Community News

Stay informed with Raya’s Paradise Community News! Explore updates on residential care innovations, senior lifestyle tips, health breakthroughs, and engaging activities in our vibrant neighborhoods. Discover how we’re fostering safer, connected, and enriched communities.

Interview with Moti Gamburd and Monica Westphaln on Laguna Woods Village Television

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A Family’s Letter to Raya’s Paradise Care Team

At Raya’s Paradise we are very proud of the care we provide to our residents. We are happy to share a letter we have received from the relative of one our residents.
Dear Monica,
I hope this note finds you well !
Just wanted to take the time, to Thank You and your staff, for all of the Great Loving Care you provided my Dear Auntie Emily Zentner.
From the very beginning, I realized, she was in a place where I was confident, she would receive the help and compassion that she needed.
With all of the wonderful fresh healthy food cooked daily that she received, to the Love she was shown by the care givers, let her achieve the quality of life she 
so deserved in her final years. 
This service that you provide, to all the family’s with Loved Ones in need of care, is truly Gods Work, and thank goodness for people, such as yourself, and your staff, who are able to rise to the occasion. 
I would like to also take the opportunity to send a special Thank you to Rosie, for all of the Love and Care that she showed my Auntie Emily. Her unwavering commitment and strength, to provide the best care possible, is not only a testament to her great character, but also shows that she has truly found her life’s calling. Her job is clearly not an easy one, with the amount of responsibility that is required, and for that I have the greatest amount of respect, for all that she accomplishes each and every day. Any company, would be fortunate to have her as an employee, knowing they could depend and count on her allegiance for a job well done.
I would also like to Thank Ruby, For always being there to answer any questions that I might have, or to help resolve any problem that might have occurred. She always showed the greatest amount of respect for concerns that myself or Auntie Emily may have had. I could truly tell, that she was absolutely sincere about wanting to help, and also showed much Love and compassion toward Auntie Emily at all times. 
There is also one more person that I would like to personally send a Thank you to. Zukra, one of the care givers at the Larrabee House, is also with out a doubt, an absolute wonderful and great asset to your company. 
She is one of the most Kind and Caring people that I have had the pleasure of meeting. She always showed the greatest amount of Love, Caring, and compassion toward my Dear Auntie Emily. Always quick to smile and so willing to help at all times. Very humble, but with the ability and strength, to meet all of the challenges that come with this line of work.
Thank you Monica, for your always kind and understanding nature, whenever we have spoken over the last few years. Raya’s Paradise, is very fortunate to have someone of your caliber, as there C.E.O. leading the way.
And to all of the other care givers that have helped with the care of my Dear Auntie Emily, Thank you with all of my Heart, and All the Best to you and your Family’s !
Sincerely,
James Robert Valdez
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Raya’s Paradise partnered with Care Predict to provide AI-Powered Enhanced Resident Care

Care Predict’s AI-Powered Technology for Enhanced Resident Care and Effective Infection Control

Raya’s Paradise Communities partnered with CarePredict, the leading digital health and remote monitoring company for senior care, to use CarePredict’s innovative technology for resident wellbeing and safety, engaged workforce, and effective infection control. “Senior living facilities are combatting unprecedented challenges today and recognize the critical role technology plays in their residents’ health and safety,” said Satish Movva, CEO & Founder, CarePredict. “We are pleased to partner with these leading senior communities who are committed to empowering their staff with tools that enable quality senior care.” The CarePredict solution uses an award-winning smart wearable, Tempo™ Series 3, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced kinematics algorithms to learn each resident’s daily activity and behavior pattern. When there is a deviation from an individual’s “normal,” the system alerts staff on a wide range of potential health concerns. This ability to detect the early signs of health concerns allows for preventive care and ensures residents’ wellbeing. Communities using CarePredict have reported as much as 40 percent lower hospitalizations and a 64 percent reduction in falls annually. “What is most appealing about CarePredict, apart from the fact that it addresses the needs of both our residents and staff, is the simplicity of the technology, said Peter DeMangus, VP of Business Development, Solterra Companies. “For new constructions, the CarePredict system is the least disruptive and fastest to install requiring no servers, antennas, or external hardware.” CarePredict employs a real-time location system [RTLS] that provides insights to operators on workforce productivity, including the time to respond, automated documentation of care services provided, and automatic tracking for time caregivers spend with residents in direct care. The use of CarePredict’s location-based insights has increased staff response rates in communities by 37 percent. CarePredict Tempo is packed with additional features that improve the resident experience, such as integration with RFID for keyless door access, a concierge services button, and two-way voice communication that allows residents to speak to staff, thus helping residents receive timely assistance. CarePredict’s latest offering, CarePredict PinPoint automatic digital contact tracing solution is the first commercially available contact tracing solution specifically designed for congregate living settings and is available to all CarePredict customers for effective infection control. Using PinPoint, communities can identify, within seconds, all the people and places exposed to a suspected carrier, and effectively stop the spread of infection within the community. About CarePredict CarePredict’s mission is to help caregivers take timely action by detecting a senior’s activity and behavior patterns that are precursors to health declines and increased risk for falls. Based on the well-known notion that changes in the daily activity behaviors precede health issues in seniors, CarePredict’s award-winning smart wearable, Tempo™ autonomously observes, and the system alerts professional and family caregivers on these changes, before something happens. CarePredict’s latest offering PinPoint, the automatic contact tracing solution for senior care, helps facilities stop the spread of infections by quickly identifying all the people and places that were exposed to an infected person. By enabling the isolation of just the exposed contacts, PinPoint holds the solution to protect our vulnerable seniors without compromising their social, mental, and physical wellbeing.
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San Clemente Project Update

