Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Hospice of Santa Barbara’s (HSB) 11th Annual Heroes of Hospice (HOH) luncheon was held on Sunday, September 10th at the Rosewood Miramar Beach Resort. This year, HOH raised a record-breaking $215,000 in funds, which will support the wonderful work of HSB in helping bring programs and services, completely free of charge, to adults, children and seniors who are struggling with grief or life-threatening illness.

The luncheon had a special focus on Celebrating Those We Love and their ongoing impact in our lives, and honored the people and organizations that bring compassion and care, at all levels, to those in need in and near the Santa Barbara community. The demand for HSB’s services continues to grow and fundraisers like HOH allow the organization to reach more community members.

2023 Honorees included the Santa Barbara Foundation with the Philanthropy Award, Hospice of Santa Barbara’s Patient Care Services Team with the Staff Award, and a special Lifetime Hero Award for longtime HSB supporter and champion, Charlie Zimmer.

Kudos to the team and sponsors who made this beautiful day at the Miramar Beach Resort possible and to all the generous sponsors, donors, and supporters who made it possible. It was a memorable event!

Hospice of Santa Barbara provides professional counseling, support groups, and patient care services free of charge to individuals and families who are grieving the death of a loved one or experiencing the impact of a life-threatening illness. Hospice of Santa Barbara also provides counseling in our offices and on fifteen local junior and high school campuses to children and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. For more information about Hospice of Santa Barbara including volunteer opportunities or to help support these free services, call (805) 563-8820 or visit www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org.

Talented Professionals Are Providing Seniors with Made to Order Silver Years Options

I was delighted to learn that several caring and creative real estate women are doing the research, finding experts and drawing together groups of seniors to help inform them on their later life options for best living, good health, security and comfort.

I recently attended two such morning seminars that I found amazing, helpful, and so thought provoking. The experts at the podium were long-time experts in their specific field and had ideal solutions for questions that were asked during the Q&A sessions.

Both groups attracted large groups of entirely different women, all looking for answers to how to approach an ideal living situation in later life, as well as dealing with wills, sizing down, individual health and physical services available,

Newquist-Nolan Quittner Santa Barbara, two dynamic Montecito real estate women work with first time buyers, seniors downsizing and family members making important decision about their loved ones future and estate requirements. featured a Postural, fitness and movement trainer named Rachel McDonald, who works with recovering cancer patients and shared her experience working with seniors to enable them to maintain physical strength for everyday living, tips on exercise and recovery, the importance of proper nutrition, mindfulness reminders, and more. Rachel has a studio in Goleta and can be contacted at www.fitnessrachel.com.

This senior seminar was held at the University Club and provided a private room atmosphere where the hosts and speaker were able to interact with guests for Q&A and sharing information over tea and coffee. A beautiful gifts basket was given to an opportunity drawing winner as well.

I also joined some friends for a breakfast meeting with Terry Diamond, All About Seniors Real Estate, and is a Certified Senio Housing Professional, education which enables her to serve the distinct needs of seniors and their families high levels of compassion, expertise and connectedness, especially during times of stressful transitions. Terry’s

featured speaker was Karen Martin of Curated Transitions, who offers concierge planned moves and organizing management. Karen helps senior clients plan, downsize, move, and settle in. This is not a cheap proposition, but if one can afford it, it would be the easiest and most organized way to go! Services include pre- and post- move services, downsizing, organizing & streamlining, estate clearing, specialty moves, life coaching and probate inventory. Several breakfast guests went home with the opportunity drawing books and gift certificates while enjoying a lovely breakfast buffet at Mulligan’s Restaurant in Santa Barbara. See www.CuratedTransitions.com for contact information on Karen Martin’s business and www.terridiamond.com for additional information and contact details for Terri Diamond.

Sadly, I only discovered these amazing seminar gatherings quite late and there are only a few more on the calendar, however, please go the sites listed above and sign up for inclusion on their contact lists for upcoming morning meetings or special senior activities.

Seniors, especially those who are alone, with no family to assist them, need all the information and options on all areas of senior life to find their own ideal plan for healthy, happy, productive living. I highly recommend seniors attend these very helpful and informative gatherings and I sincerely thank the women who are producing them.

Note: Bonnie Carroll is the publisher of an online award-winning lifestyle magazine and has written on health for over 25 years. Carroll was the former Beverly Hills Bureau Chief for Food & Beverage International Magazine. She was also a past editor for Successful Aging Magazine and writes a monthly section on good health in Bonnie Carroll’s Life Bites News since 2005. Contact her at writebc@aol.com.

COVID News

Matthew Lysiak

Concerns Today!!! LBN is hearing their back 2023!

People wearing protective face masks walk on the street in Brooklyn, New York on Oct. 7, 2020. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

People wearing protective face masks walk on the street in Brooklyn, New York Oct. 7, 2020. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Nearly one year after President Joe Biden declared the pandemic over, some colleges and workplaces have reinstituted mask mandates amid reports that the administration is set to roll out new COVID regulations as early as next month.

