S IGNA L T R IBU N E Serving Bixby Knolls, California Heights, Los Cerritos, Wrigley and Signal Hill VOL. XXXVIII NO. 26
Your Weekly Community Newspaper
June 24, 2016
Motley crew Diversity of California Democratic Party delegates presents unity challenges during Long Beach meeting. CJ Dablo Staff Writer
CJ Dablo | Signal Tribune
Hillary Clinton delegates Megan Kerr (left) and Tonia Reyes Uranga (right) cheer for their choice for president during an organizational meeting for fellow supporters at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center on June 19.
The list of California delegates won’t be made official for a few weeks, but that didn’t stop the eager individuals who were chosen to represent the state’s Democratic Party at its national convention from rallying their allies and criticizing their opposition at one final meeting in Long Beach before they gather in Philadelphia next month. Executive meetings for the California Democratic Party delegates were held at the Long
Keeping seniors safe A panel of experts gave their input on ways to prevent or find signs of elder abuse. Denny Cristales Editorial Assistant
Elder abuse has its physical and financial ramifications. Case in point: a widow who became romantically involved with an individual on a dating website. She built this relationship with a man who claimed to be from Los Angeles but was currently working overseas. They slowly developed their relationship via text, online messages and pictures, but never through video. After months of connecting with one another, the man began asking for money. Having developed feelings for this man, the woman eventually gave him a total of $1 million over a span of a few months. “She was in love with this person,” said Sarah Barnard, manager of the Elder Abuse Prevention Program at Wise & Healthy Aging, as she detailed the story. “And she was in love with who she thought this person was.” It was a scam. A woman who had
secure retirement now had no retirement. And she then had to take in a roommate and get a job. “She told me she was suicidal after this happened,” Barnard said. “This woman, not only did she lose all of her money, but she also had this sense of loss of a relationship.” Barnard was one of many expert panelists at an elder-abuse workshop on June 21 at the El Dorado Park Senior Center who presented residents with preventative measures on how to avoid the exploitation of older citizens in the Long Beach area. The presentation was separated into two categories– physical abuse/neglect and financial abuse. Each category had its own team of panel experts on-hand to inform the public about certain topics of elder abuse. Rosemary Lewallen, with the Long Beach Elder Abuse Prevention Team, served as the moderator for the event. Fourth District Councilmember Daryl Supernaw gave opening remarks. He gave advice for those who serve as caretakers for their older relatives. “This is a topic of great passion to me,” the councilmember said. “My mother is still alive; she’s 96 years old.
Denny Cristales | Signal Tribune
An elder-abuse workshop on June 21 at the El Dorado Park Senior Center presented residents with preventative measures on how to avoid the exploitation of older citizens in the Long Beach area. Financial-abuse panel experts included, from left: Claudia Lopez and Jessica DeLosh with the LBPD Financial Crimes Division; Shari Delaney, U.S. postal inspector; and Sarah Barnard, manager of the Elder Abuse Prevention Program at Wise & Healthy Aging. Not pictured is Tina Hooks, an L.A. deputy district attorney, who left the presentation early because of another obligation.
And my dad died about seven years ago, and I had caregiver challenges with them for about the last 15 years. I wish I had attended a seminar like this in the beginning, but I never had this luxury.” Supernaw promptly took out a sheet he made for his mom that had a list of her medications, date of birth, medical
history and a visual of her insurance card and driver’s license. The councilmember had all the information printed on one piece of paper in the event that she may need to go to the hospital, and he, the caretaker, was not immediately present to assist in the situation and provide the necessary information.
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Beach Convention and Entertainment Center June 17 to 19. There is a somewhat complicated process to decide who will be among the 546 delegates and 40 alternates, which include the pledged party leaders and elected officials (PLEOs), at-large delegates and the district-level delegates who are chosen by fellow Democrats. There are affirmative-action goals to include minority groups and members of the LGBT community. The final list of delegates will be official after all of the votes are counted on July 7. The district-level delegates from the 47th Congressional District are equally divided between men and women. Clinton supporters include Megan Kerr, Tonia Reyes Uranga, Udusee DELEGATES page 10
“If you do have to go the emergency room, this is all the information you need,” Supernaw explained. “And you might have this information handy with you already, but you don’t know who might be taking your loved one to the hospital, and this is handy to have.” Jokingly, he added, “And my recommendation is that you do this before you’re elected to council, or else you won’t have any time to do this.” Supernaw also suggested having some sort of system in place for any caregiver taking care of a loved one. He advised that the caregiver always call and confirm they are present in the home. He also added that a checklist should be made that delineates all the activities necessary for the caregiver to do for the person who needs supervision. “Take the time to do this, and your caregiver will never have to question about what they have to do,” Supernaw said. Laura Rath, a senior program officer with the Archstone Foundation, a private grantmaking organization that seeks to contribute toward meeting the needs of the aging population, also gave remarks at the start of the event, and she highlighted how prominent the issue of elder abuse is. “So, I know we’re all here today besee ABUSE page 9
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