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Tips for Safe Winters at Raya’s Paradise 

All of our residents here at Raya’s Paradise are looking forward to the Festive season. Of course, along with the season’s good cheer, comes the cold weather.  This is a time for everyone at Raya’s Paradise to take just a little extra care to help avoid an illness or injury. The chances of catching a common cold, flu or even pneumonia are greatly heightened in the cold weather.  At Raya’s Paradise, we are trying to get ahead of the problem and making sure all of our residents are aware of the risks at this time of the year. Here are 4 tips we give to everyone here at Raya’s:  #1. Have the Flu Shot  The best way to stay protected against the flu is by having a flu shot. The flu season starts in October and the CDC recommend that people get inoculated by the end of that month. The flu shot is the best way to stay free of this virus; one that has been responsible for a number of deaths over the past few years. Getting the flu shot will also protect family, friends and loved ones that come into contact with you during the festive period.  #2. Eat Well  Maintaining a healthy diet and eating well are important to keep your immune system strong. Vitamin D is particularly important at this time of year as you will have less exposure to the sun. The National Institute of Health recommend the following foods as a good source of Vitamin D: 
  • Salmon 
  • Tuna 
  • Swordfish 
  • Fortified milk 
  • Yogurt 
  • Orange juice 
  • Breakfast cereals 
#3. Dress Appropriately  Dress in clothes that are designed for winter and that will keep you warm when outdoors. This includes your footwear. Dressing loosely, in layers will give you great insulation and let you remove a layer if you get too warm or go inside. Remember the small but essential things: hat, gloves, scarf, warm socks etc. Also, with your footwear, make sure you have good grip for rainy conditions and try to wear something waterproof too.  #4. Preparing Your Home  We take precautions to prepare the accommodation for winter: weather stripping windows and doors; checking heating and ventilation systems are fully operational; stocking up on supplies just in case deliveries are delayed in the poor weather. We also check all of the outdoor lighting is working to reduce the risk of trips and falls at night. 
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End-of-Year Tax Tips for Caregivers

With everything going on in December, taxes are the last thing we want to think about. But this is a crucial time if you’re looking to save some money when you send in returns in a few months. You probably already know to make sure you’ve used up your flexible spending account or to contribute to your IRA, but here are a few other things you can do during the year-end crunch.
  • Decide whether or not you (or your parents) will itemize deductions. Run the numbers to decide whether you’re better off taking the standard deduction (which is $5,950 for single filers or $11,900 for those who are married filing jointly). If you are going to itemize, look for opportunities to increase the amount of deductions before the year is over, since all deductions will lower your tax bill. For example, if you make a larger-than-usual donation to charity you’ll reap extra benefits. This may motivate you to do a little holiday cleaning, and take unused clothing or furniture to The Salvation Army or Goodwill. These organizations will provide you with a receipt, and you’ll be able to claim the item’s fair value as a deduction.
  • Make large gifts now. If you or your parents want to give someone a large cash gift, write the check and make sure it’s cashed before January 1. You can give as much as $13,000 to an individual without being required to pay gift tax.
  • Make an extra house payment. Here’s a trick for maximizing your deductions if you’ll be itemizing next year. Make your January mortgage payment early. As long as you mail it by December 31, the payment will qualify for this tax year.
  • Review medical expenses. How much have you and your parents paid for medical care out-of-pocket? If your medical expenses are greater than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income, you can deduct them on your tax return. If you are close, you may be able to find ways to get care or purchase supplies that will put you over the edge.
  • Consider claiming your parent as a dependent. If you pay more than 50% of your parent’s expenses, and their gross income is less than  $3,800 (not counting disability payments, tax-exempt income, or Social Security), you can claim them as a dependent. Again, if you’re just shy of qualifying, see if you can make up the gaps in the last few weeks of the year.
As always, be sure to check with your accountant before taking any of these steps.
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Holiday Party 2019

We love our residents and are thrilled to be in the business of caring for them. This is one of our favorite times of the year where we host a holiday party at each community. We hope you enjoy these pics of the fun had by all.
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Did you know that 1 in 4 older adults are not reporting falls?

Did you know that 1 in 4 older adults are not reporting falls?

Every year, there are more than 27,000 people, ages 65 years and up who die from falls. The numbers are astounding; so, our team here at Raya’s Paradise decided to interview several members of our 24-hour, on-site Wellness staff to learn best practices they use to help keep your loved ones safe. What we learned was that most falls are typically attributed to normal changes of aging, like poor eyesight or poor hearing. There are Illnesses and physical conditions that can affect your strength and balance as you age. However, it is the little things in the house, like rolled-up rugs, and cords, and lamps and not enough lights, clutter that can really add to a fall,”  they explained. To combat hazards, Raya’s Paradise housekeeping and caregiving team facilitate routine room checks to ensure our residents are in a clean and safe home. Moreover, the introduction of new medications often results in changes in balance. Medications used to treat depression, sleep and blood pressure are often the drivers for related falls. In fact, many medication for diabetes and heart conditions can also result in a change of gait and balance leading to falls. Upon moving into one of our communities, our Wellness team at Raya’s Paradise takes time to examine your medications. “We know that you are more likely to fall if you are taking four or more medicines and that you are also more likely to fall if you have altered your medications within the past two weeks. Therefore, we often partner with our house-call physician and pharmacy to determine if all medications are really needed and if there are any high-risk drug interactions.” We encourage you to stop by Raya’s Paradise and speak to a member of our Wellness team to learn more about the risks of falls and ways to stay safe! ————————————————– Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, an annual report released by the Alzheimer’s Association®, reveals the burden of Alzheimer’s and dementia on individuals, caregivers, government and the nation’s health care system.
Share the facts and join the fight.
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