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Thursday, February 16, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Long-term care options today exceed those in past DEAR DOC- TOR K: My elder- ly father lives with my family. But I have my own health issues and don't think I'll be able to care for him much longer. What are my options for long- term care? DEAR READ- ER: When I was in med- ical school, there were basically two options for long-term care: People moved in with their kids, or they were cared for in nursing homes. Nursing homes were an option only if the older folks had medical conditions that required constant nursing care. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. different types of living arrange- ments for people with different lev- els of indepen- dence. There often are common spaces where the residents meet each other and various activities occur. Many have medical facilities somewhere in the com- plex of buildings. They often have a common kitchen and cafeteria where residents can get food. Your father might start with an independent apartment and a bit of extra assistance. Over time, he may need to take advantage of increasing levels of care. Many people had no place in their homes for their parents. Also, there was no one at home dur- ing the day to be there for their parents when they needed help. And it was both unnecessary and humiliating for many par- ents to become dependent. There are now more options for people like your father. There is a much better chance today that you will find some- thing that suits your father's medical condition and his degree of indepen- dence. For people who are only slightly impaired, group homes offer a good option. Also called board- and-care homes, they offer help with activities of daily living, but each resi- dent has his own private space. Senior apartments and subsidized senior housing enable residents to live independently while receiving help with tasks such as shopping and laundry. The buildings are designed with the elderly and wheelchair-bound in mind. In an assisted-living facility, your father would live independently. But he could receive assistance with daily tasks as well as nursing supervision. Continuing-care retire- ment communities offer skilled nursing care and allow you to increase ser- vices over time. They have Skilled nursing facili- ties, or nursing homes, provide the most far- reaching services. They offer long-term, around- the-clock care. And they can care for people with significant illnesses or mental or physical disabil- ities. Some have special units for people with dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Clearly, this is not appropriate for your father at this time. To learn about local options, contact a local agency on aging or a social worker. Finally, visit several facilities before making any deci- sions. We have more informa- tion on long-term care in our Special Health Report, "The Caregiver's Hand- book: A Guide to Caring for the Ill, Elderly, Dis- abled ... and Yourself." You can find out more about it at my website. You're wise to start planning now. Planning ahead gives you a chance to thoroughly research your options. And it allows time to move up the lengthy waiting lists you may find at many of the bet- ter facilities. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com. Introduction to Facebook The Small Business Development Center at Butte College is presenting a workshop on "Introduc- tion to Facebook" on Wednesday, Feb. 29 from 9 to 10 a.m. at Butte College Glenn County Center, 604 East Walker St. in Orland. The cost is $20 per per- son pre-paid or $30 at the door. Facebook can be a great marketing platform for businesses, but in order to be successful, you must learn the basic elements of how customers use Face- book- Since starting with a personal profile on Face- book is recommended for GRAND OPENING 60 minute with massage $25~$55 per hour Elite Skin Care & Spa Facials~ Waxing~and more Eyebrows $5 Gift Certificates Available Owners, Mike & Trisa Waelty 741 Main St., Suite #14 526-8713 Tehama County Businesses! Online Ballots Only at www.redbluffdailynews.com Your tax experts 32 Years Plus Experience "Enrolled to practice before the IRS" Open Year-Round New Clients Welcome www.lassentax.com Enrolled Agents: Rose Hablitzel, EA Rex Cerro, EA (530) 527-8225 208 Elm St., Red Bluff All major Credit Cards accepted Five Lucky Voters will be selected at random from all eligible ballots on March 1. Each will receive a $100 Shopping Spree at the Tehama County business of their choice! Vote for your favorite Faithful felon fraudulently fired Dear Annie: After eight years at my job, I was let go. I have a felony record. The CEO who knew of my background retired last year. He felt I had proved myself and had no problem with me. When he retired, we got an interim CEO. I told him about my record as soon as he came on board. Today, he decided our com- pany would have a zero-tol- erance policy for any crimi- nal