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Tuesday, January 28, 2014 Capital NewsC
CAPITAL NEWS
SENIORS
Old Time Fiddlers to play at dance
▼ FITNESS
Prepare your body for joint surgery
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re you on the list for a joint replacement surgery? In order to have a speedy recovery, it’s most important to get into the best physical shape possible before surgery. Always check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program and ask for any prescribed pre-surgical exercises. If you are having hip or knee replacement surgery, do FITNESS FOR exercises to strengthen SENIORS your upper body to help cope with crutches or a walker after surgery. Isometric exercises can help maintain the of your leg musBobbi strength cles. Also ask about the Kittle exercises that will be prescribed after surgery. If you familiarize yourself with these postoperative exercises and practice them now, they will be easier to perform after the surgery. Be careful to avoid activities which will potentially increase pressure in damage joints such as running or other high impact activities. A safe and gentle way to exercise painful joints is in warm water. Doctors often refer patients to pool programs before and after surgery because of the buoyancy and low impact benefits. Remember that the old saying “No pain, no gain” isn’t relevant today. Pain is your body’s signal that something does not feel good and you need to stop the activity. Also, if you have pain for more than two hours following exercise you’ve done too much. You will be better off to shorten the duration or reduce intensity of the activity. As for your diet prior to surgery, it’s important to be nourished for healing of the bones muscles and skin. Healthy eating is extremely important to provide energy strength, and the power to heal after surgery with less chance of infection. As well, eating a balanced diet helps with me weight management which is very important because for every extra pound of weight that you carry it is equal to four pounds more strain on your hips and knees. A few other supplements to include in your diet can include calcium to help heal bones; men and women over age 50 should take 1,500 mg a day. Vitamin D can help your body absorb the calcium to build muscle strength. Vitamin B12 and folic acid can help prevent certain types of anemia. Iron is important to help your body build up hemoglobin in your blood and resist infection. Vitamins A and C will also help with healing and keep you healthy. But check with your doctor to determine what supplements or vitamins would be appropriate for your preand post-surgery conditions. Bobbi Kittle is a personal trainer and fitness instructor in Kelowna who specializes in working with seniors. 250-317-3508 bobbi@pursuitfitness.ca
TRAINING DAY…Big White Ski Resort hosted the Army Reservists that serve in the
CONTRIBUTED
BC Dragoons from Kelowna for the day on Jan. 26. This is a yearly visit that typically includes a full day of skiing and a lesson. For this year’s visit, the Dragoons reservists combined work and play by incorporating an avalanche skills training session into their day at Big White. Said Kris Hawryluik, the ski patrol director at Big White: “In the future Big White Ski Patrol and the Central Okanagan Search and Rescue wish to utilize the army as an additional resource should we have a large backcountry avalanche response. The training that we’re doing today is the first step towards achieving this goal.”
The B.C. Old Time Fiddlers dance will be held Friday, Feb. 21, at the Rutland Seniors’ Centre, 756 Dodd Rd. The dance is for all ages from 7:30 to 10 p.m. The old time fiddlers are a branch of the B.C. Old Time Fiddlers Association. Admission $5 per person and includes coffee/ tea and a sandwich. Tickets will be sold at the door and there will also be door prizes given out during the evening. For information, call 250-763-4406.
Don’t put off assembling an estate plan A n estate plan is an essential part of planning for the future. Estate planning involves the transfer of someone’s assets (e.g. property, money) when they die, as well as other personal assets. What is the right age to start on an estate plan? As soon as you start to accumulate assets or when you start to have children, you should have an estate plan. During our lifetime, planning is part of our routine. We plan for holidays and family gatherings. We plan on things to do when we are not working. We plan on making consumer purchases such as for vehicles and major appliances. So what about planning in regards to estate planning for you and your family? Almost 50 per cent of the adult population who should don’t make estate planning a priority.
FISCAL FITNESS
Doreen Smith That means nothing has been done to protect you and your family against the many negative aspects of having no estate plan. Estate planning should be considered as one of the best planning strategies during our lifetime. Making a will is an important part of planning for your family’s future. If you die without a will, your property will be divided according to B.C. law, and the costs to administer your estate will increase. You will be giving up the right to appoint the guardian of your choice for any children in your care.
A will is a legal enforceable declaration of how you want your property to be distributed after death. A will provides directions on minor children including who will be the guardian of your most treasured possession, your children. You will also declare who you want to be the executor or executrix of your will and this is the person who will administer your estate. You will name the person to be the guardian of your minor children. You can choose a trusted family member or trusted friend or you can choose a professional to administer your will and will be charged a professional fee for these services. Ask about the costs associated with professional administration— to determine if there is a fixed cost or a cost based on the total assets admin-
istered. If you die without a will—this is referred to as dying intestate, the province will administer your estate. The province will decide who is in charge of your accumulation of assets and apply intestate guidelines of how your assets will be divided. You do not have a say in this intestate process because you are no longer alive and you missed the opportunity to make a Will when you were alive. The government provides the guidelines and the extra legal and accounting costs will come out of your estate value. Organizing your financial affairs means taking care of your affairs before you are gone. If you think it is difficult to get started on your estate plan now, it will be increasingly difficult and more expensive for someone else to do your estate plan for you after you are gone. The reality is we
can’t live forever and we cannot determine what day will be our last day of life. You have worked all your life and accumulated assets. Ensure your heirs will get the most out of the assets you have accumulated. The biggest challenge may be to get started. Then step by step you will achieve your goal of organizing your affairs. During your lifetime you can gift personal or monetary assets to family, friends or to a charity. You can take advantage of naming beneficiaries on insurance investments and GICs outside of your will to bypass probate and avoid a long and costly delay of probate. Doreen Smith is a Certified Financial Planner with Capri Wealth Management Inc. and Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. 250-869-3825 dsmith@capri.ca
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