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Events	Our next Social will be May 13 Mothers Day and get ready for 4th of July and August Luau.
News	Pacifica has expanded from 12 to 16 beds also new furniture in both homes.
Memories	We wish to remember Lenore and others that have touched our hearts as they have now passed on. In our prayers we honor them in memory.
Sunvalley Chateau, Pacifica, A Pillar in the Community …Sounds like senior heaven, by Ernie Biera,  Consultant/Administrator &  Teacher
In a recent article, Caring For Those Who Cared For You, by Lynn Ruth Miller, Sunvalley Chateau was described as "sounds like senior heaven." But as we look closer we see how Sunvalley Chateau has become a pillar in the Pacifica community for its senior citizens. Recently Sunvalley chateau sponsored a luncheon at the Senior center and plans to offer another one next month. Some of the residents include, Lenore, a founder of the City of Pacifica, who helped begin in 1954 the cities incorporation process. Lenore began living here at Sunvalley Chateau when her daughter Amelia enrolled her here about a year ago and it has become her new home. Lenore was one of the original founders when Pacifica became incorporated as a City. The incorporation was finalized in November of 1957. Also past mayors and friends have come to stay and always have enjoyed their stay. The home has grown from a 6 bed residential home (formerly Horga house) to a dozen residents that Rodica Ranga, owner, and her staff work diligently, to provide a happy place, keep everyone interested and involved in the community. Jerry Vitenson placed his mother there and he and his parent are very happy with the choice. Mrs. Vitenson is provided with 3 meals snacks, laundry service and there is always something for her to do. Ranga schedules daily exercise, bingo, with religious services, arts and crafts once a week, and has many social parties for residents and their families and includes visits to the senior center of Pacifica. She takes care of her residents like family. The Sunvalley Chateau Corp. is a residential care facility for the elderly, licensed by the state of California, Dept. of Social Services, Community Care Licensing. This is a respite care facility for short term and long-term care. For more information you can email Ernie Biera, ernieadv@a-dv.com

  Caring For Those Who Cared For You

By Lynn Ruth Miller “The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young.”Oscar Wilde

         Bertha Sanders is 91 years old.  She lives alone in her own home and tells her two daughters that she is perfectly capable of caring for herself.  She cooks her own meals, does a bit of gardening and she participates in a variety of activities for the seniors in her neighborhood.  Last Tuesday, she left her home to go to Bingo at her senior center.  She walked out the door, but by the time she got to the sidewalk, she forgot where she was going.  “I’ll just start walking,” she told herself.  “It’ll come to me.”         But it didn’t come to her. She couldn’t seem to focus on the sidewalk or the street and she couldn’t remember what she was doing outside. She kept walking on her way to nowhere until she came to an intersection.  She stepped into the street and heard a loud screeching sound as she fell to the pavement. When she awoke, she was in the emergency ward at Peninsula Hospital and someone kept repeating words she couldn’t make out.   “My name?” she said “My name…?”         Bertha Sanders is not alone.  Every year, more and more of our elderly repeat the same scenario that put Bertha Sanders into the emergency ward. Yet, both she and her children could have avoided that tragedy with the smallest amount of advance planning.

No child likes to admit that the person who nurtured them is no longer the capable, all-knowing figure that they still see in their hearts.  Most of us feel that if we shut our eyes to our parent’s emotional and physical deterioration, it will all go away.  But the reverse is true.  Our population is aging.  Over two million Americans turn sixty-five each year and most of them will live for another seventeen years.  So what do you as a child of aging parents do to keep up the quality of life your parents deserve before there is an unexpected crisis like a heart attack or a stroke?

Your first decision is the kind of care your parents need.  You can locate the “perfect” place by going on line to www.elderlink.org . or calling 800 613 5772 “Our staff tours all eldercare facilities to be certain they are meeting state standards,” said Irene Wexler.  “We are licensed by the Department of Health Services and are on call 24 hours a day.  We give referrals based on specific needs.”

If you want to open a residential care home, you can anticipate an immense amount of paperwork and endless regulations. “You have to buy a house first of all,” said Rodica Ranga, owner and administrator of The Sunvalley Chateau in Pacifica.  ”Every exit, every bathroom, every bedroom has to meet fire and safety codes.  I take 40 hours of classes every two years as an administrator to keep my license and my staff has to constantly update their training as well.”SunvalleyChateau has a manicured lawn, spacious yard and outdoor deck.  The staff is welcoming and there are three people on duty all the time so that no one is neglected. The place has a dozen residents that Rodica Ranga and her staff work with, round the clock, to keep happy, interested and involved in the world.  Jerry Vitenson placed his mother there and he and his parent are very content with their choice.  Mrs. Vitenson is well fed and there is always something for her to do.  Rodica Ranga schedules arts and crafts once a week, trips to the local senior center and has many parties for residents and their families at every opportunity.  She treats her residents like family.  “When they come here, they stay,” said Ranga.  “My goal is to provide a home away from home for them.”...  ... All this sounds like senior heaven, but it does not come cheap.  It costs from $2700 -$3600 depending on the place, the room, and even the view and often these homes do not accept Medicare.  Even so, they are not making money hand over fist.  “The bottom line is that anyone who goes into this kind of care for the money and doesn’t have a passion for it will fail,” said Wexler.

The next time you visit your parents, ask yourself if they would be capable of taking care of themselves if you left town.  Listen to their responses to your questions about their activities.  Do their answers make sense or are they vague ramblings that don’t say anything at all?  Look around the house.  Is it in order?  Are your parents dressed appropriately and does their personal hygiene seem under control?  And what about their medications?  Are they taking the proper amounts at the proper time?   Do your parents seem happy or are they restless, frustrated and discontent?  If you doubt that they can supervise their own affairs as efficiently as they taught you to handle your own life, it is time to step in and give them the emotional support they need to manage their finances, housing issues and their medical needs. 

Remember, you can find a facility that LOOKS good on paper but you need to go there, check the amenities, note the cleanliness and see how your parent enjoys the other people there.  Every residential care home is different and not any one is right for everyone.  “It’s just like ice cream,” said Wexler.  “You can offer them 31 flavors and there is always someone who prefers vanilla.”