LOCAL AND REGIONAL

Address Signs

The Community Service Unit (CSU), a program of the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office, sells highly visible signs that can help medical, law enforcement, and fire personnel find your home in an emergency. Cost is $12 for a one-sided, green and white sign,  $16 for a two-sided sign. Visit CSU offices in Sonora, Twain Harte, Jamestown, Tuolumne or Groveland, or call Dave Clevenger, 743-7631.

Animal Adoption Resources

Amador County Animal Control, 223-6378; Amador County Humane Society, 223-0410
Calaveras County Animal Services, 209-754-6509; Calaveras Humane Society, 736-9417
Friends of the Animal Community, Tuolumne County, 768-3630; Humane Society of Tuolumne County, 984-5489; Tuolumne County Animal Control, 694-2730
Mariposa County Animal Control, 966-3615; ReHorse Rescue, 337-5886
Sonora Cat Rescue, 962-1228, 559-2406
SPCA of Mariposa County, 966-5275

Humane Society letter protects pets’ futures: What happens if you die and no one wants your cat or dog? Often, such pets risk euthanasia. The Humane Society of Tuolumne County (HSOTC) offers a solution: A letter of authorization bequeathing your animals to the society’s no-kill shelter (10040 Victoria Way, Jamestown), where they promise to care for them until new homes are found.  Call Jean McClymonds, 984-5489. To download the letter, click here:  Humane Society Letter of Authorization. Online, visit hsotc.org.

Area 12 Agency on Aging

This agency’s helpful staff provides services to more than 11,000 seniors in five counties: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne. Services include information and assistance, caregiver support, nutrition, fitness, Medicare counseling and much more. The agency is headquartered in Sonora, at 19074 Standard Rd. Contact Area 12 at (209) 532-6272 or (800) 510-2020, www.area12.org.

Bird and Wildlife Rescue

There’s help for those who find a baby songbird helpless on the ground, or a fawn or other wildlife that has been injured or abandoned. Volunteers at Rose Wolf Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, Inc. can provide help and advice, or the opportunity to lend a hand yourself. The all-volunteer effort is based in Tuolumne County. Contact Nina Huff (mammals and fawns) at (209) 484-1928; Laura Murphy (raptors, fawns), 928-3526, or Sharon South (songbirds), 588-8649. Contact the group online at rosewolfwildlife.org. Want to hear what the Bullock’s Oriole shown here sounds like, plus more amazing bird info? Click here.

Caregiver Support 

Family caregivers  in both Tuolumne and Calaveras counties can learn coping skills and stress-reduction skills by attending free support groups offered through Area 12 Agency on Aging. The groups are facilitated by health educators Joan Jackson and Peter Carrillo, whose business, Practical Dreamer (588-1835, practical-dreamer.com), helps connect individuals and families with information and resources. To register for a group, or to learn more, contact Area 12 Agency on Aging staff at (209) 532-6272, area12.org.

Carlo M. DeFerrari Archive

There’s a remarkable treasure nestled behind the Tuolumne County Library on Greenley Road in Sonora: The Carlo M. DeFerrari Archive, a haven for historical researchers interested in learning more about local, regional and Gold Rush history. The archive includes more than 4,500 rare books and periodicals; photographs; newspapers; maps; documents and letters; and a 250,000-card index compiled by Mr. DeFerrari over 50 years. Charles Dyer, county records manager, has released a detailed update on the archive and information about how researchers can access it. Click here to read more.

Catholic Charities’ Mother Lode Office

This Sonora office is the base for several programs serving the foothills region: The Mother Lode Ombudsman Program, Home Share Program, Outreach and Engagement Program, and Legal Aid to those 60 and older.  Phone: (209) 532-7632, website: ccstockton.net.

• To read the story on Catholic Charities in FAN’s Spring 2010 issue, click here.
• To read about the agency’s Home Share Program, which matches housing providers with those seeking housing, click here.

Commissions on Aging

These volunteer panels serve as a voice for seniors throughout Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, addressing a range of issues ~ medical care, affordable housing, transportation and much more ~ and future needs. Members are appointed by county supervisors, and new members are needed in each county.

Tuolumne County Commission on Aging meets at 1:30pm on the second Monday of each month at the Area 12 Agency on Aging, 19080 Standard Rd., Standard. Anyone who is interested in senior issues is encouraged to attend. The group honors county centenarians with a special ceremony; an application is available on the COA website.To read our story on the commission from our Winter 2008-2009 issue,click here. Read their blog at tuolumnecountycommissiononaging.blogspot.com.

Calaveras County Commission on Aging meets at 10am on the first Friday of each month at Calaveras Senior Center, 956 Mountain Ranch Rd., San Andreas. It produces a senior resource directory called The Senior Scope, available at libraries and senior centers, and hosts an annual spring luncheon honoring volunteers. More commission members are needed. For info, call Sandy Miller at 754-1495. To apply, call Diane Severud at 754-6059, or go online to calaverascountycoa.org.