records, so I was fired. Annie, I voluntarily told my supervisors of my conviction. I worked hard to show that I had over- come my record. Was this a fair thing for the temporary CEO to do? Shouldn't I have been ''grandfa- thered'' in? I was told if I kept to the straight and narrow, I would be fine. I have not done one thing out of line and don't plan to. My conviction was more than eight years ago. But apparently, my honesty didn't pay off. No one forgives. No one believes me. I am devastated. What can I do? — Think I'm a Good Person Dear Good Person: If a compa- ny fires you because of your race, sexual preference, gender or reli- gion, you would be able to sue them for wrongful termination. If the zero-tolerance policy was imple- mented solely to skirt around one of the reasons listed above, you might have a case. Otherwise, there does- n't seem to be much recourse, although you could consult an attor- Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar ney. Please know that your eight-year record as an exemplary employee should help you land another job at a more tolerant company. Also contact the Safer Foun- dation (saferfoundation.org) for suggestions and assis- tance. Dear Annie: My long- time boyfriend and I recent- ly married. My entire family was there. They adore my husband. But not a single member of his family attended our little church wedding. The morning of our wedding, one of his sisters texted my fiance and asked whether it was ''done yet.'' When I made a comment on my Facebook page about how amazing my new husband is, this same sister rudely commented, ''Enough already.'' My boyfriend finally told me that this sister thought we should marry in a Catholic church, despite the fact that I am not Catholic and both of us attend a non-Catholic church. I believe this is why his family did- n't recognize our special day. I am really hurt. Should I say something or simply ignore this? — Biting My Tongue in Colorado Dear Colorado: Your husband should have told you about his fam- ily's religious objections before you married. An intermarriage is hardly a trivial matter, and if you have been with this man for a long time, we are surprised you were not aware of the issue. If his family is otherwise accepting, we would let this go. We also suggest you discuss the prob- lem with your clergyperson and ask for guidance. Dear Annie: The letter from ''Put Out in Peoria,'' whose family members boycott one another's weddings, is a sad but classic exam- ple of the many petty family feuds that make their way into your col- umn. Everyone has flaws, and fam- ily members hurt one another's feel- ings, usually unintentionally, per- haps because of conflicts or envy going all the way back to childhood. Bad behavior and selfishness should not be condoned. However, I'd like to suggest that anyone who is fuming about her young children not being invited to a wedding or about her cousin's claiming Grandma's garnet ring that was promised to her should pause to consider all the real suffering there is in the world — such as the person down the block with terminal can- cer or the friend whose child was killed by a drunk driver. Just grow up and get over it. — Rude in Red- way, Calif. Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. What's happening with the salmon? The Sacramento River Discovery Cen- ter's Thursday Evening Program for 7 tonight at the Farm Bureau Build- ing, 275 Sale Lane, will feature Tricia Parker of the US Fish & Wildlife Service sharing updated information about what is happening with the Salmon on the Sacra- mento River and its trib- utaries as part of her work with the Anadro- mous Fish Passage Improvement Project. Since Tang Lor's arti- cle on Dec. 12, in the Daily News, people have become concerned with the welfare of the fall run Chinook salmon. The fall run salmon runs the danger of becoming listed as an endangered species, as did the winter run salmon. The fishing community spent two years without the ability to fish for salmon on the rivers as a result of the "endangered species" designation. Everyone would like to see all parts of the salmon population return to a state of health and vigor. This is the area that Parker studies and works, with other agencies, to try and see it happen. Parker will have a presentation that will be followed by a question and answer period. Peo- ple interested in salmon and water flows in the river will benefit from attendance at this meet- ing. Refreshments will be available. C & C PROPERTIES 741 Main Street, Suite #2 Red Bluff, CA 96080 1-800-287-2187 (530) 527-2187 An Independently owned and operated Member of Coldwell Banker Residential Affiliates. FOR 24/7 PROPERTY INFO CALL 1-888-902-7253 AND ENTER THE PROPERTY CODE FROM THE AD. 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TEHAMA COUNTY REAL ESTATE TEAM • OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK www.redbluffcoldwellbanker.com See All Tehama County Listings at 14 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE!