According
to the Pew Research Center in 2010: "On January 1, 2011, the oldest
Baby Boomers will turn 65. Every day for the next 19 years, about
10,000 more will cross that threshold."
Everyday
close to 10,000 Americans turn 65. That's a huge number.
If
you're lucky enough to have mom and dad still alive when you reach
age 65, their age range is way up there in years. In my case,
my step father died in December 2010 at age 85 from stage four
cancer. My mom is now 88 years old.
As
my mother and her husband began to slow down, my step-father being
in poor health with emphysema for 23 years, I had a serious and
solemn discussion with them about legal issues. My husband and
I had our wills done within weeks after getting married. At the
same time we did power of attorney's and medical power of attorney's.
While no one likes to think about their own death, they should
think about family left behind. The loss of a loved one is so
very difficult to deal with and if that person has left no legal
instructions, it can create a mess.
I
prepared the identical documents we have for mother and Dave,
just changing the names and so forth. They knew it was necessary
and so we got it done. Fast forward to now and I am thankful we
did because two years ago I had to take over my mom's financial
affairs. Without going into great detail, somehow mother and Dave
got themselves into considerable debt. Mother's house and property
is underwater and will never sell for what is owed. Until a couple
of years ago, I had no idea what was going on with mother's finances.
She just came out while I was visiting and told me she needed
help. I almost cried.
When
your parents are elderly they can have a lot of medical problems
besides just "old age". My mother is one of them. She also now
only operates in real time. Anything said five minutes ago she
doesn't remember, but her memory for events 50 years ago is phenomenal.
From doing research that seems to be quite 'normal'.
Mother
does not have Alzheimers; she has advanced short term memory loss
which has accelerated over the past 2-3 years. Extreme patience
is required listening to her repeat herself over and over in a
short conversation. The same kind of patience I have no doubt
mother exercised when I was a little kid getting into trouble.
My mom is a very intelligent woman; 100% Sicilian stubborn. It's
difficult for her, but she manages for the most part - for now.
My
brother is disabled, but is able to drive to the grocery store
with mother and take care of the few errands they each have, but
it's not easy. After my stepfather's death I told mother she's
more than welcome to come live with us, but she said no. She's
going to be buried next to my step-father and that's that; they
were married 54 years. That was five years ago and I let it ride
as she was grieving. Thankfully, a long time ago they purchased
and paid for their plots in the local cemetery.
My
mother still lives alone, does her laundry, cooks okay. She's
all stooped over, uses a walker, her hands shake like leaves in
the wind. Fiercely independent. Mother knows, as do elderly seniors
like her, she has problems - especially with her memory. Inside
they are afraid even though they will never admit it. Think
how lonely it is for them - especially for a widow or widower.
Aound
the same time I gently 'forced' mother into not driving any more
because she is a danger to herself and anyone on the road. Every
once in a while on the phone (she lives in California, I live
in W. Texas) or even when I'm out there visiting, she'll take
jabs at me about driving. I let her and change the subject because
I know she's just venting her frustration and in five minutes
she won't remember anyway.
Millions
of others like my mother in this country have made no provision
for late in life care. Like millions of baby boomers living on
small fixed pensions and social security.
For
now, mother remains in her house but is going to have to go into
assisted living. A very, very difficult war when the parent doesn't
want to leave their home. For the children, it becomes a night
mare. Lots of talking trying to get the parent to understand why
they have to move after living in the same house for 32 years
because they don't want to be reminded the clock is ticking. Believe
me, it's very painful watching my momma slide downhill. Each time
I leave California after a visit I wonder if I will see her again.
Then
you have to nose into your parents finances which makes them feel
violated and to an extent taking away their dignity. Next comes
the sticker shock.
For
the past two decades since destructive trade treaties destroyed
millions and millions of steady, good paying jobs, families began
moving away from small to medium sized towns to big cities to
find work. Distance makes it all the more difficult to see parents
on a regular basis and check up to make sure they're doing okay.
Things you just can't 'sniff out' over the phone.
My
situation isn't much different than millions of others with an
aging parent. Being four states away makes it even more difficult.
In the "old days", an elderly parent or both, lived close to the
kids who took care of them until the Lord called them home. Not
so easy these days.
Earlier
this year I started looking at assisted living and found out there's
more than one type: Alzheimers and then for people like my mother.
Some are fairly inexpensive because they're non-profit with funding
from the county and state. I can't recommend highly enough, A
Place for Mom. Their services are fantastic and there is no
charge. Their wonderful representatives help you with things like
facilities to financing. In too many cases, elderly seniors have
little to nothing anymore in savings and rely on Social Security.
In some cases, your family member may qualify for state subsidy,
but it's difficult to qualify.
