Certified Senior Planner, Kris Miller's 5 P's to Peace in the Golden Years
Did you know that 50% of the people who enter a nursing home will use their entire life savings within six months? Longevity is a wonderful thing, but preparing for a peaceful existence during that long life requires planning now while the 'waters are calm". The Senior Life Coach, Kris Miller has a Top 5 list to peace in the golden years.
Nashville, TN (PRWEB) April 3, 2007
Most people think that just having a will protects their wishes and their families in a time of loss. Who looks after a person's wishes if they are alive, yet unable to make decisions regarding their own health? Nearly half of everyone over the age of 65 will need some type of long-term care, and some 50% of people entering nursing homes deplete their life savings in only six short months.
Kris Miller, The Senior Life Coach, spends her life sharing simple easy-to-implement ways to protect ones assets and family through Living Trusts and smart planning. She has found a cost-effective way to plan for the future, while taking the worry and expense out of the equation.
These are "The Five P's to Peace in the Golden Years":
1. Prepare
2. Preserve
3. Protect
4. Proceed
5. Pray
Prepare
Finding peace begins in finding simplicity. Estate planning and long-term care decisions have been made so confusing to the every day ordinary person, that most people spend more time worrying about life than enjoying it. The first step toward peace in the golden years is in the preparation. Did you know that if you have assets and/or equity in real estate, your estate may need a Living Trust to avoid probate? When one has a Living Trust, there are no 'middle men' taking money out of the estate before the family or charity for which it was intended. The estate goes directly from the life-long earner to the people they choose. Remember, a good Comprehensive Estate Plan should include Powers of Attorney for financial and health needs to protect a person while living.
Prepare now! Preparation is always best when the sea is calm.
Preserve
Nearly half of everyone over the age of 65 will need some type of long-term care, and 50% of people entering nursing homes will deplete their entire life savings within six months. Medicare and HMOs do not cover long-term care. The average cost of a nursing home is between $40,000 and $80,000 a year. This is only the base fee for care and boarding. This does not include doctors, drugs, or therapy. Preservation of one's estate begins by simple planning. The first way to preserve an estate is by paying less in taxes through good record keeping, sound tax advice, and preparation. The second way to preserve an estate is a good long-term care policy. Seek expert advice on how to reduce and eliminate taxes on Social Security with "Depression-Proof" safety.
Preservation begins with a good education. Knowledge is power!
Protect
A person could end up with a Medicaid claim on their home if they receive Medicaid after the age of 55 and leave property in their estate when they die and a Living Trust, joint tenancy, or tenancy in common does NOT protect a person's home from an estate claim. A person has the right to transfer their home to anyone, if the home is exempt at the time of transfer. Here's where "protect" springs into action! The home is exempt if "yes" was marked on the Medicaid application indicating that the person applying intends to return home. Take precautions however, because recovery still may be possible after deathe, depending on state laws.
Assuming one is protected is assuring one is not. Learn the rules by seeking a knowledgeable teacher.
Proceed
The time is now. Waiting until one is ready to move into assisted living or a nursing facility is too late. Strokes, aneurysm, cancer, automobile accidents, or an early onset of Alzheimer's can catch one ill prepared to deal with a mate or parent who is permanently disabled physically or mentally. If everyone is healthy, happy, and has a full vibrant life, then NOW is the time to proceed with planning for the future so that financial stress is not added to unexpected trauma. Seek a certified senior planner in who can assist in helping fill out necessary forms with guidance in the best ways to protect loved ones and lifestyle. This is also very important for those who do not have loved ones to protect or provide for. What this really means, is there is no one to protect the assets of the person in need. Single men and women without children who are middle-aged need to prepare for their future because there is no one else to step in when they are unable to care for thelmselves.
The time is now to prepare for tomorrow. The foolish believe that good health and great wealth are infinite resources.
Pray
It is a long proven theory that people, who depend on Spiritual Guidance and faith, find peace in life's troubled seas. Seeking a Power other than our own, helps us mentally prepare for the worst while expecting the best. Dr. Harold Koenig of Duke University completed a study in the early '90s that he believes showed that "belief in God helped fight off depression and anxiety." College students who participate in religious activities are more likely to have better emotional and mental health than students with no religious involvement, according to a national study of students at 46 wide-ranging colleges and universities. Faith and spirituality guide the lives of three out of four American adults, according to a new report by the Gallup Organization and the University of Pennsylvania. The initial findings indicate that, in the face of war with Iraq, threats of terrorism at home and an economic recession, the spiritual state of the union is strong. High school seniors who consider themselves religious have significantly higher self-esteem and hold more positive attitudes about life than do their less religious peers, a new study shows. Study after study shows the positive affect spirituality has on people. Previous research has shown that spirituality can give us hope, is a powerful antidepressant, and can help cure illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. Now researchers have shown that spirituality and the practice of religion may help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease as well. The research behind this finding was presented at the American Academy of Neurology 57th Annual Meeting in Miami Beach, Fla. (April 9 - 16, 2005). The study assessed 68 people aged 49 to 94 who met criteria for probable Alzheimer's disease. Religiosity and spirituality were measured with the validated Duke University Religion Index and the Overall Self-Ranking subscale from the NIH/Fetzer Brief Multidimensional Measure of Religiousness / Spirituality. These methods collected information on the patients' practices such as attendance at religious events and private religious activities.
"We learned that the patients with higher levels of spirituality or higher levels of religiosity may have a significantly slower progression of cognitive decline," said study author Yakir Kaufman, MD, who conducted the research as a fellow at of the Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care in Toronto, Ontario.
"Spirituality and religiosity have been linked to better health outcomes," said Kaufman.
It is very simple. When all the technical aspects of preparation, preservation, protection, and proceeding with a goal of security and peace in the golden years are underway, it is prayer, meditation, or even a slowing down of the mental zoo that helps us contemplate joy and the Divine Creator. It is in that prayerful place, peace finds us.
In a world where anything can happen, radical dependence on spiritual faith can help us WALK ON WATER!
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