www.seniorholisticcare.com March/April 2026 www.DesertHealthNews.com Through the Generations The Valley's Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 16 • Advocacy and Oversight Medical appointments, Hospital and Rehab Center Discharges • Family Caregiver Coaching • Senior Housing Options • Aging Solo Programs • Long Term Care Insurance Claims Every senior deserves a champion Now you don’t have to navigate caregiving alone. We’re here to guide you every step of the way. Kim Linder Founder Certified Senior Advisor (CSA), Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP), Certified Long Term Care Claims Professional (LTCCP), and a member of the Aging Life Care Association. Book your free 30-minute consultation 760.969.0700 • Palm Desert kim@seniorholisticcare.com seniorholisticcare.com www.greater-palm-springs.assistedlivinglocators.com No-Cost Senior Placement Service in Greater Palm Springs & Coachella Valley • Assisted Living • In-Home Care Services • Board & Care Homes • Alzheimer’s/Memory Care • Independent Living The GuidanceYou Need For The CareThey Deserve KENDALL FORBES Owner/Senior Care Advisor greater-palm-springs.assistedlivinglocators.com 760 576 3000 The For The KENDALL Owner/Senior For www.myhealthmyadvocate.com Our goal is to improve patient experience and outcomes by ensuring clients understand and receive appropriate treatment, quality care, and accurate billing. • Talk with doctors on your behalf • Review treatment plans • Unravel medical billing • Provide in-hospital bedside care • Assist with hospital discharge to home or other facilities • Oer wellness visits O ering 30 years of experience navigating the health care system. Tammy Porter DNP, MLS, RN-BSN, CPHQ, CCM (760) 851-4116 myhealthmyadvocate.com Serving Coachella Valley, Riverside, San Bernardino and the surrounding areas, and nationwide virtually. A Nurse Advocate Your Trusted Guide Through the Health Care System by ensuring treatment, • Simply Caring For You visits In the month preceding Yom Kippur, the day of atonement for Jews worldwide, a common phrase heard may be, “If I have hurt or offended you in any way, whether consciously or unconsciously, I am sorry.” This sentiment may stem from the lingering sting of a hurtful act by another, and hope, that at some point, internal resolution may be found. Returning to the center after someone offends you can be another story altogether. A myriad of puzzle pieces come to mind when discerning a proper course towards relationship repair or deciding to let go. An important consideration is whether the offender is a friend, loved one, co-worker, teacher or boss. With friends, even longterm relationships, it can be understandable to surmise, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Hurtful situations among loved ones are complex and may require a nuanced approach to move beyond negativity and restore family harmony. Here are a few points to contemplate when deciding whether a relationship is worth repairing: Rate the degree of wrongdoing on a scale of 1-10. If someone forgot your birthday, that might be a 1 or 2. (An 8 if it’s a partner or spouse! LOL.) Being gracious and magnanimous about small slights is a helpful course of action that honors your positive sense of self and integrity. Was the offense a one-time occurrence or does it occur on a consistent basis? If you’re setting emotionally healthy boundaries, and the offender continues to react negatively, it might be time to recruit some impartial outside help. Positive self-care is all about reaching out. Do you want to continue holding a grudge? My father always told me, “When you hate, you have to live with the hate within.” Decide how much space in your mind you want to rent to a grudge, hoping someone will someday call with a remorseful apology. Create a turnaround. Did this offense create an opportunity for introspection, fortitude and motivational growth? When I shared with a loved one that I’d like to one day become a psychotherapist, I was told I would never be able to deal with people’s problems. We all know how that turned out. Feeling betrayed? Just because you feel betrayed doesn’t mean you have to live betrayed. Instead of being the victim or martyr, you can claim mastery over your life and navigate a more positive and adaptive course. We give our power away; no one can take it. Empowerment awaits! Work to make amends. Alcoholics Anonymous advocates make amends when and where warranted and appropriate. When an in-person amendment is not possible, a ‘no send’ letter can serve as a method of meaningful catharsis. Talk it through. With respectful communication and effective listening, it’s possible to establish an even richer bond in the end. Deal or no deal? Physical, mental, emotional and/or verbal abuse are all relationship dealbreakers. Whether rebuilding from betrayal or gently letting go, all we really want to know is that we gave it our best attempt. Lauren Del Sarto, esteemed founder of Desert Health, relayed, “Our number one job in life is to evolve to be the best human we can be. Each person and each experience we encounter adds to that evolution; thus, each is a lesson along our journey.” Dr. Amy Austin is a licensed marriage and family therapist (MFC#41252) and doctor of clinical psychology in Rancho Mirage. She can be reached at (760) 774.0047. Can We Ever Go Back? By Amy Austin PSYD, LMFT We seem to be living in an unrecognizable world. Many of us wake each day feeling uneasy and unsure of our futures, plaintively looking back on our past. Some feel a need for hyper-awareness, and while recognizing danger and identifying threats are essential to our survival, if we focus only on the negative, we risk being held back by a defensive attitude. There is a remedy. Neuroscience shows that envisioning a positive future can influence our behavior and well-being. Positivity shapes emotional regulation and decision-making and helps build resilience to adversity. We need hope. Hope helps us imagine a positive future and is a driving force behind profound transformation. Let me share a true story about a friend. Kimo had saved for years to buy his land in Pahoa, Hawaii, and build his dream home. After two years of hard work, his vision was completed. He designed every aspect, added decks and planted his favorite trees and flowers. Two dogs and 7 stray cats joined the family. In 2018, the Kilauea volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii erupted and unexpectedly began flowing towards Pahoa. One morning, Kimo was shaken awake by a 6.9 earthquake and the terrifying scream of emergency sirens. Tremors and lava flow continued for three months. Daily, he felt his joy and future crumbling like the crater walls. He no longer tended his garden, his personal care suffered and he spent anxious hours worrying how he would save his beloved animals. He finally sought counsel from a local Kahuna (a Hawaiian wise man). “Why should I care about anything when it could all burn tomorrow?” he asked. The Kahuna sat with him in contemplative silence before answering, “It is time to start living pono.” He explained that living pono means living with a conscious decision to do right for oneself, for others and for the world at large. “Each day when you wake, prepare yourself, your home and your garden as if you are expecting an honored guest. In this way, you will transform yourself and everyone around.” As Kimo left for home, he noticed something was different. The air, still thick with sulfur, now held the sweetness of plumeria and gardenia, fragrances he had not noticed in months. He slowly began to cultivate his dwelling and land, and to lovingly prepare meals for himself, his neighbors and his animals. He contemplated who his honored guest might be as the trade winds softened and healed his broken heart. He felt hope. Eventually, the lava flow stopped just short of town, averting any crisis. Did you identify with any elements of this story? The volcano, Kimo, the garden, the Kahuna, the stray cats, living pono? And who, or what, is your honored guest? May your hopes lead you to profound transformation, and may all beings discover a deep and lasting peace in the world today. Patty Van Santen is a doctor of acupuncture and oriental medicine with Circe Healthcare Solutions and can be reached at (760) 773.4948. Cultivating your personal space regardless of external circumstances can help foster hope. Embracing a Hopeful Tomorrow By Patricia Van Santen, DAOM, LAc
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