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

A heart shaped word cloud with words related to caregiving.


There were 1,367new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 33,671 with no new hospitalizations and 5 new deaths for a total of 247.  The number of ICU beds in the Bay Area is bleak, but Monterey County still has 41 ICU beds available versus zero for Santa Cruz County.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-at-less-than-1-ICU-availability-Here-15862959.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headlines&utm_campaign=sfc_morningfix&sid=5936af7424c17c09a38000c4

Nationwide, there were 223K new cases for a total in excess of close to 12 million.  Deaths rose by over 2,000 to 379,020.  In California, the situation is bleak with a heavy outbreak in Southern California.  In California, the average number of new cases per day had increased by more than 250K to 2.786 million, while deaths rose by 1,367 (+4%) to 33,761. Please stay home as much as possible.  Stay safe.

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : Deaths Up Significantly

A man wearing a mask with yellow warning tape around his mouth.


There were 311 new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 34,072 with no new hospitalizations and 1 new death for a total of 248.  Nationwide, new cases were up 229,712 (+1%) and deaths almost doubled from yesterday’s count of 2,048 to 3,662.  In California, new cases were up 41,911 to 2.828 million, while deaths rose by 589 to 30,561.  Please stay home as much as possible.  Stay safe.

Monterey, CA Senior Veterans Being Shunned By VA Again


The Veterans Administration (VA) is once again under fire, this time after reports surfaced that a bottleneck at the national archives is delaying benefits claims for 32,00 military veterans.  COVID-19 has shut down the National Personnel Records Center, for months.  After briefly reopening at low capacity, it has once again shut down except for limited emergency requests.  A veteran must get a certified copy of their service record in order to file a claim for benefits, and they are currently unable to do so.  Veterans who left the service after 2000 likely have digital archives that can be accessed easily.  However, older veterans need to get a photocopy of paper records.  That means an archivist must sift through 60 million records and try to find the proper documentation.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/older-vets-cant-get-benefits-because-of-covid-19-bottleneck-11610112128

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver : Numbers Not Looking Good

A close up of a cell with viruses inside


There were 1,096 new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 30,521 with 12 new deaths for a total of 232.  860 of the cases are in the Monterey County jail.  Only one-third of those hospitalized are over 65 years old.  This virus truly is hitting the entire population.  Hispanics in Salinas are hit the hardest.  Of the cases reported so far, 73% are Latino or Hispanic.  Nationwide, there were nearly 300K cases which brought the cume total to 21.8 million, while deaths rose by almost 4K to 367,046.  In California, new cases were over 50K (+2%) while deaths soared by 2% (+565) to 28,642.  These numbers are terrible, please stay home and stay safe.

Monterey, CA Diabetes Is Preventable

A blood glucose level chart showing the optimal levels.


A study which began in 1996 of 3,234 people with prediabetes randomly assigned them to groups which were either given metformin, given intensive lifestyle (nutrition and physical activity) counseling or a placebo, found good news.  Three years later, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes was reduced by 58% with lifestyle counseling and 31% with metformin.  Two decades later, 2,425 are still alive and being followed. The diabetes risk remains lower than the placebo group by 25% in the original lifestyle group and by 18% in the metaformin group.  Although metformin isn’t approved for prediabetes treatment, your doctor can still prescribe it off label.  The American Diabetes Association recommends it for people with prediabetes who are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Monterey, CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available

A red heart with the words i love caregivers written underneath it.


Monterey,  CA Home Care Aide (HCA) Senior Alzheimer’s & Dementia Caregiver Jobs Available (Also Aromas, Big Sur, Carmel, Carmel-by-the-sea, Carmel Highlands, Carmel Valley, Castroville, Corral-de-Tierra, Del Rey Oaks, Gilroy, Gonzalez, Greenfield, Hollister, King City, Marina, Morgan Hill, Pacific Grove, Pacific Grove, Paicines, Pebble Beach, Prunedale, Salinas, San Juan Bautista, Seaside, Soledad and Tres Pinos

We have developed a reputation for having the best caregivers (Home Care Aides or Senior Companions) in Monterey County.   We are currently looking for qualified caregivers.

Family inHome Caregiving of Monterey is seeking compassionate, mature and dependable caregivers who want to improve the lives of our elderly Clients by providing in-home, non-medical care.  Our services include:

Caring companionship

Meal preparation

Incidental transportation

Running errands

Light housekeeping

Medication reminders

Monitoring of safety while bathing

Information and referral services

Other services that improve the safety, security and quality of life of seniors.

If you believe you would make an exceptional Home Care Aide, we would love to hear from you!  We prefer those with experience helping the elderly, disabled and others with mobility problems.  Having cared for those with dementia and/or Alzheimer’s is a plus.  To work for us, you must have excellent references, a clear criminal record, a good driving record, and an insured reliable vehicle.  To apply, please visit our website www.fhcofm.com, click on home care aides, then careers where you can fill out an application online.  We have immediate openings all over Monterey County.

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver

A blue background with some type of virus


There were 411 new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 30,521 with four new deaths for a total of 220.  Nationwide, there were 255,728 new cases for a total of 21.384 million, while deaths rose by 3,586 to 363,193.  In our state, there were 41,558 cases (+2%) for a cume total of 2.556 million, while deaths rose by 575 (+2%) to 28,077.  These numbers are not looking good, please stay home and stay safe.

Pacific Grove, CA Think Twice Before Taking Early Social Security

A blue and white logo of the social security administration.


Many people take Social Security at the earliest possible time rather than waiting until their official retirement age, which can cost them over $100K over the remainder of their lifetime.  Recessions and a jump in early Social Security claims go hand-in-hand, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.  According to Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute, there’s been a 7% increase in the number of Americans who retired after the pandemic.  Edgar Freeberg, 66, said he had planned on waiting until he was 70 to claim Social Security.  “I was going for the 70 thing,†he told USA Today.  But after his job was outsourced, he felt he had no other choice.  Statistics show that filing at age 62 the average household loses out on about $111,000 in lifetime benefits.  Here in Monterey, Social Security payments top the national average by a high margin in the wealthier pockets like Carmel and Pebble Beach.  But if you are not on the high end of the wage earning spectrum, it may pay to wait to file.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2020/09/29/social-security-took-checks-early-because-covid-you-get-do-over/3567304001/

More Seniors Voted For The First Time

A group of people giving thumbs up to the camera.


The elections were so contentious this year that I was glad to see that quite a few seniors voted for the first time.  USA Today profiled Barbara Duvall who, at age 99, survived COVID-19, pneumonia and five days in the hospital and then voted for the first time in her life.  “I guess I didn’t have time before because of my kids, my husband and our family.  I stayed with them,” she said.  More than 2.1 million people over the age of 40 voted for the first time in the November elections, and it may have been enough to push Joe Biden over the top.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/10/30/voting-2020-older-americans-casting-ballots-first-time/3745521001/

 

Monterey, CA Coronavirus Update From A Carmel Caregiver

A close up of a cell with viruses inside


There were 411 new COVID-19 cases announced for Monterey County, bringing the total up to 30,521 with four new deaths for a total of 220.  Nationwide, there were 238,999 new cases for a total of 21.128 million, while deaths rose by 4,083 to 359,607.  A record 131,100 people are in the hospital with coronavirus.  Unfortunately, experts say that it’s likely to get worst with all of the holiday travel Americans did.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that COVID-19 is now the third leading cause of death.  In California, ICU units in at least two regions are filled to capacity and some EMTs have had to wait with patients outside of hospitals for hours because there is no room.  In our state, there were 39,216 cases (+2%) for a cume total of 2.514 million, while deaths rose by 482 (+2%) to 27,502.  These numbers are staggering, please stay home and stay safe.