SLO County Locals Blog
Bloggers from the Local Business Community:
Claudia Harmon Worthen
EcoPlanners, LLC
Green Living, Interior Design
Scott Brennan
Access Publishing
Outdoor/Active lifestyle
Ryan Baker
Young Professionals Networking Group
Calendar of Events
Joel Tolbert
Tolbert Painting
House Painting
Eric Foronjy
Hague Quality Water
Water quality, facts, figures
Central Coast Lending teams up with Habitat for Humanity
On Friday, the CCL team put in some hard work with Habitat for Humanity to kick off this Memorial Day Weekend!… READ MORE
Recent Articles
(June 14) – Cal Poly grad self-publishes novel “Let There Be Care”
(June 13) – Choosing a local assisted living facility
(June 13) – When can I move in? $5.9 million home in Paso Robles
(June 3) – San Luis Kitchen Co.: June Kitchen of the Month
(May 29) – Toxic baby products legally sold in supermarkets
(May 24) – CCL teams up with Habitat for Humanity
(May 23) – When can I move in? Castle/Winery for sale in Paso
(May 14) – Roll out the Barrels event in SLO
(May 10) – SLO County’s economic development at fastest pace in state
(May 8) - EcoPlanners: Edible Weeds, Free Food in Your Backyard
Business || Events || News || People || Places
Columns by Molly Schiff || Columns by Rylan Stewart || Columns by Madelyn Stringham
Editor in Chief, Columnist: Rylan Stewart (rylan@centralcoastlending.com) || Feature Columnist, Editor, Photographer: Molly Schiff
We deal in housing, but it takes more than a building to call a place home… it is the people, events, and businesses. So we started the SLO County Locals Blog to explore the spirit of the Central Coast.
Cal Poly graduate self-publishes novel, Let There Be Care
Aaron Rowley isn’t your typical biomedical engineer. While the recent Cal Poly Grad has been very successful in his field- a focus in vascular technologies and appropriate design for developing nations- he’s also explored his creative interests outside the engineering world, and recently self-published his first fiction novel, Let There Be Care.
According to Amazon.com, Let There Be Care is the first in a series that follows Lukas Care on a quest that “will ultimately transform his life”. Lukas’ discovery of a journal offers him the opportunity to change his comfortable, mediocre life and new understanding of his surroundings. “With endeavors both captivating and dangerous, Let There Be Care is a dramatic, dynamic journey of the mind and heart that will keep you guessing on every complex, compelling page.”
I had a chance to talk with Aaron a bit about his inspiration behind the novel and the process of self-publishing a book.
ITECH Solutions is a local small business on the rise
Nice to see local up-and-coming business ITECH Solutions get some publicity in the Tribune. These guys do great work. They helped build our website, and their customer service for maintenance is friendly and prompt. Congrats!
SanLuisObispo.com: “ITECH Solutions credits growth to its focus on customers”
ITECH Solutions: Website
Choosing a local assisted living facility
How to Pick an Assisted Living Facility
By Scott Brennan
Central Coast Active
A friend of mine recently moved to the county to buy a home and retire. After relaxing for a few months, he got a call from his mother. She is elderly and wanted to live closer to her family and needed to be well cared for.
So what do you do if you have been put into the tough situation of placing a loved one in an assisted living facility? With so many options out there how do you know that you are finding the right place?
He called to talk to a few local places and here’s what he’d like to share to help others in his situation.
Jane Lefebre, a San Luis Obispo assisted living facility expert at the Manse on Marsh in downtown, highlighted a few things to look for and how to determine if the facility fits the needs of your loved one.
Environment
With the facility of your choice being a permanent resident for your loved one, you need to look to the environment of the facility. When you walk in the front door is it a warm feeling, do people seem to be happy, what does it look like, do you feel like your invited and could you see yourself spending time there?
Safety
A retirement home should not only be a warm and inviting place, but also a safe one. With most residents needing some kind of special care, look to the number of nurses to patients, premium facilities will be around eight patients to one nurse. You also want to look at the overall number of staffing, this will give you a peace of mind knowing your loved one has someone there to help them and won’t be tied down with another patient. If a emergency does happen you also want know about response times, the industry average is around seven to eight minutes, with topnotch facilities in the one to three minute range. Finally, look to a quick response alert system. Facilities should have a bracelet or necklace that can be easily pushed in the case of an emergency with a direct line to help. Accidents in the bathroom are a common occurrence and with out access to a phone a quick response program can save your loved ones life.
Security
Your loved one can be in a vulnerable state, and cant always protect themselves. Make sure you choose a facility with 24/7 surveillance. Also make sure there is a check in program that makes sure that all people on site have been checked in and are accounted for. This alleviates the worry of someone sneaking on to the premises.
Support
Your loved one is in a assisted living facility for support, so make sure your selection fits their needs. Look to lay out of the facility, how easy can they move around. Are there elevators for multiple level facilities, how many stairs are there in case of a emergency. You also want to look for a registered nurse on staff, they have received a higher level of education and can help with larger issues.
