Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : Monterey Outlook Is Terrible

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The Monterey County Health Department put out a bulletin that there were a massive 3,304 new cases reported yesterday, bringing the total to 22,255 cases, a jump of 17% over yesterday’s count.  There was a report on twitter than the jump in the cases in Monterey and the rest of California was due to processing backlogs, with about half of the new cases from California State Prisons.  Nationwide, the number of new cases rose by 238,189 to 17.734 million while deaths rose by 2,384 to 312,573.  In California, the number of new cases rose by 42,775 to 1.783 million while deaths rose by 227 to 22,221.  These numbers are not good, please stay at home as much as possible.

Monterey, CA Tip For Diabetics : Exercise Frequently

A blood glucose level chart showing the optimal levels.


If your job requires you to do a lot of sitting, make sure you take frequent breaks especially if you are diabetic.  The ADA’s 2020 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes recommends doing a light activity for every 30 minutes of uninterrupted sitting.  Sitting increases insulin resistance, and it also increases blood pressure and impedes blood flow.  I know that this is tough to do now that the entire state of California has been put on lockdown.  We can’t go to Point Lobos or the beach, but try taking a walk around the block!

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : California Outlook Is Bleak

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There were a record number (444) of new cases of coronavirus cases reported in Monterey County, bringing the grand total to 18,951.  Nationwide, there was also a new record of nearly a quarter of million cases, bringing the total over 17 million for the first time.  Deaths were also at a new record of 4,255, with a cume total of 310,189.  In California, new cases more than doubled with a cume total now at 1.741 million and deaths soared to 425, bringing the total close to 22K.  These numbers are exploding, please stay at home as much as possible.

Monterey, CA Estate Planning In A Coronavirus World

An older woman holding a pink string in her hand.


AARP Bulletin in their November 2020 issue (page 22) had an interesting article about more and more couples looking at estate planning now that the coronavirus is making the future outlook bleak.  Keep in mind that you can write a will at any time, even if you are sick in the hospital.  Most estate planners recommend setting up a living trust, which gives you a lot of flexibility on how your assets are distributed following your death.  Experts warn that doing a joint will for a couple is a terrible idea—they aren’t even legal in some states.  Leaving more to one child than another almost guarantees that the will could be challenged.  Stepchildren aren’t automatically treated as children for legal purposes.  There are a lot of moving pieces in an estate plan so consult with your attorney.

Carmel, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Fed Ex And UPS Tracking Alerts Could Be Fake

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The holiday season, unfortunately, typically ushers in a ton of elder abuse scams.  The latest; fake package notifications from Amazon.com, FedEx, UPS and others.  With e-commerce sales hitting an all-time high due to the coronavirus, more and more email delivery alerts are popping up but they may not all be legitimate.  Fake email messages often contain the logo of the shipping company, making them look more legitimate.  Getting you to click on a link is the main objective of these scams.  Others send an attachment with malware in it, so never click on an attachment from an unknown sender.  Most come with a call to action such as purporting there is a problem with the shipping address or the payment method, attempting to get you to click through.  Always go to where you made the purchase to check on the order status. 

https://www.bbb.org/article/news-releases/20283-scam-alert-dont-be-fooled-by-a-fake-package-delivery-scam

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : California Outlook Is Bleak

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Many businesses are irritated that Monterey County health officer Dr. Ed. Moreno issued a stay-at-home order effective on Monday even though the ICU bed capacity had not fallen below 15% in the Bay Area, which would have required a shutdown.  It turns out he was only a few days early—ICU beds in the Bay Area fell to just 12.9% today meaning the entire Bay Area is now locked down.  There were 286 new cases of coronavirus reported in Monterey County today, bringing the total to 18,507.  There were 15 new hospitalizations, and two more deaths.  Nationwide, there were 202K new cases, bringing the total to 16.891 million, while deaths rose by 3,620 to 305,934.  The number of new cases was up by 60% over yesterday.  In California, the numbers were bleak.  There were 37,474 new cases (up 47% from yesterday) bringing the grand total to 1.663 million so far.  Deaths more than doubled from yesterday’s 161 to today’s 354. These numbers are disturbing, please stay at home as much as possible.

Monterey, CA Artificial Intelligence Programs May Help Predict Alzheimer’s Disease

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An Artificial Intelligence Program, AI, analyzed the language of study participants and found it could be able to predict whether people with no memory or thinking problems would develop Alzheimer’s disease later in life.  Funded by Pfizer and conducted by IBM, the program accurately predicted up to 74% of participants that were diagnosed with the disease later in life.  The study which was published in the journal EClinicalMedicine, analyzed 700 written samples from 27 participants in another study conducted decades ago.  Based on written samples, the study more accurately predicts Alzheimer’s disease than other research.  Experts say that tracking language over time could be done as part of routine medical exams. Regular readers of my blog know that both my grandmother and my father died from this terrible disease, and I am a big fan of our local Monterey chapter of Alzheimer’s Association.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/10/22/ibm-study-found-program-analyzing-language-predicts-alzheimers/3728608001/

Monterey, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Coronavirus Scams

A pile of money sitting next to stacks of cash.


Experts warn that the rapid expansion in coronavirus cases is going to result in a big increase in elder abuse scams.  Scams are being developed that promise to deliver you a COVID vaccine—it will be a fake just like Gucci bags that are commonly counterfeited.  Some are posing as being from Medicare or the Social Security Administration.  Neither will ask you for sensitive information.  In fact, I just got one the other day.  I picked up the phone and they asked my name, which I gave to them, then they asked for my date of birth to “verify my identity.â€Â  I asked who was calling and they hung up!

https://www.maa-usa.org/About-Us/News-Article-Display-Copy/scams-likely-to-heat-up-after-covid-19-vaccine-rollout

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver California Cases Alarming

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There were 289 new coronavirus cases detected in Monterey County today, bringing the total to 18,209.  There were six new hospitalizations and seven new deaths reported.  Nationwide, there were over 200K cases, bringing the total to 16.689 million, while deaths rose by 2,263 (versus 1,402 the day prior) for a cume total of 302K.  In California, there were 25,433 new cases, bringing the total to 1.626 million while deaths rose by 161 (versus 78 the day prior) for a total of 21,215.  These numbers are alarming, please stay at home as much as possible.

Pebble Beach, CA Elder Abuse Alert : Creepy Santa Scam


There are always myriad elder abuse scams revolving around the holidays, but the most recent one is a revamp of an old scam, something of a pyramid scheme.  The scam goes like this : buy a $10 gift card and send it to your secret sister, then you will receive 6-36 gifts in return.  It actually works in the short term, similar to a pyramid scheme.  But over time, the holidays end and people no longer participate, and the scheme crumbles.  In addition to being potentially bilked, your friends will hate you if you catch them up in this scheme!  Stay alert and be careful this holiday season!