Senior Resource Guide - 2018

Senior

Covington/Maple Valley Reporter

Friday, October 26, 2018

13

FALL 2018

RESOURCE GUIDE

Retirement Planning Should Include Your Future Home Aging is a funny thing. We act like it just sneaks up on us, all the while knowing its coming.

Right up there with financial retirement planning, needs to be your residential aging plan. You would think these two would go hand in hand however many folks don’t or won’t consider a residential plan as part of retirement planning.

Our ego gets in the way and we can’t imagine our potential vulnerability or loss of independence at some point in our lives. We convince ourselves that our current homes will suit us just fine in our 70’s and beyond. My dad’s one of those guy’s.

Part of his plan includes the famous “they’ll have to take me out of here feet first” clause. I’m encouraging him to consider a better plan.

Per Rodney Harrell, AARP’s housing expert, there are more than 100 million homes across the U.S.

yet only about 1 percent of them are conducive to aging in place without doing some type of remodeling to accommodate the aging process.

Meanwhile, 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day, and more than 80 percent of those 65 and older say they want to stay in their homes.

Many of the clients I meet, had every intention of aging in place until some unexpected life event stepped in, changed their plans and their homes couldn’t accommodate them any longer. To these folks, a move becomes urgent. All of a sudden a lot of decisions have to be made, 50 plus years of accumulated stuff has to go somewhere quickly, family gets pulled in all directions to help or worse, there is no one to assist at all.

I feel blessed every day to have the opportunity to help the overwhelmed, overcome the hurdles of downsizing and transitioning but I’m here to tell you the process does not have to be a Hail Mary in the 4th quarter. Make a residential aging plan, be realistic about home improvements if considering

aging in place.

If you are sitting on the fence between community living and aging in place, at least start downsizing now. Did you know a typical “DIY” homeowner downsizing project can take 6 months to 1 year to prepare for a move? Yep, so ask your adult kids to get their stuff out, start gifting things to friends, don’t get a storage unit and seek professional help if you are overwhelmed!

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Friday, October 26, 2018

Covington/Maple Valley Reporter

...senior resource guide Action Plan to Reduce Older Adult Falls

year, statewide action plan to reduce older adult falls – the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for adults ages 65 and older from 1999 to 2016.

“Falls are not a normal part of aging and most falls are preventable,” said Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “There are concrete actions folks can take to reduce risk for falls, and this action plan – which was led by and with communities and providers from across the state – offers some of the clearest guidance yet to help reduce falls-related hospitalizations and death.”

More than 870 Washingtonians died in 2016 due to falls-related injuries

Gov. Jay Inslee also recognized the importance of addressing older adult falls, as he proclaimied September 22 Falls Prevention Awareness Day. The action plan details the immense impact of falls in Washington and outlines strategies, desired outcomes and timelines for reducing falls.

By Kristen Maki, Strategic Communications Office www.doh.wa.gov

The plan highlights six strategic directions for reducing risk of older adult falls:

OLYMPIA – On September 21, 2018, the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Falls Prevention Coalition released a five-

1) Strong and effective community partnerships 2) Public awareness and education 3) Prevention across the continuum of care

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4) Expanded reach and access to evidence-based programs and community screenings

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5) Effective interventions for high-risk and underserved older adults 6) Improved safety in homes and communities

• Senior Calendar • Lunch Programs • Trips & Events • Games & Activities • Exercise • Health Care • Transportation • Meals On Wheels • Pet Food Pantry • AARP Smart Drive • Info & Referrals

Six workgroups – which will include members of the public – will carry out the plan in concert with the department and the coalition. Learn more about the workgroups and get involved.

For more information about the Senior Program, please call 425-432-1272.

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For people who do experience fall-related injuries, treatment at designated trauma rehabilitation facilities can improve daily function and mobility.

These facilities provide 24-hour access to physiatrists and specialists in care coordination, neuropsychological, psychiatry, physical therapy, social work and speech therapy.

The www.doh.wa.gov is your source for a healthy dose of information. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Sign-up for the DOH blog, Public Health Connection.