After
doing a ton of research in addition to information provided by
A Place for Mom, next was to go to California and personally to
check out all the facilities because there's no one else to do
it and I am the one with her power of attorney.
Not
all assisted living facilities are alike. Out of nine I looked
at in her town, six were run down and inside was so depressing.
I think those were really for the poor souls with no family and
no money so their stay is paid for by the state and probably some
federal money.
The
remaining three were outstanding. All of them have strict security
because besides residents like my mother, they also have Alzheimers
patients who are known to wander off and in some tragic cases,
die before they are found. All the units are like small apartments;
no cooking for obvious reasons, but they did have microwaves.
Three highly nutritional meals a day, activities and day trips
which are supervised. Shuttle service to and from your doctor,
the hospital and grocery store. Cost per month: $3,010.00, $3,200.00
and $3,550.00. Those are for single occupant; husband and
wife add another $500 per month.
Yep.
More than $36,000 a year. That is far over what my mother will
have available, so now I'm looking at places within a 50-mile
radius of her town which is a small lake resort town. A county
plagued by poverty and drugs. Just think of the cost if you live
in a major urban city where the cost of living is through the
roof.
How
about your parents? What will you do when it gets to the point
one or the other or both can no longer live on their own? You
not only have to deal with the heartbreak of watching your mom
or dad or both deteriorate mentally and physically, what if they
don't have enough money to live in a decent assisted facility?
Can you alone or with siblings put up the extra hundreds of dollars
a month so mom and dad can live someplace decent?
Do
your parents have wills? Who will speak for them when they can
no longer handle things because their minds are going? How about
a medical power of attorney and a power of attorney to deal with
any legal issues?
If
my mom has a medical emergency or becomes completely unable to
make a medical decision, the hospital has the medical power of
attorney on file and they will call me before any decisions are
made. I will speak for my mom, for what she wants. The same as
John and I have done so our kids and families don't have a big
mess thrown in their laps should something happen.
These
types of legal documents should not be put off because there's
something else that needs to get done over the weekend. While
it's no fun, really, for everyone's sake, I hope you will take
the time.
How
about a catastrophic situation like my husband? John is 100% disabled
and became an amputee (left leg mid-thigh) March 24, 2014. On
top of a bad heart and advanced lung disease, he's confined to
a wheel chair full time; he turned 75 last month. Eventually he
will have to go into assisted living because he won't be able
to physically do certain things I cannot do because he's 6'3"
while I'm 5'3". He's too tall and too heavy for me to lift or
carry.
In
my research, I found it pretty consistent that a person should
save 7% of their income for future assisted living costs. One
can also purchase insurance for this type of later in life financial
obligation. How many of us give a thought to this in our 20s,
40s or even 50s? 7% of your income a year is pretty steep, but
then when I started looking at assisted living for mother, it
was like a bucket of cold water in the face.
How
about you? Maybe you're 50 so 65 still seems a long way off. Believe
me, it'll be here before you know it. Do you have enough money
for assisted living for yourself and your wife if it won't be
possible for you to move in with your children? Have you saved
enough money for later in life expenses like assisted living?
Do
your children have the financial means to supplement the costs
of your assisted living? I know from my research it is humiliating
for elderly parents who end up with little money after retirement
to have their children literally pay for the roof over their head.
It's just a terrible situation, but aging is part of life. We
know what's been going on with the economy for years that's hurt
seniors badly since 2008. So many are still working into their
70s because they can't afford to retire.
Tens
of millions of Americans are one paycheck from financial ruin.
One third of adult Americans, 72 MILLION have no emergency savings
if they lose their job or a crisis. A whopping 47% only have enough
savings to cover expenses for 90 days and then they're broke.
Chilling numbers.
Who
is going to pay for their care? I'll give you one example. A married
couple. Son decided to push off the cost of his mother's care
onto the taxpayers of the state the mother lived in; the couple
lives in a different state. While both were working, they didn't
want their lifestyle disturbed by taking in the mother who eventually
developed Alzheimers. The mother simply became a ward of the state
until she passed away. I thought how very sad.
Sometimes
it's just not possible for an adult child to care for the parent.
Someone I know was taking care of her 90 year old mother while
she was getting older and in poor health. The day came when she
could no longer get her mom to the toilet and so forth because
she was just to frail. There was no money so that mother became
a ward of the state living in one of the run down assisted living
places like the ones I visited. This is one of the reasons Medicaid
at the state level has ballooned - Americans who have not planned
for later in life care.
With
millions of young adults forced to live with their parents due
to the economy, the financial burden to the parents means less
they have to put aside for their own later in life care. With
increasingly longer life spans for folks, a person who has to
go into assisted living could mean they are there 10 or 15 years.
The cost becomes astronomical. How will you pay for it?
