Welcome in a Healthy 2017!

What could be a worse way to start the New Year than to be sick? Flu viruses seem to make their way into millions of people starting as early as October, and they can ruin our most precious holiday seasons. Regardless of your immunity, there are 4 simple steps to follow to stay flu-free during the start of the new year.

  1. Get the flu shot. Flu vaccines are a sure way to protect you from catching the seasonal virus. What’s convenient about getting flu shots is that you don’t have to have health insurance or visit your physician’s office to get one. You can stop by at your local pharmacy, or you can even get one for free! There are a lot of cities that provide free flu shot events, and even college campuses provide them for their students. Make sure you do some research to see where you can get a flu shot for free!
  1. Dry your hands. We all know that it is crucial to wash your hands, especially after touching millions of germs outside. But what you may not know yet is that it is equally important to dry your hands after washing them. Even though you wash your hands thoroughly with soap, damp hands can easily spread germs to and from the surfaces you touch.
  1. Don’t touch your face. When you touch a surface that many other people touch, such as shopping carts, doorknobs and ATMs, then touch your eyes, nose and mouth, you are creating an easy route for the virus and germs to enter into your body. And, take advantage of stores that provide disinfectant towels to wipe down shopping carts.
  1. Stay away from sick people. Those who are infected by the flu virus are contagious for up to one week. If you are unfortunately sick this New Year, take a sick day from work! The last thing you want to do is be the spreader of virus. If someone at work or school is suffering from flu-like symptoms, keep your distance and be sure to have bottles of hand sanitizers around!  It would not hurt to drop subtle (or not so subtle!) hints to let them know that they’re infected because the rest of the office doesn’t want to get sick, too!  And if you’re meeting any sick family members, kindly give them an air-hug and blow them a kiss. Avoid touching someone who is sick.

There are many other things that you can do to avoid getting sick — and you should do them. Because why would you risk getting sick for the start of the New Year?

Reference: Boost Your Flu IQ: Need-to-Know Info That Will Keep You Protected This Season by Catherine Winters

http://parade.com/508234/catherinewinters/boost-your-flu-iq-need-to-know-info-that-will-keep-you-protected-this-season/

Mobile Home Resident Law 2017

The new 2017 “Civil Codes” or the MRL, as the codes are often referred to, will go into effect January 1, 2017.  Copies will be distributed to park residents by the park management by February 1, 2017.  To get a digital copy of 2017 Mobilehome Residency Law please visit:
http://mobilehomes.senate.ca.gov/publications.

There were not too many changes this year, but it is always good to be familiar with the State laws that govern the community in which you live.

Questions about the Mobilehome Residency Law may be asked of the California Mobilehome Ombudsman at (800) 952-5275.

Home for the Holidays

happyholidaysAs we embark upon another busy holiday season anticipating spending special times with family and friends it is also a time to reflect upon our many blessings.  Living in a close- knit manufactured housing community with neighbors and friends next door is one of life’s best blessings.  The mobile home park lifestyle is a wonderful choice for seniors and families alike.  Homes on smaller lots require less time to upkeep and allow more time for travel, hobbies, and time to spend with children and grandchildren.  Perhaps you will host family members in your home this holiday or perhaps you will travel to spend time with loved ones.  Maybe your community is having special holiday celebrations in the clubhouse.  Whatever your plans, you are wished a most joyful season.

Thinking About Making A New Year’s Resolution?

A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western Hemisphere, in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or kindness. The self-improvement resolutions – like losing weight, drinking fewer glasses of wine, or exercising more seem to be the easiest to break and are quickly forgotten. Perhaps making a resolution to keep your resolutions like this poem suggests.

New Year’s Resolution
Resolve to renew all your old resolves,
And add a few that are new.
Resolve to keep them as long as you can,
What more can a poor man do.

A bit more ambitious is the following Resolution for Every Morning of the New
Year that appeared on a calendar by Bishop John H. Vincent in the early 20th century. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone made and kept this resolution!?

“I will this day try to live a simple, sincere, and
serene life – repelling promptly every thought of
discontent, anxiety, discouragement, impurity and
self-seeking – cultivating cheerfulness, magnanimity,
charity, and the habit of holy silence – exercising
economy in expenditure, carefulness in conversation,
diligence in appointed service, fidelity to every trust
and a child-like trust in God.”

Perhaps a resolution even easier to keep is a simple, “I resolve to treat others the way I would like them to treat me.” Sometimes that is all that one needs to be remembered in the daily challenges of getting along with your neighbors and others.

Mobile Home Resident FAQ’s

Q: Is the park required to provide a lease agreement in the language of the resident if the resident is non-English speaking?
A. Not in most cases.  Civil Code Sec. 1632 provides that a person engaged in a trade or business, who negotiates a contract or lease — including a rental agreement covering a dwelling, apartment or mobilehome — in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, shall provide the other party, if he or she requests it, with a written copy of the contract or agreement in that language prior to execution of the document.  However, this provision does not apply to contracts or agreements negotiated with the use of an interpreter, or to month-to-month rental agreements.  Additionally, most mobilehome parks do not “negotiate” their leases with homeowners or prospective homeowners, but rather offer the lease on a “take it or leave it” basis.

Q: Do the protections of the Mobilehome Residency Law (MRL) apply to all residents in mobilehome parks, or do they only apply to homeowners?
A. Many of the most important provisions of the MRL expressly apply to homeowners only, such as the terms and receipt of written leases (Civil Code §§798.15 and 798.18-798.19.5), amendment procedures for rules and regulations (Civil Code §798.25), fees and charges (Civil Code §§798.30-798.39.5), evictions (Civil Code §§798.55-798.56), and rental qualifications and procedures.  On the other hand, issues dealing with a “community” of persons often include “residents”, such as management entry into mobilehomes or park spaces (Civil Code §798.26), vehicle removal (Civil Code §798.26.5), communications and right to assemble (Civil Code §§798.50-798.52), and abatement of park nuisances, and injunctions for violating park rules (Civil Code §§798.87-798.88).

Q: I am a manager in a mobilehome park where an elderly resident is putting herself in danger.  When I call her family, they are unresponsive.  What do I do to make sure she and the other residents are safe from harm?
A. Contact your county’s Adult Protective Services program.  APS is a state-mandated program (Welfare & Institutions Code Sec. 15610.10) that provides evaluation and assistance for seniors (age 65 and older) and dependent adults (age 18-64 and physically or mentally impaired) who are reported to be unable to meet their own needs.  APS agencies investigate reports of alleged victims endangered by physical, sexual or financial abuse, isolation, neglect, or self-neglect.

Resource: California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) — http://mobilehomes.senate.ca.gov/publications