Activities
Being in a assisted living facility needs to be a exciting and enriching experience. Look to a facility with both on site and off site activities. As your love one ages, being active and energetic becomes more and more valuable. Top notch facilities will offer on site yoga, movies, tea and other social gatherings to help everyone get to know each other. Also look for outside activities such as shopping trips, scenic drives, trips to the park and other inviting areas. You want your loved one to be social and activity for both there mental and physical health, so make sure your assisted living facility encourages this.
Last and not least, look for a place you feel comfortable with. You loved one will be living there and you have to think, is this a place where I could live in my older years. Using the tips above will help guide you in the tough decision of finding a assisted living facility, but if you follow these tips you can sleep soundly knowing your loved one is in good hands.
Assisted Living Facilities in San Luis Obispo County
The Manse On Marsh
475 Marsh Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 541-4222
Cabrillo Care Center
3033 Augusta St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 544-5100
Paradise Valley Care
7360 Morro Rd.
Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 468-4141
Atascadero Christian Home
8455 Santa Rosa Road
Atascadero, CA 93422
(805) 466-0281
Wyndham Residence
222 S Elm St.
Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
(805) 474-7260
Ada’s Lodges
5255 Monterey Rd.
Paso Robles, CA 93446
(805) 226-7431
When can I move in? $5.9 million home offers “ultra custom”, modern luxury
Paso Robles has a slew of estates and high-end properties currently on the market- I’ve showcased a few of these in past articles.
The $5.9 million property on Hidden Mountain Road stood out to me, however, because of the gorgeous modern and open design that compliments the priceless views.
Read more 
6th annual Hunger Awareness Day across SLO County: Donate a little, make a big difference
Two SLO Food Bank volunteers collect donations outside Albertsons in Morro Bay.
Today marks the 6th annual Hunger Awareness Day in SLO County. Put on by the Food Bank Coalition of SLO County, the goal is to raise $150,000 in a single day to feed the estimated 44,000 homeless that reside in SLO County.
A $1 donation will provide $10 worth of nutritious food for those in need.
How can you donate? You can visit one of the booths set up throughout SLO and donate in person (a list of these sites can be found HERE), or donate online HERE.
Even just a dollar to two can make a big difference to those in need in our local community.
San Luis Obispo’s Bubblegum Alley up for 8th Wonder of the World
What do the Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, Bristol Motor Speedway, and San Luis Obispo’s Bubblegum Alley have in common?
They are all up for Virtual Tourist’s “8th Wonder of the World Contest“, where users vote (once per day) on their favorite nominee.
Other entries include palaces, gardens, beaches, parks, islands, neighborhoods, and pretty much everything planet earth and human history has to offer. Think Bubblegum Alley stands up well next to the Empire State Building? To Moab’s “Delicate Arch” trail (pictured below)? Give it a vote HERE.
Me personally? I kinda think that Bubblegum Alley isn’t quite as compelling as the 7 Sisters (the Rock especially) or Montana de Oro. For one, in other locales I don’t hold my breath in mortal fear of germs. For another, they aren’t a grimy little alley with gum stuck to it. (Yes, I hid this blasphemous opinion below the picture to avoid probing eyes).
Gorgeous views of SLO County on Irish Hills hike
While hikes like Madonna Peak, Bishops Peak, and the various trails out in Montana De Oro are some of the more frequented hiking spots in SLO, the Irish Hills offer an extensive amount of trails, stretching over 940 acres, with some excellent views of SLO County. Read more
Kitchen of the Month: A new kitchen, a home office, and playroom too!
By Sarah Day
San Luis Kitchen Co.
This month’s homeowners are a professional couple with school-age children and the first priority of their remodel was to increase the family friendliness of their home. A secondary goal was to add an office for the wife and organized homework/play space for the kiddos.
“A ‘great room’ concept, which allows the adults to work either in the kitchen or new office while still supervising the children’s activities, was an ideal solution to their dilemma.“
The existing living room was open to a loft above and boasted a extensive bar which was largely unused and a corner entertainment center that was outdated (they had upgraded to a flat screen TV and placed it more central to the living room cluster).
A “great room” concept, which allows the adults to work either in the kitchen or new office while still supervising the children’s activities, was an ideal solution to their dilemma. We removed the wall that formerly separated the kitchen and living room, elongating the peninsula and adding an island hood above a new professional style range.
Toxic baby products legally sold in supermarkets
Hague Quality Water’s Eric Foronjy explains how to reduce skin irritation
Walk down the diaper isle of any supermarket and you will find a variety of personal care products marketed to parents for babies. I remember growing up with a bottle of Johnson’s baby shampoo in our bathtub. The brands you grow up with in your home feel safe and trusted, but unfortunately, they are not.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has been conducting independent safety testing on cosmetics for years. They determined that Jonson & Johnson (J&J) has many harsh and toxic chemicals in their brands, including those labeled for babies. Read more
Central Coast Lending teams up with Habitat for Humanity
On Friday, the CCL team put in some hard work with Habitat for Humanity to kick off this Memorial Day Weekend!
“It’s great to see members of the community coming together to help others,” Central Coast Lending owner Jason Grote said, “it’s something simple we can do to help give back to our town.” Read more
