www.aboutseniorsolutions.com www.parkinsonsresource.org www.DesertHealthNews.com November/December 2026 Through the Generations The Valley's Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 24 THINK OF US AS THE MISSING PIECE OF YOUR FAMILY’S ADVISORY TEAM. You already have trusted professionals. We’re here to coordinate the bigger picture: ✔ A physician to protect your health. ✔ An attorney to safeguard your wishes. ✔ A financial advisor to manage your assets. But who is coordinating the bigger picture? For nearly 20 years, About Senior Solutions has served as a trusted advocate, helping seniors protect their independence and helping families navigate complex healthcare decisions, life transitions and care planning. Think of us as the experienced advocate in your corner-helping coordinate care, prevent crises, and support your family every step of the way as circumstances change. Plan Ahead. Stay Independent. Live Your Best Life. Complimentary 30-Minute Consultation. No cost. No obligation. Just helpful answers. Local Guidance. Regional Expertise. Proudly serving Coachella Valley and other Southern California communities. Remote services available too. An Expert in Your Back Pocket 760-338-3170 | www.aboutseniorsolutions.com EXPERIENCE. COMPASSION. TRUST. GUIDING FAMILIES, ENRICHING LIVES. SINCE 2007 Serving Seniors Since 2007 www.allbrightcare.com www.allbritecare.com • Specializing in dementia and memory care support • Healthy chef-inspired meals prepared daily Nina Gabrielyan Administrator & Licensee Certified Johns Hopkins Dementia Care Specialist 760.980.7727 allbritefacility@gmail.com allbritecare.com License # 331881756 Elevated residential care with a refined, comfortable lifestyle that feels like home • Daily activities, social experiences and transportation • 24-hour attentive staff • ALW and hospice waiver approved Well, guess what? They cannot read my mind. My friend may be waiting for me to ask while I am waiting for my friend to notice. “Could you pick up groceries?” gives someone a chance to help. “I can drive Tuesday” is an easier offer to accept than “Call if you need anything.” As a nurse and care manager recovering from knee surgery, I have practiced receiving help myself. Advising someone else to ask is easy. Doing it myself takes more effort. Explain what you need and ask what the other person can manage. Asking for help should not require composing a grant proposal. Know when more help is needed At a holiday gathering, “Why don’t you sit down?” sounds lovely. But someone watching Dad’s walker and arranging his ride home may need you to take over a task first. Others may need more: trained assistance, respite, financial help or community services. One exhausted person cannot cover everything. A care manager or another appropriate professional can help assess needs and identify resources. Needs can change while everyone is busy keeping up. Check whether the arrangement still works when care becomes harder or someone helping needs a break. A plan can be revised without anyone having failed anybody. This season, ask more than, “How have you been?” And ask yourself if you could use more help. The child we raised may become the adult who drives us home. If someone helps you, ask them how they are doing as well. These conversations need not wait for a crisis, or until the holiday dishes are done. Laurel Fuqua, RN, MSN, is a registered nurse and geriatric care manager serving as Regional Director with About Senior Solutions Coachella Valley. She can be reached at (760) 338.3170 or laurelfuqua@aboutseniorsolutions.com. Reference: 1) AARP and National Alliance for Caregiving. Caregiving in the US 2025. https://www.caregivingintheus.org/ A Lifetime of Giving and Receiving Care Continued from page 23 Growing Our Own Healthcare Workforce Continued from page 8 Here in the desert, we take living well seriously. We walk early, seek out good healthcare and maintain remarkably full calendars. But even people who pay close attention to their health can overlook changes worth discussing with their doctor. Trouble sleeping? Probably just getting older. Mood changes? Must be stress. A diminished sense of smell? Perhaps it’s those desert allergies. Sometimes, there’s another explanation. Most people associate Parkinson’s disease with a tremor, but early signs can be considerably quieter, including constipation, loss of smell, smaller handwriting or acting out dreams during sleep. These changes do not automatically mean someone has Parkinson’s. But if you notice several changes, especially if they persist, it's a good reason to speak with a healthcare provider. An early diagnosis gives you and your family critical time to access therapies, implement lifestyle changes, participate in clinical research and build a care team before symptoms significantly impact daily life. You may even be able to slow your Parkinson’s, as research shows that regular vigorous exercise in the early stages can help slow symptom progression. That’s the motivation behind Parkinson’s Resource Organization’s (PRO) recent Early Signs public awareness campaign. Through English and Spanish billboards, television and radio public service announcements, digital advertising, editorials and educational outreach, PRO is encouraging Coachella Valley residents to recognize symptoms and talk to their doctor if something doesn’t feel right. As a local organization, we want that first conversation to lead somewhere useful. A person who recognizes a possible symptom needs a next step. A family receiving a diagnosis needs somewhere to turn. And a caregiver quietly wondering how to manage everything needs someone willing to listen. That’s where PRO comes in. PRO is Coachella Valley’s local resource for Parkinson’s support, education and community. For more than 35 years, the organization has worked to ensure that no one is isolated because of Parkinson’s. Programs include support groups, educational offerings, practical resources and individual guidance for people with Parkinson’s and those who care for them–and every service is free. The journey with Parkinson’s can be overwhelming, not just for those diagnosed, but for their caregivers as well. It’s important to know you are not alone. In fact, you’re part of a rapidly growing cohort. Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing, second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world and its impact is especially pronounced here in Southern California. Experts estimate that more than 5,000 people in the Coachella Valley are living with Parkinson’s. Yet local access to specialized care remains shockingly limited. Right now, there is only one Movement Disorder Specialist in the valley. That’s why the work of Parkinson’s Resource Organization is so critical. PRO builds bridges between the needs of individuals and the resources available to support them. With the Early Signs campaign, that bridge may be as simple as telling your doctor, “Something doesn’t feel right.” Learning the signs could help you start an important conversation. Knowing your local resource means you won’t have to navigate what comes next alone. Eileen Lynch is the executive director of Parkinson’s Resource Organization. To learn more, visit parkinsonsresource.org or call (760) 773.5628. Parkinson’s Can Start Quietly. Let’s Talk About It. By Eileen Lynch College of the Desert has also expanded training capacity. Through collaboration with local healthcare organizations, its registered nurse program has grown from 45 students per semester to 100, creating the capacity to graduate approximately 200 nurses annually. One Future’s Health Care Workforce Leadership Roundtable, including Desert Care Network, Eisenhower Health, Desert Healthcare District and Inland Empire Health Plan, helped assemble $3.4 million for the nursing expansion, with Tenet Healthcare Foundation among the major contributors. College of the Desert also secured additional state grant funding to sustain the expansion. The strategy is simple: identify local talent early, provide education, mentoring and clinical experience, and financial support, then connect graduates directly with local employers. As Thornton noted, other regions face the same workforce shortages. What distinguishes the Coachella Valley is how quickly organizations here are willing to work together. The shared goal is to educate and inspire local youth and provide them with the support they need to succeed. Lauren Del Sarto is founder and publisher of Desert Health. For more information on these programs, visit www.OneFutureCV.org. First symptoms of Parkinson’s are not always tremors.
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