Month: June 2013

Acupuncturists expect surge in patients under Obamacare

Last fall, California listed acupuncture as an essential benefit that insurers must include in new plans when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known informally as Obamacare, takes effect Jan. 1. Like clinics and doctors offices, acupuncturists are preparing for a surge of patients taking advantage of their new benefits.

Why Apple Inc. remains popular in California

California’s most valuable company – Apple Inc. – has been taking flak lately from the halls of Congress to the capitals of Europe over reports that the consumer electronics giant manages its business to minimize the corporate income taxes it pays to the U.S. and foreign governments. But you’re not likely to hear too many complaints from California politicians about the company’s contribution to the state and local tax base – or the economy. The taxes Apple pays represent a huge chunk of the state budget, and new numbers show just how big a role it plays in the economic life of the Silicon Valley and especially the company’s home town of Cupertino.

The Power of Validation

The term “validation” means a lot of things to a lot of people. For Naomi Feil, who founded and developed the Validation method in 1982 as a method for communicating with very old people who have certain forms of dementia, it has three distinct elements:

A basic, empathetic attitude

Principles that guide our actions and words

Nonverbal techniques that we use to communicate

In simple terms, it’s a way to move beyond initial conversations so you defuse confused interactions and get to the heart of the matter.

Recently I contacted Feil and her daughter, Validation master teacher Vicki de Klerk, who’s worked with her mother for almost 30 years, to learn more.

Why many Californians don’t want to think about growing old

Denial runs deep among Californians when they think about growing old: nearly four in ten told pollsters in a recent survey that aging is something they “would rather not think about.” But for many, that better change, because most people are going to need some form of long-term care as they age, and few are prepared for it.

Training teens who dropped out

Being disconnected — neither working nor in school — goes beyond not having spending cash. Research shows that joblessness as youths result in lower wages for years to come due to foregone work experience and missed opportunities to develop professional skills. Urban Corps of San Diego is one program working to provide these youth with skills and job experience.

On autism, state won’t follow its own edict

When the state decided to transition low-income kids from state-subsidized private insurance — known as Healthy Families –to the state-run Medi-Cal program, families of children with autism were promised that their kids’ treatment would not suffer. But those families soon learned that one especially promising (but expensive) form of treatment was not going to be covered by Medi-Cal.

In Wealthy Santa Clara County, Peer Advocates Help Struggling Seniors

More than 15,000 in well-heeled Santa Clara county seniors live in poverty, taking home less than about $900 a month. And one in four older adults – nearly 50,000 seniors – live “near poverty” – less than twice the federal poverty level. When factoring in the true costs of living in this expensive area, nearly half of the county’s older adults are considered impoverished. The Senior Peer Advocate program – or SPA – was spawned by the Santa Clara County’s Aging Services Collaborative of Santa Clara County in hopes of connecting seniors with essential services — in particular affordable housing and transportation.

Train to nowhere or cutting edge vision?

Depending on your point of view, California’s plan for high-speed rail might be either a $69 billion fast train to nowhere or a visionary project that will keep the Golden State on the cutting edge of environmental protection and transportation technology. The voters have weighed in once in favor of the idea, and the Legislature and two governors — one from each party — have repeatedly pressed forward with the project. But a superior court judge in Sacramento now holds the train’s fate in his hands.

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