October Newsletter 2025 - Hospice of the Valleys

Thank you so much to our Title Sponsor,
Murrieta Valley Funeral Home

A huge, heartfelt thank you to all of our amazing supporters for attending our 27th Annual Wine and Chocolate Fundraiser. This year’s ‘An Evening in Wonderland’ was a huge success, and we could not be more grateful for the support of so many! Special shout-out to our incredible Advisory Board and Junior Advisory Club for all their hard work in making this all come to life! Additionally, we are so appreciative for the continued generosity of our incredible sponsors, vendors, and donors!

Check out this highlight reel and images from Wine and Chocolate by clicking the buttons below:

Opulens Media Video Reel

Big Tom Photography

Join Milvet, Temecula and Murrieta for a free community event to assemble Military Care Packages Nov 16, 2025 1-4 PM Sign up to help assemble care packages MilVet.Org/Temecula Community Recreation Center 30875 Rancho Vista Rd, Temecula, CA 92592 Join us in sending love and support to deployed military heroes! Bring the family to help fill military care packages with snacks, hygiene supplies and letters of encouragement. Join us Nov, 16 2025 Please register at www.milvet.org/temecula Sign up to help assemble care packages! MilVet.org/Temecula Drop off items between Oct.12-Nov.12 2025 Protein Bars, Beef Jerky, Fruit snakcs, chewing gum, trail mix, nuts Toothbrushes, Deodorant, Lip Balm, wet wipes, shower gel, shampoo For Drop-off locations: MilVet.org/Temecula For Drop-off Locations: MilVet.org/Temecula For more information please email CEO@MilVet.org or call 951-384-0110

2025 Veterans Expo Hosted by Senator Kelly Seyarto 32nd District Thursday, November 13 10AM-2PM Monteleone Meadows 35245 Briggs RD, Murrieta Over 80 vendors will be on hand, including businesses offering employment opportunities, local nonprofit organizations, and government resource agencies.

How to Prevent those Blue Light Blues -Your Health Matters Leslee B. Cochrane, MD Executive Medical Director Your amazing brain has a built-in clock located in the superchiasmatic nucleus which helps to regulate your 24 hour circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates your sleep-wake cycles, hormonal cycles, body temperature and other vital bodily functions. Your brain relies on regular cycles of light and dark to maintain your circadian rhythm. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the evening and throughout the night during low light conditions which helps your body relax into a healthy and regular sleep rhythm. Night time exposure to even small amounts of light is enough to disrupt this delicate system. Disruptions in the sleep cycle have been shown to increase the risk of numerous serious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, depression and anxiety. Natural sunlight exposure during the daytime with its balanced spectrum is beneficial and helps to boost your mood, regulate your circadian rhythm promote Vitamin D production. Artificial light which tends to be in the blue wavelength and includes common sources such LED lighting, TV and phone screens does not have the same beneficial properties as natural sunlight and in fact has several negative effects. In particular, cell phone use near bedtime causes difficulty falling asleep and poor sleep quality which results in excessive daytime sleepiness and increased rates of anxiety and depression. Although no one has answered the question of what is a "safe" amount of screen time, the consensus seems to be less than 2 hours per day for adults and less than 1 hour per day for children. In addition to disruption of the circadian rhythm, excessive daytime exposure to screens tends to cause eye strain, dry eyes and increases the risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Night time exposure to even small amounts of blue light has been shown to interfere with healthy sleep cycles which in turn can cause a myriad of health concerns. Here are a few suggestions to help you to avoid the "Blue Light Blues": - Open the blinds and use natural light during daytime to reduce your exposure to blue light - Limit screen time to under 2 hours per day for adults and 1 hour per day for kids - If you must work with a screen for longer periods, use blue blocking glasses or screen filters - Decrease screen brightness to a lower setting which will reduce the intensity of the blue light - Avoid exposure to screens at least 3 hours before bedtime and set your device to night mode - Use an eye mask to reduce light exposure at night In our modern world it is all but impossible to completely avoid exposure to blue light; but with a few modifications to your daily routine you can dramatically reduce your exposure to blue lights, thereby avoiding the "Blue light Blues."

Volunteer Corner An enormous Thank You to our 'Wine and Chocolate' volunteers for contributing countless hours to make our event a success and we are so grateful to each of you! Thank you!