The COVID sub-variant, currently known as Eris, which has been seen in more than 50 countries including Denmark and Israel, has spurred increasing numbers of medical professionals and health activists to begin calling for a reinstatement of COVID-era restrictions, including forced face coverings.

However, the public can expect any new regulations to be met by congressional pushback. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) told The Epoch Times that new mandates would be “simply inappropriate for any level of government.”

“The notion that certain jurisdictions and institutions would rush back into mandate mode is not going to be well received by anyone in this country,” said Mr. Kiley. “The president himself has declared an end to the national emergency. A review of the evidence around these mandates has not shown a positive health impact.”

Still, in some parts of the country, mask mandates have already arrived. A slight uptick in the virus led two hospitals in Syracuse, New York, University and Community General, to reimpose mandatory face-masking and COVID testing on Aug. 17, according to local news outlets.

“Effective immediately, mandatory masking is required by all staff, visitors, and patients in clinical areas,” instructed a memo sent to staff and obtained by Syracuse.com. “Clinical areas are defined as any location patients gather, wait, transport thorough, or receive care.”

In Los Angeles, major Hollywood studio Lionsgate demanded employees cover their faces at its Santa Monica office buildings. The policy was announced in an internal memo obtained by Deadline, demanding that “Employees must wear a medical grade face covering (surgical mask, KN95 or N95) when indoors except when alone in an office with the door closed, actively eating, actively drinking at their desk or workstation, or if they are the only individual present in a large open workspace.”

In Atlanta, Georgia Morris Brown College announced a mask mandate for everyone entering its campus. In an Aug. 20 Instagram post, the college stated that “all students and employees are required to wear face masks (staff may remove face masks when in their offices alone.)”

Health officials are also beginning to urge the return of face coverings among the general public. The Los Angeles County Public Health agency has recommended that higher-risk residents need to wear masks, citing a rise in COVID cases.

Further, a new COVID booster shot catered to the most recent variant is expected to be rolled out next month, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Mandy Cohen told NBC News.

“We will likely see this as an annual COVID shot, just like the flu shot,” said Dr. Cohen.

However, despite the growing concerns, spread of the virus has remained at historically low levels. While the average COVID hospitalization rate nationwide rose about 17 percent between June and July, they remain at a small fraction of what they were a year ago when they measured at more than six times the current admission rates, according to the CDC.

Poor Evidence

The issue of mask mandates has become a hot-button issue for many Americans. During 2020 and 2021, when the world was in the grips of the pandemic, masks were widely forced on the population under the belief that face coverings could prevent the spread. The CDC enacted a mask mandate on public transportation that was enacted in February 2021 and extended to May 3 while several private businesses refused entry to citizens who refused to cover their face.

Critics of mandates have cited numerous studies that have shown that the wearing of masks have had a negligible or even harmful effect. A reanalysis of the Boston mask study, which claimed that mask mandates reduced COVID cases in schools, found that districts that dropped masking requirements experienced the largest decreases in COVID cases. A study from 2021 published in the peer-reviewed Southern Medical Journal evaluated the impact of mask mandates on mortality and intensive care admissions in Bexar County, Texas, from July 8 to Aug. 12, 2020, and found that mask mandates had no verifiable effect. A review of 78 studies from the Cochrane Library in January 2023 also found no evidence that masking worked.

The CDC itself stated conflicting views on whether masks could be an effective method of preventing viral transmission. A review of the evidence published on its website in May of 2020 titled “Nonpharmaceutical Measures for Pandemic Influenza in Nonhealthcare Settings—Personal Protective and Environmental Measures,” noted that, “Although mechanistic studies support the potential effect of hand hygiene or face masks, evidence from 14 randomized control trials of these measures did not support a substantial effect on transmission of laboratory confirmed influenza.”

The CDC updated its guidance in May 2023, loosening up on its guidance with current guidelines stating “Masks are recommended in indoor public transportation settings and may be required in other places by local or state authorities.” The agency also recommends that “children ages 2 years and older can wear masks or respirators to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.”

For nearly a year, the issue remained largely dormant until an Aug. 18 report by Infowar host Alex Jones that high-level TSA officials had confirmed that “new memorandums and policies were being completed that would reimplement masking, starting with TSA & airport employees as early as mid-September.” The report went viral and “masking” began trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Although Rep. Kiley believes mask mandates are unlikely to gather steam, chalking it up to “a few irresponsible institutions who don’t understand where the country is right now,” he says the public needs to remain vigilant.

“I’m going to make sure there is no legislation passed in Congress, through any federal program, but it will really come down to how loudly the citizenry makes their voices heard.”

The Finest in Independent Living

Without the hassles of mundane chores, you’re free to enjoy the things you really want to do. At Vista del Monte, you’ll have time to engage in what’s most meaningful to you: pick up a new skill or hobby, travel, discover an interesting sport, or make more time to socialize. Whatever it is, we can help. With our Independent Living services, we take care of all the practical tasks, including transportation, housekeeping, and maintenance. Our culinary staff prepares delicious meals, handles all the day-to-day chores, and your wellbeing needs are attended to—all in one place. For information visit: www.vistadelmonte.org. Vista Del Monte – Santa Barbara, California – 805-687-0793