A NEW LEAF
Willow Glen Center
Executive Director
Colleen Hudgen
Tel: (408) 971-9363
VOLUME 1 - ISSUE 4
♦
MARCH 2008
CLIENT PROFILE: Kathy Bonnick
Prg. Dir. - Telma Cramer
Ass’t Dir. - Marques Ransom
1147 Minnesota Avenue
San Jose, Ca. 95125
Tel: (408) 971-9363
Fax: (408) 971-9079
Los Gatos Center
Prg. Dir. - Mary Kelley
THE “HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAT”
IT’S PET THERAPY TIME.
Ass’t Dir. - Ilona Richmond
111 Church Street
Los Gatos, Ca. 95030
Tel: (408) 354-4782
Fax: (408) 354-6648
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage Paid
Permit No. 16
Los Gatos, Ca. 95030
Downtown Center
Prg. Dir. - Ana Jones
Ass’t Dir. - Davina Walls
49 North Fourth Street
San Jose, Ca. 95112
Tel: (408) 292-1392
Fax: (408) 292-1320
Gilroy Center
Prg. Dir. - Cheryl Huguenor
1147 Minnesota Avenue
San Jose, Ca. 95125
Ass’t Dir. - Gloria Martinez
651 W. Sixth Street, Suite 2
Gilroy, Ca. 95020
Tel: (408) 847-5491
Address Service Requested
Fax: (408) 847-2041
Cupertino Center
Prg. Dir. - Charlie Niemeyer
Ass’t Dir. - Kelly Kinney
20920 McClellan Road
Cupertino, Ca. 95014
Tel: (408) 973-0905
Fax: (408) 973-0952
Kathy Bonnick was born in
London, England, and had a
fascinating childhood. From the age
of 5 she walked alone 2-3 miles to
school. Her father and grandfather
were horticulturists and her mom
played the violin in an orchestra
and for silent movies, so Kathy
went to lots of gardening and
musical events! World War II
broke out when she was 12, and
London was evacuated due to the
bombing. Kathy was on the last
train out of the city. She witnessed
the gliders flying over on the way
to the D-Day invasion and recalls
the sky was black from all the
planes. During the war, they
remained in her mom’s home town,
where Kathy visited the troops,
served them in the canteen, and
volunteered in the hospital despite
being so young. She has fond
memories of the American troops,
the “Yanks,” especially when they
handed out silk stockings! She
worked in a bank after graduating,
not her first choice, but all the men
were at war and she was required to
take a “man’s job.”
Kathy married at 25 and had one
daughter, Teresa, who now lives in
Morgan Hill. Kathy lost her home,
Kathy Bonnick
her father and her husband all
within 18 months, so she lived
in a rest home with her mother
for 10 years. After her mom’s
death at age 97, Kathy came to
the U.S. to be near Teresa. She
became a U.S. citizen about five
years ago and says “nobody
thought I would pass the test!”
She now lives at Wheeler
Manor and attends Live Oak
daily. “I love it at Live Oak. It’s
been my saving grace. You’re
actually doing something here
for the brain.” We all enjoy
Kathy’s lovely accent and
natural elegance.
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
LIVE OAK’S WISH LIST
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our President’s Report………...
MICHAEL MILLER
PRESIDENT
*
NICK BOGDANOVICH
VICE PRESIDENT
OF
FUND DEVELOPMENT
*
MARTIN GORFINKLE
TREASURER
*
KIM KENNEDY
SECRETARY
*
NANCY FRANKLIN
KAY KVENVOLD
ROBERT M. WILSON
VARDY SHTEIN
WILLIAM “ED” CONNOR
PAUL STEELE
PROGRAM VOLUNTEERS
BOARD MEMBERS
STEPS TO CHOOSING LONG-TERM CARE
BINGO PRIZES
Recently I came across an article about a new
website called Caring. I checked it out and it
was a cornucopia of great resources and
information for caregivers. It allows you to get
answers to questions and to read about the
successes or failures of other caregivers.
COMPUTER ANGEL
HANDYMAN
GARDENER
ELECTRICIAN
COOKIE STACKING?
BEAUTIFUL QUILTS!
