Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 79, No. 45 - November 5, 2020
Girl Scouts Troop 15 Give the Gift of Reading
Thank you to the Lawndale Chamber of Commerce & Girl Scouts Troop 15 for their donation of 4 Little Free Libraries. This inspired the LESD Cabinet to buy 3 more so that each elementary school and district office has a library. We can’t wait to open them when it is safe.
Photo courtesy Smith Elementary School.
Lauren Mahakian from front page
knowledgeable about memory loss issues
and that how (those issues) affect the whole
family. I do not worry about my husbands’
care; I know that he is getting the best care.
He likes where he is, is well taken care of;
all of the employees are very caring and very
conscientious.”
Mahakian grew-up in Palos Verdes and graduated
with a degree in Public Administration
from the University of La Verne. In 2006,
she interned with her older sister, renowned
gerontologist Dr. Jane Mahakian, and began
a journey in the field of “aging” that has led
her to establish three separate care facilities,
with a Westchester facility on the drawing
board, set to open in 2022.
She started her business in 2008, a oneperson
endeavor, added a couple of employees,
and now manages nearly 50 staffers tasked
with providing stellar caregiving services to
older South Bayans. Her companies boast
uniquely trained staff to meet the sometimesoverwhelming
needs of those with anywhere
from moderate to severe cognitive impairment.
She also partners with local hospitals, as
well as working with the USC Leonard Davis
School of Gerontology. She offers unique
services to those who have dementia, including
a “Music and Memory” and “Stimuli”
program. She was recognized as a South Bay
HERO by Clear Recovery Center and Good
Stuff Restaurants, selected from a worthy field
of nominees, a fete she said that was “really
cool, very moving.”
Her initial successful foray into the field
of geriatric care allowed her to start Family
Connect Memory Care in 2017, then Family
Connect Boutique Care the following year,
and then South Bay Memory Care in 2019,
all licensed residential care facilities for the
elderly and located in Torrance.
She said her facilities’ goal is to “restore
the dignity and respect for residents afflicted
with dementia,” while noting all of her businesses
are continuing to do well, even with
who have dementia of COVID-19 that afflicts
the elderly at alarming rates.
If managing three dementia care homes is
not enough of a challenge, Mahakian also
continues to succeed with her care management
and in-home care businesses. In this pandemic
era, she is available to clients and staff 24-7,
setting-up virtual meetings, supporting care
providers and facility staff, and visiting clients
outside their home, all while maintaining
required social-distancing protocols.
She also holds weekly caregiver support
groups in Ranch Palos Verdes, as well as
support groups in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara
counties. In her “spare” time, Mahakian
launched a podcast last year, “Unlocking the
Doors of Dementia with Lauren,” and earlier
this year began penning a monthly column
for the Palos Verdes Peninsula News under
the title “The Alzheimer’s Whisperer.”
She espouses the mantra of helping families
assure premium care for their loved ones by
navigating the complexities of care management
and housing so they can live their life
to its fullest.
Some of you readers may remember a
TV show that had a successful run on CBS
back in the day, culminating a nine-year-run
in 2003. Starred Roma Downey and was
christened “Touched by an Angel.” One of
the episodes focused on one of the recurring
characters, Tess, who was in the early stages
of Alzheimer’s disease and had to take up
residency in a nursing home.
Well, that show may be out there somewhere
in the loop of repeats available for viewing
today, but, for the clients and families of Lauren
Mahakian, they are still being…” touched
by an angel.” •
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