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Carin Arrigo-Zimmer Orange CA Realtor

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Orange Senior Center Rocks!

02-05-10
Carin Arrigo-Zimmer Orange CA Realtor




Front Entrance

This is one of my favorite places to hang out in the city of Orange. I discovered the Orange Senior Center a few years ago when I took my dad-in-law to visit. Prior to residing in assisted living and now a board and care home, Dad lived quite independently. Other than hanging out with me (I was his primary caregiver at the time), his buddies at Kiwanis and Mark, his part-time caregiver, Dad didn’t have too much of a social network.

Being the resourceful chick, I investigated the center and just KNEW Dad needed to go. Too sequestered in his home, or so I thought. I mean, who wouldn’t love a bit of bingo then lunch? LAME-O me. We sat among the other seniors for a short time. Let’s just say Dad had better places to be, like his own house, for example.

“These people are too old!” said the 79-year-old man.

“Don’t you think you might wanna give it a chance? We’ve only been here 10 minutes. Can’t we stay long enough to see who wins the next bingo round?” (Like I was gonna miss THAT?)

OK, so Dad didn’t exactly bond with bingo or anything else under the roof that day. I wasn’t going to push. It’s not my style.
That said, I bonded with this place almost immediately. Bingo? Not so much. It was the people. Old people. Old, funny, intelligent people – sharing, conversing, complaining, kvetching, laughing. Just like it is in my house.

That, my friends, was just the beginning of my relationship with the Orange Senior Center. More discoveries happened after that day. Much more.
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Orange County Cares About Seniors

10-27-09
Carin Arrigo-Zimmer Orange CA Realtor

Not all seniors are old. Nor are they bitter, grumpy or dumb. What's great abou seniors who are genuine life-lovers is their capacity to share of themselves in such a way, one can't help but smile and walk away a better person than before meeting that awesome person!

I've had the pleasure of attending something called the Orange County Roundtable for the last eighteen months. The meetings revolve around seniors' needs and the businesses who service and resolve those needs. People working from in-home care businesses to assisted living providers, real estate consultants, and non-profit organizations, we meet monthly at The Orange Senior Center sharing the same goal: to use our businesses in ways to help seniors and their families throughout Orange County. What strikes most is the care, compassion and professionalism I personally witness every meeting I attend.

Today was no exception.

Steve Carpenter, of Rebuilding Together, a nonprofit organization working to preserve affordable housing and revitalize communities, spoke on behalf of a coalition he's involved with called, "Down With Falls". Stupendous name, as it refers to their motto of "To raise community awareness of fall prevention in Orange County by promoting comprehensive strategies to reduce the risk of falling."

Steve shared a few alarming statistics such as, 1 in 3 older adults fall each year and 5 in 10 have problems getting up without help after they have fallen. Bad stuff, indeed. About 3 years ago, my dad-in-law fell in his bathroom right before midnight (he lived alone at the time) and I didn't get his phone call until 9:30 the next morning; meaning, he (somehow) dragged himself from the bathroom to his living room sofa, where he sat while making that phone call to me. Dad was fortunate he didn't break a hip, his arm, or his head. His fall did however, prompt a quick fracture in his left shoulder. (And for those who wonder if he had one of those devices around his neck, i.e., Lifeline or Life Alert? Yes, he did. Actually wearing the thing? Another blog post.)

Point is, before my awareness of fall prevention, would Dad have still fallen? Perhaps. Still, probably would've removed that bathroom rug (rubber backing but too thick and easy to trip on). Mostly though, just the simple awareness of making slight adjustments for aging-in-place makes me sleep more soundly at night

*Note: Currently, Dad is living in a board and care residential home, where he wears his Lifeline device on a daily basis. =)

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City of Orange Home Preview - Sept. 8, 2009

09-08-09
Carin Arrigo-Zimmer Orange CA Realtor

Hey Kids,

Fun stuff today! Thought I’d keep y'all updated on what I see each time I attend Orange Caravan, a time for agents and brokers to preview recent listings in the cities of Orange and Villa Park, CA. We alternate weeks between east and west Orange. Today - West Orange. Eight homes at preview today and here’s what I saw (Just a reminder that ALL listings shown are standard sale. No foreclosure or short sales) :

Homes $449,000 - $675,000:

624 N. Clinton St. Orange $449,000 3 bd, 2 ba 1066 sqft.
2419 E. Garfield Ave. Orange $450,000 4 bd. 2 ba 1,505 sqft.
2604 E. Washington Ave. Orange $525,000 3 bd, 2 ba 1,819 sqft.
2712 E. Garfield Ave. Orange $559,000 4 bd, 3 ba 1,954 sqft.
1929 N. Fern Orange $675,000 4 bd, 3 ba 3,033 sqft.

Homes $:729,000 - $979,000:

1638 N. Brigantine Ln. Orange $729,000 5 bd, 3 ba 2,903 sqft.
619 N. Birchwood Rd. Orange $749,000 3 bd, 3 ba 2,913 sqft.
320 N. Cambridge St. Orange $979,000 5 bd 4 ba 3,254 sqft.

624 N. Clinton and 2419 E. Garfield are both good values, especially for first-time home buyers and worth checking out. 329 N. Cambridge is beautiful if you love historical homes. Nice work throughout. Good to see more inventory. Next week is east side!

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