BOOKKEEPER ASSISTANT
(1ST OF THE MONTH)
I know that one of the toughest things we do at Michael Miller, President
Board of Directors
LIVE OAK is assisting our families in choosing
long-term care. Please check out http://
www.Caring.com to get started with getting the answers you need.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT
(REPAIRS)
TELEPHONE REPAIRMAN
Also, listed below are some steps that may help you choose the
appropriate type of long-term care that meets your needs or those of your
loved one:
ADVISORY COUNCIL
Step 1: Think about the kinds of long-term care you may need. Some
people think of long-term care services only as nursing home care. T he
question really is, which services do you need to remain in your home
safely? These may include assistance with eating, bathing, dressing,
meal preparation, paying bills, taking medications, diabetes
management, etc. These services are called “custodial care” and are
generally not covered by Medicare or other health insurance plans.
LETA FRIEDLANDER
Step 2: Learn about the different types of long-term care choices. These
include:
BEVERLY HAUGHTON
ROBERT HERSCH
DALE HILL
JANET HILL
KAY KNAPP
IAN LAMDIN
MICHAEL MILLER
GEORGE NALE
MARY JANE PATTIE
CHARLES “BUD” STUMP
*Community Services – Services and programs which help people
access social and recreational activities both in the home and in the
community (adult day care, senior centers, friendly visiting programs,
transportation, shopping, etc.). They prevent isolation and are invaluable
in keeping the frail senior active and connected to the community.
*Home Care – You may be able to get help at home with laundry,
bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning, at home, from family members,
friends, volunteers, or you can hire a home health care agency.
*Subsidized Senior Housing – The Federal Government and most
states have programs that help pay for housing for older people with low
or moderate incomes. Some of these housing programs offer assistance
with meals and other activities like housekeeping, shopping and laundry.
Rent payments are usually a percentage of your income.
DIGITAL CAMERA
GIFT CERTIFICATE
(COSTCO)
IT’S A SING-A-LONG.
JAMMIN’ WITH THE LIVE OAK BAND!
GIFT CERTIFICATE
(MICHAEL’S)
GIFT CERTIFICATE
(TARGET)
MEET THE LIVE OAK STAFF
Executive Staff
Executive Director - Colleen Hudgen
GIFT CERTIFICATE
(OFFICE MAX)
TO VOLUNTEER
THESE ITEMS, YOUR TIME
OR SERVICES
Executive Assistant - Tiburcia N. Irving
PLEASE CALL LIVE OAK
AT
Development Associate - Arline Crawford
408 971-9363
Bookkeeper - Judy Stansbury

Program Specialists
Maria Bettencourt
Roxie Jones
Kathleen Escalle
Jessica Flores
Jennifer Rodrigues
Crystal Dukes
Hiwet Ghirmai
Francine Head
Maria Chavez
Baby Kamara
Yolanda Lomas
Rosalind Griffith
Victoria Shelly
Larisa Spiridonova
Margie Ruiz
Cathe Masters
(Con’t. Pg. 7)
( PAGE 2 )
SENIOR COMPANION
( PAGE 9 )
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
LIVE OAK
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Executive Director’s Message
Cheryl Huguenor
Planning Ahead For Long-term Care
Reprinted from the Gilroy Live Oak newsletter.
Cheryl is the Gilroy Program Director for
Live Oak and has been since the day it opened
in 1993.
Cheryl was born in Boston, Massachusetts
and moved to California when she was 12 years
old. Of all her relatives, her immediate family
were the first to leave Massachusetts. She has
one brother and two sisters. She got her BA
degree from College of Notre Dame in
Belmont and her MA from Santa Clara
University. She has always loved working with
seniors and has worked in the areas of
monitoring welfare of seniors over the
telephone, making home visits, transportation
and case management before coming to Live
Oak.
Cheryl has been married to Rob Huguenor
(also employed in social service work with
seniors) for 25 years and they reside in San
Jose. They were blessed with 2 boys, currently
attending college, Mike at UC Santa Cruz and
Jeff in his first year at Western New England in
Massachusetts. Cheryl is having major “empty
nest” syndrome so, she takes her minischnauzer “Margot” for long walks. Also to
keep herself busy she loves to sew, quilt, read,
bake and of course root her favorite team the
Boston Red Sox. She is a HUGE fan.
I, for one, would like to thank Cheryl and all
the wonderful caring staff at Live Oak for the
great work they do in taking care of our family
members as if they were their own relatives.