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Covington/Maple Valley Reporter

Friday, October 26, 2018

15

...senior resource guide Auburn Resident Helps Pass a New State Bill into Law “When it got past 50 votes, I couldn’t believe it. That’s how many we needed for it to pass, but then it kept going!” said Valentine.

By Brent Rawls, Wesley Lea Hill Auburn resident Fern Valentine led the drive to pass a Washington State bill allowing student journalists more freedom of press.

The bill passed 91 to 6.

“When the students are given more freedom to publish what they want, they begin to care more about it, encouraging them to take ownership of their own work,” said Valentine.

Earlier this year, Washington became the 14th state to adopt a bill that gives student journalists first amendment protections similar to professional journalists. The bill gives student editors control over their content, allowing them to publish what they want as long as it’s not libelous, illegal or disruptive to the educational process.

The former chair of the Washington Journalism Education Association, Valentine taught journalism at Auburn High School. She worked with the current the journalism adviser at the school to invite Senator

Joe Fain of Auburn to tour the school’s journalism program.

“The school’s journalism classes have worked under an open forum policy for many years, and I think the senator was impressed by the professionalism and autonomy of the students,” said Valentine.

The senator supported the bill

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and helped get it through the 2017 fall session of the Senate with near unanimous support. The bill moved on to the House committee, and Valentine encouraged people to write their House representatives to support it.

In March 2018, Valentine and other observers tuned in to watch the House votes tally in real time.

With excitement, Valentine noted, “It’s wonderful seeing the children supported in something they care about; it’s always been my passion.”

At this time, Washington State schools are required to adopt new policies based on the bill. For more information visit wjea.org.

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While this wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and dedication of supporters, Valentine has been crucial to this endeavor since 1992 when she first worked on the bill. Previous versions of the bill did not make it through the House committee.

She believes, with this bill, students will acquire more vocational experience and learn what it’s like to work in the journalism field– publishing content responsibly and working within a budget to meet deadlines. This, Valentine said, would enable students to produce more meaningful work that they care about.

16

Friday, October 26, 2018

Covington/Maple Valley Reporter

...senior resource guide Make Your Life Insurance Work for You

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(Family Features) Life insurance is a valuable asset, but over time you may find that your life insurance no longer fits your situation. You might be surprised to learn that in addition to your home, stocks, bonds and antiques, your life insurance is another asset you can sell.

Life insurance policies can be converted to immediate cash through a life settlement, but as many as 85 percent of seniors don’t realize this option is available, according to a survey conducted by Coventry Direct.

A life settlement is a financial transaction in which a policyowner sells an unneeded life insurance policy for more than they would have received from the insurance company if they were to lapse or surrender the policy. Most life insurance policy types qualify, including universal life, whole life, variable life, survivorship and even term life policies.

Among the reasons you might consider a life settlement: • Your life insurance policy is too expensive to maintain. If your premium payments have continued to increase, your policy may no longer be affordable.

However, simply allowing the policy to lapse results in a total loss of the premiums you have paid.

• You have more life insurance than you currently need. As your circumstances and need for financial protection change, you may want to reduce the overall insurance you own. For example, if your policy was

intended to pay off your mortgage in the event of your death, but you’ve since sold the home or paid off your mortgage, you may not need the same amount of coverage.

• You need help with increasing medical or long-term care expenses. Selling your policy can help cover your immediate needs for health care or other unforeseen medical expenses.

• Increasing your retirement funds will increase your peace of mind. The proceeds from the sale of your policy can help boost your savings and supplement your retirement income.

• Your debt load exceeds your comfort level. Whether a single emergency incident or a combination of variables compounded your debt, working your way out can be emotionally and mentally draining, but applying untapped assets to reduce the burden may help.

For example, one policyowner no longer had a need for several life insurance policies totaling $500,000. The life insurance company would only pay him the cash surrender value of $28,500. Instead, he contacted Coventry Direct and was able to sell the policies for $110,000, which he used to supplement his retirement and plan a family vacation.

Learn more about life settlements and whether selling your life insurance policy is right for you by calling 888-858-9344 or visiting coventrydirect.com/lifesettlements.

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