Disability Resource Agency for Independent Living (DRAIL)

This nonprofit provides a host of essential services for the disabled. From offices in Sonora, Modesto and Stockton, its staff serves seven counties with a budget of about $1.2 million. The Sonora office, open 9am-5pm weekdays, serves Tuolumne, Mariposa, Calaveras, Amador and Alpine counties. Services include access to adaptive and assistive technologies, minor home modifications or safety repairs, help with taxes, procuring benefits, computer training and more. Read the FAN article on DRAIL from our Autumn 2008 issue by clicking here. Contact DRAIL at (209) 532-0963, or visit the website, drail.org.

Employment Help

The Job Connection in Sonora is at 19890 Cedar Road North, off Greenley Road. It is operated by Mother Lode Job Training, an agency that oversees four job centers serving workers and employers in Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties. The centers are primarily federally funded, and operated in partnership with the state Employment Development Department and other workforce agencies. Call them at 588-1150, or visit online, motherlodejobconnection.org.

Low-income residents can find workplace retraining through SER, Jobs for Progress, a federally funded nonprofit program that retrains low-income seniors. Contact Judy Ospital, 754-4242.

Friendship

In Calaveras County: Any woman in Calaveras County, either a newcomer or longtime resident, is invited to  monthly meetings of Calaveras Neighbors and Newcomers, on the fourth Thursday of month at local restaurants. Guest speakers cover topics ranging from the local wine industry, available social and emergency services, art, gardening, and the history of Calaveras County. Learn more at mycnn.org.

In Tuolumne County: The Tuolumne County Newcomers Club meets monthly at different locations; dues are $20 per year, plus cost of any event; contact Gina Wein, 532-4864, www.tcnc.org. Gold Country Social Club meets for lunch the second Tuesday of each month at the Pine Tree Restaurant, 19601 Hess Ave., East Sonora; dues are $12 a year, luncheons $10; call Marion Friary, 532-4144.

A 24-hour, toll-free telephone help line is now open to older adults: 1 (800) 971-0016. The Friendship Line provides reassuring support and help in getting to needed care for older adults who may be lonely, depressed, bereaved, or possibly suicidal. The line is open for calls at any hour, and connects callers with a staff member or trained volunteer who can provide assistance, support, links to other services or just a listening ear. A program of the San Francisco Institute on Aging, the help line has partnered with Calaveras and Tuolumne county behavioral health departments and the Mother Lode Office of Catholic Charities.

Grandparenting

A support group meets twice monthly in Sonora for grandparents who are taking a second turn at parenting. The goal is to provide “education and socialization” to grandparents raising their grandchildren, says Kristin Millhoff of the Area 12 Agency on Aging, which is sponsoring the free group. Meetings 9:15am-10:30am on second and fourth Wednesday of month, Blood Bank of Sonora, 850 Sanguinetti Rd. To register or learn more, call Milhoff at 532-6272, area12.org.

Grief Support

For a list of grief support services featured in our Autumn 2011 Issue, click here: Grief Support Resources.

Health and Human Services: InfoNet

The Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) maintains a website connecting readers with health and human services in Tuolumne, Calaveras and Alpine counties:  www.infonettc.org.

Hospice Services

Two agencies provide care and support for the terminally ill and their families in the Tuolumne-Calaveras region. Included is nursing care, grief support and much more, using a multidisciplinary team approach.

Hospice of the Sierra serves Tuolumne and Calaveras counties from offices at 20100 Cedar Road North, Sonora. Contact them at (209) 536-5709. The program operates under the auspices of Sonora Regional Medical Center, sonoramedicalcenter.org.

Hospice of Amador and Calaveras serves Amador and Calaveras counties from offices at 1500 S. Highway 49, Jackson. Contact them at (209) 223-5500. Visit them online at hospiceofamador.org.

Safety

The Tuolumne County District Attorney’s Office provides tips on home and personal safety through its Safer Seniors program. Tuolumne County DA Safer Seniors Tips. AT&T sponsors a website that can provide email scam alerts, plus a host of valuable resource information aimed at keeping seniors safe from fraud and abuse: scamnot.org.

Scam and Fraud Hotline: (209) 588-1221

Tuolumne and Calaveras county seniors who receive solicitations that seem too good to be true, or suspicious emails, are urged to report the activity. A new scam hotline is open 8am-8pm Monday through Friday. Callers may remain anonymous, and will be asked a series of questions aimed at identifying recurring scams. The hotline was created by a team of law enforcement and financial specialists working to protect seniors from fraud. It’s manned by members of the Community Service Unit of the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department. If you receive suspicious emails, don’t open them, says CSU’s Dave Clevenger;  forward them to scams@mlode.com. CSU volunteers will track them to their source, to reduce virus and hack attacks. Call Clevenger at 536-9828 for more info.

Senior Resource Service

This Tuolumne County nonprofit group operates a transportation program, matching volunteers with seniors who need rides to medical appointments and essential errands, and also maintains a senior resource directory. This guide includes contact information for everything from health care and housing to transportation and emergency services, “anything a senior might need,” says Judy Finley, SRS president. Visit their website to download a copy, newly updated for 2011: seniorresourceservice.org.

