 

TEA AND TALK BOOK CLUB 
Wednesday, 2/15 9:00 am Hart Park House 

Staff has launched a new book club series, Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month 
to discuss the fun, suspense, intrigue, love and so much more that each selection will 
have in store! 

FIBER FRIENDs 
Tuesday, 1/17 10:00 am Hart Park House 

If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or 
cross stitch then we have a group for you! Bring your current project, sit and chat 
with like-minded fiber friends. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE 
Every Friday 10-10:45 am 

Bring a lei, your flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back 
and waiting for you to join in on all the fun! Memorial Park Pavilion. 

CHAIR YOGA 
Every Monday and Wednesday 10-10:45 am 

Please join us for some gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation 
with Paul. Classes are ongoing and held in the Memorial Park Covered Pavilion 
or the Hart Park House. 

BINGO 

Thursday, 1/19 Hart Park House 1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Please join in a fun and lively game of BINGO. Several rounds fun will be had with 
prizes for each rounds winner. 


OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

NOTHING LIKE A MYSTERY TO CALM MY NERVES 

Nothing calms me down more than a mystery when I have a busy 
week. 

The other afternoon I got caught up and faced some rather stressful situations. The 
remedy to all of this would be to watch one of those mystery movies.
One was playing that afternoon, so I decided to rearrange my schedule, enjoy the 
afternoon watching that mystery movie with a nice hot cup of coffee, and maybe 
adding an Apple Fritter to it makes it even more restful. 

As I began watching this mystery, the first part is always the murder. So who was 
it that committed this murder? That is the detective's job to find out the murderer.
As these mystery movies begin, I like to guess who the real murderer is. I am usually 
wrong but don't tell anybody, especially The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage.
Getting involved in the story, the detectives brought in one suspect they believed 
committed the crime. 

I was getting involved when I heard someone walk into the living room; it was The 
Gracious Mis-tress of the Parsonage. She looked at the TV, then back at me and said 
very firmly, "He is not the murderer. The wife is the one who murdered her husband." 
Then she turned around and returned to her kitchen work. 

 I chuckled a little because how would she know who the murderer was at this point 
in the movie? Watching this, the detectives finally concluded that the subject they 
were interviewing was not the one who did the murder. 

Then they came up with another suspect, and as they were interviewing him, a head 
popped into the living room; it was The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage. "He’s 
not the guilty one; the wife killed her husband; trust me on this." 

Of course, if anybody knows what wives are capable of, it would be her. I knew she 
was wrong about the wife killing her husband. They had interviewed this wife, who 
had a good alibi; the detectives crossed her off the suspect list. 

They brought in several more suspects, and they were all cleared as far as the crime. 
Finally, they got to the place where no other suspects were in view. Suddenly, someone 
appeared as a suspect that they did not see before. 

That's the way a good mystery goes. The one they had seemed like a very good prospect. 
He had no credible alibi at the time of the murder. The more they interviewed 
him, the more it seemed like he was the murderer. Watching it, I began to agree that 
they finally got their murderer. All they had to do was collect the evidence needed 
to convict him. 

Just then, a head popped into the living room. "He did not do the killing," she said 
very emphatical-ly. "As I said before, the wife killed her husband." I did not know 
how she came up with that because she was working in the kitchen, and I was watching 
the television. So how could she know things about the mystery I didn't know? 
"You're wrong," I said to her, "all the evidence points to this one they just arrested. 
No other person has his evidence." She poked her head back in, and I said, "The 
wife is not in the picture right now. She could not have done the crime." With one 
of her smiles, she replied, "Trust me. The wife did it. If I'm right, I'll bet you lunch 
at my favorite restaurant tomorrow." Could I pass up something like that? All the 
evidence pointed to that person, and none to the wife. 

"I will take you up on that bet, and I can't wait to have lunch at my favorite restaurant 
tomorrow." Walking back into the kitchen, I could hear her chuckling. I 
had never known her to be wrong like this, and I was preparing myself for a grand 
celebration at my favorite restaurant tomorrow for lunch. This will be the first time 
I have ever won a bet against her. I must jot this down and record it because it may 
never happen again. 

Returning to the mystery movie, suddenly, everything began to change. The man 
they thought did the crime had an airtight alibi, then the unthinkable happened.
The wife's alibi began to break down as the detectives re-examined the evidence; 
they saw it differ-ently, to their surprise. As it turned out, all the evidence revealed 
the wife killed her husband, and she was the murderer. I heard some chuckling 
from the kitchen area and wasn't going to ask what was happening. I knew exactly 
what was going on. 

At lunch, the next day, all The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage could do was 
smile as she read through the menu and placed her order with the waitress.
I've never known her to order so much for lunch. 

Driving home from the restaurant, I happen to think of a verse of Scripture found inMatthew 11:28-30. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will 
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in 
heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is 
light.” 

If I want real rest from my labors, it will only come from my relationship with Jesus 
Christ. Nothing can compromise that rest. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 
Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com