We have lots of fun days to celebrate and
learn about in February - Groundhog Day,
Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day and
President’s Day. Did you know that also
celebrated in February are National Popcorn
Day (Feb. 3), Jell-O Week (starts Feb. 10)
and Snack Food Saturday (Feb. 16)? Our
philosophy at Live Oak is that there is
always room for celebrations and silliness!
We love reading to everyone from “News of
the Weird” and laughing over people’s crazy
antics and reading corny jokes aloud is one of
our favorite “fill-in” activities and if you
haven’t yet been photographed in our very
silly birthday hat (see back page), just wait.
We even had a “laughologist” here last year
who taught us the proper way to belly laugh.
We decided that we laugh just fine on our
own each and every day! So be sure to share
with us your favorite jokes, cartoons, family
stories, etc… we’ll enjoy them.
Cheryl Huguenor
Cheryl, Gloria and Staff,
“I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank
everyone at Live Oak for the care and support you
provided for both my mother Edna and myself these last
several years. Your program made a huge difference in
our lives and enabled mother to remain at home for
longer than would have been possible under any other
circumstances. We appreciate all that you did.
Mother is now residing at Whispering Pines Inn in
Hollister, an assisted living facility. It is in a lovely rural
setting and after more than a month she seems to be
adjusting well. My sister and myself visit daily.
Thank you again for your care and support. I tell
everyone I can about you wonderful facility. Keep up the
good work.”
Phyllis A.
( PAGE 8 )
COLLEEN HUDGEN
Growing older in the comfort of our own home- it’s what the overwhelming majority of us wish
for. Remaining at home as long as possible is a goal for 89% of people 50 and older, a recent
AARP study found. The longer we live the stronger that desire becomes. The AARP study also
reports that 95% of those 75 and older want to stay at home . Fortunately, we usually can with
the help of family and friends and, increasingly, other long-term care services which make it
possible for us to age in place.
Over the last couple of months, I have personally assisted dozens of friends and LIVE OAK
caregivers with the challenge of finding appropriate long-term care for their loved ones. It was
refreshing that in most cases my friends were being proactive and doing research prior to needing
long-term care. So often this is not the case. My heart goes out to anyone trying to maneuver
the bureaucracy to get the right answers without really knowing the right questions to ask.
Long-term care is different from traditional medical care. Someone with a long-term physical
illness, disability, or memory or thought impairment (such as Alzheimer’s disease) often needs
long-term care. Long-term care is made up of many different services and may include help with
activities of daily living like dressing, bathing, eating, and using the bathroom, as well as help
with tasks most people take for granted, like using eye drops. Long-term care can take place at
home, in senior centers, adult day care centers, at community centers, in special retirement or
assisted living facilities, or in nursing homes.
Generally, choosing the kind of long-term care you need is not an emergency. This means you
have time to talk with your doctor about your health and any problems you may be having. It is
also very important to talk with your family about the kind of long-term care services you think
you may need some day, how much they would cost, and how you would pay for them. The best
time to talk about long-term care is BEFORE you need it.
One friend in particular called from Florida regarding long-term care for her mom who has had
diabetes for most of her life and most recently had suffered a stroke and a heart attack, as well as
amputation of both her legs due to poor circulation. Gwen was hysterical when she called
because she had always planned to take her mom home and care for her.
.
(Con’t. Pg. 4)
( PAGE 3 )
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
LIVE OAK ADULT DAY SERVICES
WILLOW GLEN (S.J.) - LOS GATOS - DOWNTOWN (S.J.) - GILROY - CUPERTINO
Executive Director’s Message
Our President’s Report
Planning Ahead For Long-term Care
Steps To Choosing Long-term Care
Continued
Continued
However, she assumed that the discharge plan would include lots of in-home care through her
mother’s insurance or Medicare or that they would keep her in the hospital until she (Gwen) could
take care of her. When Gwen was told that her mom was to be discharged “today” and that she
had to make these arrangements herself, she naturally panicked and called me.
I am thankful that I was able to walk her through what needed to be done (especially meeting with
the Discharge Planner) to find out the types of services her mom was being discharged with and
how to qualify her mom for Medicaid (California’s Medi-Cal) which would pay for about 20 hours
of in-home support services and assist with the out-of-pocket costs of medications and other
medical services in conjunction with Medicare. Then, there was the problem of installing a
wheelchair ramp and grab-bars, etc. It was instantly clear to me that we had to get Gwen’s mom
transferred to a skilled facility for rehabilitation and in-patient services while Gwen applied for the
Emergency Medicaid and did the housing repairs.