We're
all pressed for time, but time is the one thing that doesn't stand
still and since no one escapes this life alive, isn't it better
to take care of legal documents before it becomes a legal issue?
Tragedy can happen in a split second.
May
I offer a few tips?
Sit
down with your parents or if you're approaching your 60s then
your spouse and discuss worst case scenario and what will you
all do if assisted living is the only alternative?
Sit
down with your children and talk with them about any medical treatment
you might need. Who is going to be your legal advocate say you
have a heart attack and are no longer married or whatever the
situation is?
Let
me give you another real life example I've never forgotten. Decades
ago when my daughter was in 4H, she and my older sister used to
show the rabbits with the big long ears at fairs. One particular
Saturday Brandy and my sister were headed about an hour and a
half away to the fair grounds. They were going to call me when
they got there. I didn't hear from them for hours and began to
get very worried. Finally my sister called; no cell phones back
then. They had to cross the Carquinez Bridge from the Martinez
(California) area over the big river to catch the freeway on the
other side. An eighteen wheeler jumped the center concrete dividers
and hit a car head on. Traffic was a monstrous mess.
I
read in the paper the next day a middle aged couple was going
from Benecia across the bridge to look for a new car in the Martinez
area. And, just like that, a husband and wife, a mom and dad,
sister, brother, were dead. Burned to death in their vehicle.
Did they have their wills done? I don't know, but likely not because
folks just don't think it's going to be needed until they hit
some ripe "old age".
If
you hold a medical power of attorney for a family member, wife,
parent or even a grand parent (notarized with witnesses), make
sure you provide a copy to their doctor and the closest hospital
or one you think they would likely be admitted. That way if something
does happen, the hospital cannot make any legal decisions about
their care until they notify you - unless it's something like
a heart stops beating then it becomes life or death in minutes.
When
my husband was transported via ambulance to the house of horrors
medical center in another town because of a badly infected leg,
I drove the two hours and first thing gave the medical power of
attorney to the primary doctor. When I had him transported to
Presbyterian/St. Luke's Limb Preservation Center in Denver at
our expense (Medicare said the treatment was fine at that hospital.
It was not.) I faxed the medial power of attorney to Denver. Unforutnately,
in order to save his life they had to amputate the leg. Giving
the go-ahead was one of the most difficult decisions I've ever
had to make in my life.
John's
primary care doctor 20 miles from our home has a copy of the medical
power of attorney as does the hospital even though they're in
the same building. When he had unscheduled surgery in August 2014
at a different hospital, I got to hospital with a copy of the
medical power of attorney and went straight to the doctor who
was going to do the surgery. That way there would be no misunderstanding
about who would speak for John since he was so doped up.
If
you are the executor as I am for John, my mother and my disabled
brother, keep the original documents in a safe, only send copies.
When you take over the financial part of living for a parent you'll
have to send a copy of the power of attorney to credit card companies
and any other debtors so they know not to hound your loved one
if making payments for obligations becomes a problem.
Americans
are broke and getting poorer all the time - even though they work
very hard. But, these real life serious issues do need to be addressed
and sooner rather than later. The earlier a person begins setting
aside money each month or purchasing later in life insurance the
easier it will be when the time comes.
You
might find these of interest or helpful:
20
Facts About Senior Isolation That Will Stun You
The
Sandwich Generation - Rising Financial Burdens for Middle-Aged
Americans
Baby
Boomers Approach 65 Glumly
Here
are a few free resources on line to help you. Our legal documents
were done by military JAG lawyers. It you can afford it, a good
idea to at least have an attorney review your documents before
you have them notarized.
•
Power
of Attorney - long form
• Power
of Attorney
• Medical
Power of Attorney
• Medical
Power of Attorney - additional legal site
• Wills
One
more tip because this costs seniors thousand of dollars because
they don't know what happens when hospitals want to classify you
as "Under Observation" instead of an inpatient:
Why
Being Classified Under "Observation" While in a Hospital Means
Seniors Pay Thousands More
[Just
a short note about 9/11. The cost of America's
undeclared "war" (invasion) in Afghanistan has now reached $1
trillion borrowed dollars - massive debt heaped on us all based
on what happened on 9/11. Regular readers of my column know I
continue to press for the truth about the events of 9/11. Military
grade nanothermite is not a conspiracy theory. It was found and
tested from the rubble at the twin towers. A new, powerful film
has been released: The
Anatomy of a Great Deception. For full disclosure I receive
no compensation, but I want you to get a copy (or a few) and share
it with others or give a copy as a present. I've purchased half
a dozen copies and given them to individuals I believe seek the
truth. It's very powerful simply because it's one 'ordinary' man's
story who ask a simple question that led him to a not so simple
journey. There is factual information in this film that many have
never heard about but everyone should. Just a
suggestion, order more than one and give one to a friend.]
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