Some homeowners have been confused by the notice and have mailed $89, erroneously believing that they were paying a bill to the county recorder.  Others have sent in the $89 payment because they wanted to obtain the offered copy of their deed and a property profile.

You can obtain a copy of your deed from your county recorder. Some counties now allow you to order copies on-line or by telephone for a very minimal cost. You can obtain a property profile from a number of different websites for free. I often look up properties using Zillow to get an idea of the estimated property value and current tax assessment.

Two resources that are still in the development stage in our community are the Silicon Valley “Village”, which is a cooperative of individuals dedicated to creating a “retirement community” for themselves, with all of the advantages of such a community, while staying in their own homes.  The Village concept was started a few years ago in Boston and has been spreading around the country since then.  There are Villages now in San Francisco and the Palo Alto area.  The Silicon Valley Village will consist primarily of elders in Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Campbell, and West San Jose.  Each Village is a community grass roots collaborative organized by interested dedicated individuals.  The Silicon Valley Village started organizing just about a year ago.  I will be blogging more about the SV Village as plans for it mature.

The second resource that is coming does not have a name yet (at least I don’t know one if it has).  This resource will provide, with the use of technology, a means to monitor seniors in their own homes so they can stay living there safely.  It allows seniors to remain independent rather than being forced to move to a residential care facility simply due to a need for more supervision.  The system consists of webcams set up throughout a senior’s home that provide a live feed to a computer that learns the living habits of the senior and alerts caring family and volunteers when something changes so that they can monitor the live feed to make sure the senior does not need assistance.  While this system may seem like it invades the senior’s privacy, the fact is that it is much less invasive than the loss of privacy resulting from having to live in a residential care facility for the elderly.  This system will not replace in-home caregivers for seniors needing help with bathing, dressing, etc., but may reduce the number of caregiver hours that are needed.  It is being developed by a physician in Maine, Dr. Chip Teel, who has written a book entitled, “Alone and Invisibe No More”.   You can check out Dr. Teel and find several video clips of him talking about the system on line.

We at Carney, Sugai & Sudweeks LLP are always looking for new resources, such as the Village and tools, such as Dr. Teel’s webcam system to help our senior clients age happily in their own homes and in their own communities.  Our elder care coordination services help seniors to know and access resources in our community, and use appropriate tools and technology to remain independent for as long as possible.  By combining elder care coordination services with the legal services of long-term care planning,  Carney, Sugai & Sudweeks provides a comprehensive and holistic approach to caring for seniors that we call, Life Care Planning.   We would be delighted to meet with you to determine whether our Life Care Planning services would help you or your loved one.  Call or email us today for an appointment.

Carney, Sugai & Sudweeks LLP is proud to be a sponsor of the Claws event this year.   We hope that you will join us in eating your fill of fresh lobster and dancing to the sounds of the Joe Sharino Band, one of the best bands in our valley. This event sells out every year, so don’t delay getting your tickets.  And, if you would like to be part of the CSS table at the party, call Janis at our offices before buying your tickets online.   You can also pick up tickets from Janis if you pay by check.  SEE YOU THERE!