To say the least, Gwen had her first taste of maneuvering the bureaucratic nightmare of applying
for public benefits and all that it entails. I calmed her down and assured her that all of the
questions were indeed necessary and “OK” to answer. I even spoke with the eligibility worker at
the Department of Older Adult Services to have her tell me firsthand what Gwen needed to bring
in. I made a new friend in Florida and saved an old one (smile).
When her mom was transferred home a month later, Gwen resigned from her job, because
managing her mom’s care became a full time job. Since they already lived together this made
things a lot easier, but not perfect. Gwen became ill herself as a result of caring for her mom 24
hours a day, seven days a week. When I went to visit them months later, the mom seemed in much
better shape than Gwen and quietly shared with me that she was worried that Gwen was not taking
care of herself! My next assignment was to get Gwen to accept help from others and give herself a
break. She did and eventually accepted help from family and other paid informal caregivers.
Gwen’s mom passed away at home on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. Gwen has great comfort in
knowing that with support services in place, she was able to keep her mom at home until the end.
In the above scenario, my friend was forced to plan for her mother’s long-term care in the midst of
a crisis. However, if you would like help planning ahead or are already caring for a loved one and
need some guidance, feel free to contact me at (408) 971-9363. Remember LIVE OAK is here to
help you care!
Colleen Hudgen, Executive Director
Live Oak Adult Day Services
1147 Minnesota Avenue
San Jose, Ca. 95125
(408) 971-9363
Www.LiveOakAdultDayCare.com
*Board and Care Homes – This group living arrangement provides help with activities of daily
living, such as eating, bathing, and using the bathroom for people who cannot live in their own
homes but do not need nursing home services. They are sometimes called “group homes.” Here
again, the monthly charge is a percentage of your income.
*Assisted Living Facilities – These facilities provide help with activities of daily living, such as
eating, bathing, dressing, using the bathroom, taking medicine, and getting to medical
appointments. Costs for assisted living facilities can vary widely depending on the size of the
living area, services provided, type of help needed and location.
*Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) – These housing communities have
different levels of care based on your needs. Where you live depends on the level of care you
need. CCRCs generally charge a large payment before you move in (called an entry fee) and
then charge monthly fees. The entry fee can range between $60,000 and $400,000. Monthly
fees can range between $700 and $2,500.
Adult Day Care/Adult Day Health: These facilities provide socialization and recreation for
dependent elderly persons who cannot be left alone. Adult Day Health Programs provide
physical therapy and occupational therapy as well. Fees are usually charged on a sliding scale
and can range from $14 -$57 per day. ADH facilities can, however, bill Medi-Cal for services.
*Nursing Homes – These facilities provide care to people who cannot be cared for at home or in
the community. Nursing Homes provide a wide range of care and health services. For most
people this care is generally custodial, or non-skilled, for people who can’t take care of
themselves due to physical, emotional, or mental problems. Medicare does not pay for custodial
care and does not pay for most nursing home care. The average cost of a nursing home is $160
per day or $50,000 - $60,000 per year.
As you can see, the cost of long-term care can vary quite a bit depending on what kind of care
you need, where you get the care, and where you live. I wish there was an easy answer to
finding long-term care, as well as how to pay for it. The truth is, there is none. Please be
diligent and check out any facility before you place your loved one there. Ask questions and
check the answers twice.
Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers and staff at LIVE OAK for all you do to help our
families care for their loved ones.
Michael Miller
( PAGE 4 )
( PAGE 7 )
I WONDER IF SHE INTENDS TO SHARE?
SO, THIS IS WHO WATERS THE FLOWERS.
THE PARTICIPANTS ENJOY CHRISTMAS GIFTS, PROVIDED BY “FAMILY GIVING TREE.”
JANET HILL “DELIVERS” THE CURRENT EVENTS.
WHAT ARE YOU GUYS PLANNING?
MORE PHOTOS ON NEXT PAGE
( PAGE 5 )
GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME!
ORANGE JUICE ANYONE?
102 AND EXERCISING WITH A SMILE.
LOT’S OF GOODIES.
OH HAPPY DAY!
DRUMMING IS SERIOUS BUSINESS.
WE’RE IN IT TOGETHER.
( PAGE 6 )
IT’S MARDI GRAS TIME!