Senior Centers, Programs and Meal Sites

Click here for a list of senior centers, programs and meal sites in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties.  For those who are homebound or unable to cook for themselves, Meals on Wheels provides balanced meals. In Tuolumne County, contact Sierra Senior Providers, 533-2622, sierraseniorproviders.org. In Calaveras County, contact Common Ground Senior Services, 736-9996, cgseniors.org.

Senior Network Meetings

Tuolumne County Senior Network  involves representatives from a host of agencies and businesses dedicated to coordinating and improving senior support and services. It meets from 8:30-10am on the second Thursday of each month in the conference room at Area 12 Agency on Aging, 19074 Standard Road, Sonora.

Calaveras County Senior Network will meet on Nov. 17 and December 15 at 9am at Foothill Village Independent Living in Angels Camp. In 2012, meetings will be held at 9am on the third Thursday of each month at the CalWorks building in San Andreas.

Smoke-Alarm Checks

In Tuolumne County, Sonora Kiwanis Club volunteers will visit your home to inspect the smoke alarms,  and then install new alarms or new batteries. This service is free to anyone 60 or older. For the hearing impaired, a special strobe-equipped alarm can be installed, also at no charge. 586-1180.

Support Groups

Mended Hearts group, helping patients recover from the emotional impact of heart disease. Meets 5-6pm on fourth Wednesday of each month at Live Well Be Well Center, 19747 Greenley Road, Sonora. Joanne Rios, 536-3721.

Transportation

Senior Resource Service, a nonprofit group, offers free rides within Tuolumne County to seniors with no other means of transportation. More volunteer drivers are needed. Call Judy Finley, (209) 588-9408, or visit online, seniorresourceservice.org.

Sierra Senior Providers, based at the Senior Center on Greenley Road in Sonora, provides seniors age 60-plus with rides to medical or related appointments. (209) 694-8645. sierraseniorproviders.org.

Foothill Rideshare is a free service that matches drivers and passengers in Tuolumne, Calaveras and Amador counties.
foothillrideshare.com

Volunteering

Read the latest issue of Friends and Neighbors for a “Volunteers Needed” listing updated quarterly. Click here to read our latest: Volunteers Needed, Winter 2011-12. Or,  this online directory can link you with local organizations that will welcome your skills and enthusiasm: 1-800-volunteer.org. You can also call Sierra NonProfit Services in Sonora (533-1093, www.sierranonprofit.org) to chat one-on-one about available volunteer jobs. In Calaveras County, find local volunteer opportunities by calling (209) 754-1699, calaverasvolunteer.com.

STATE AND NATIONAL

American Society on Aging, www.asaging.org

American Association of Retired Persons, www.aarp.org

Red Cross, Senior Disaster Preparedness, www.redcross.org

California Department of Aging, www.aging.ca.gov

Cancer Support and Information, www.cancer.org

California court forms, www.ezlegalfile.org

Disability Resource Agency, drail.org

Domestic violence prevention, www.womenslaw.org

Fall Prevention Center of Excellence,  www.stopfalls.org

Federal Citizen Information Center, www.pueblo.gsa.gov

Federal Senior Services and Information, www.usa.gov/topics/seniors.shtml

Financial Planning Association, www.plannersearch.org

Foreclosure information and help, www.foreclosureinfoca.org

H.E.L.P. Senior Legal and Care Challenges, www.help4srs.org

Basic legal resources and info, www.lawhelpcalifornia.org

Medical information, www.mayoclinic.com; webmd.com; emedicine.medscape.com;
Medicare Information, eligibility, www.medicare.gov

Mental Illness Information and Support, www.nami.org

National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov

National Family Caregivers Association, www.nfcacares.org

National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, www.nhpco.org

National Parkinson Foundation, www.parkinson.org

Online Job Search, www.caljobs.ca.gov

Prescription Assistance Programs, www.pparx.org/intro.php

Scam awareness and prevention, scamnot.org

Senior Citizen and Low Income Housing, www.hud.gov/groups/seniors.cfm

Social Security Administration, general information,www.socialsecurity.gov

• Direct link to Retirement and/or Spouse’s benefits application: https://secure.ssa.gov/apps6z/iRRet/rib
• Direct link to Disability Application: http://www/ssa.gov/applyfordisability/

Skilled Nursing facilities, nationwide directory, www.skillednursingfacilities.org

Veterans’ Employment Information, www.opm.gov/veterans

Veterans’ News and Information, www.vnis.com

Other Websites We Like

Columbia College Library research site, http://gocolumbia.edu/library/reference/list.htm

Craig’s List, classified ads for Mother Lode region, www.craigslist.org

Feedbooks, free downloadable books from public domain, www.feedbooks.com

Godfrey Research Library, www.godfrey.org

i-Neighbors project of University of Pennsylvania, www.i-Neighbors.org

Iwo Jima documentary, http://www.archive.org/details/iwojima

Online archive of California, http://www.oac.cdlib.org/

Poetry, www.poetryoutloud.org

Wolfram/Alpha, computational search engine answers questions, www.wolframalpha.com