Hilltowns Senior News for Thursday, October 6, 2016
Just click your heels three times, and say, “There’s no place like home.” That’s about the level of reality-testing and preparedness that too many of us use for our futures.Yeah, yeah, I know, we’re all going to live to be 103, fiercely independent, and taking care of ourselves until we suddenly die in our sleep. Any more fairy tales you’d like to hear?
A few of us may actually be that fortunate, but the rest of us will lose a little agility, a little hearing, a little clarity of sight. Some of us, regardless of good nutrition and exercise, may take a fall or two, and break a bone or three. A Colles fracture is what happens to your wrist when you put out your hands to break a fall.
Who do you trust? I mean really trust, like with your life. Like it or not, you’d better pick somebody or else people you’ve never met, and who don’t know you, will be making those decisions for you. Me, I trust all kinds of people, but almost nobody gets close enough to know what quality of life is acceptable to me, and when I want somebody to pull the plug.
There are a few relatively simple and easy things you can do to take care of this. If it turns out you don’t need it, fine! It’s like learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation; if you never use it, good, but if you do need it, you could save a life. In this case, it’s our own lives we save.
I looked into these questions, and called several elder-law attorneys to ask about it. One was in private practice in Delmar, and another was one of those big firms that does a lot of advertising about how much they care about people. I left messages, and identified myself, and only one firm got back to me: John Florsch, of Fowler, Doyle, Spiess & Florsch in Troy called me to arrange a time for us to talk.
I find this significant. It means that Fowler and company were the only ones interested in giving free advice to people who need it simply because they need it. I don’t know why the others didn’t respond; maybe they were too busy, or didn’t think the seniors who read an independent regional newspaper were important enough, or rich enough to bother with. Regardless, and especially after John Florsch took several hours of his valuable time to give me his expertise and advice, I know who I’m going to call.
John said that there are three critical documents you need to have in place: a Health-Care Directive, a “Living Will” (sometimes called an “Advance Care Directive”), and a Durable Power of Attorney.
You can combine the Health-Care Proxy and the Living Will with a HIPAA release, which lets you designate who may or may not have access to your health and coverage information (HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996).
What all of these do, in a legally valid format, is say what is acceptable to you in terms of healthcare procedures; who is allowed to act for you if you aren’t able to act for yourself; and, in the worst-case scenario, how your belongings, benefits, and assets should be parceled out.
My best friends have mine, and they know, among other things, that, if mentally I cease to be me, then I want out of this particular incarnation. I do not want some well-intentioned bumbling idiot deciding to keep me on life support for 12 years simply because I never told anyone in writing what I want. You decide for yourself where that line is.
Some related terms and documents you may have heard of include the “MOLST” and the “DNR.” MOLST is an acronym for Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment. It is a set of instructions and consent for end-of-life medical decision-making. If you are terminally ill, you decide where you want to die (for instance, at home or in a hospital), and what treatments should or should not be given to you.
This may include comfort measures (palliative care) only, as well as a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order, and the provision or prohibition of hospital care, feeding tubes, intravenous fluids, antibiotics, and other extreme measures. In New York State, you can get a copy of the MOLST from the state’s Department of Health (form DOH-5003).
A Durable Power of Attorney designates who may act on your behalf in legal matters, especially financial matters. Your spouse cannot sign for you, and your signature is not a substitute for your spouse’s except on a joint bank account. A Durable Power of Attorney does not normally cover life insurance or real estate.
If you do not give someone power of attorney, things can get long, expensive, and complicated. Someone will have to petition the State Supreme Court for an “ incapacity” decision. The court will appoint an attorney as your advocate, and another attorney as an evaluator. The evaluator will ask questions to determine your mental capability.
The court decides whether you are capable of making your own decisions. If it believes you are not capable of directing your own affairs, the court will appoint someone to act for you. At that point, the court decides who this person will be; you have no say in the matter.
It is never too late to take action, and to set things up the way you want them. According to Mr. Florsch, it is also never too late to protect your assets, regardless of how much or how little you may have. Next week, we will explore the fun and exciting world of financial savvy.
Coming up
On a lighter note (and almost anything would be lighter at this point), October is Feral Hog Month, Gay & Lesbian History Month, and German-American Heritage Month. The week of the ninth through 15th is Drink Local Wine Week, Fire Prevention Week, and Veterinary Technicians Week.
Clergy Appreciation Day is the ninth; National Handbag Day, National Kick Butt Day, and Native American Day is the 10th. The 11th is National Face Your Fears Day, National Food Truck Day, and Southern Food Heritage Day. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is also on the 11th. Columbus Day is Monday the 12th, as is National Take Your Parents To Lunch Day. The birthday of the US Navy is on the 13th. World Egg Dayis the 14th, and the next day is the International Day of Rural Women, and National Cheese Curd Day.
The Hilltown Seniors will gather on Oct. 8 at 10:30 a.m. at the Berne Community and Senior Center for their monthly meeting and a Halloween celebration.
An excursion to the Troy Farmers Market (yum!) is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 15, and you can use your SNAP coupons to purchase from the profusion of fresh and tasty items offered there for sale. The bus will leave the Berne Community and Senior Center at 9 a.m., and will stay until noon (or maybe longer). Call Chasity McGivern at 470- 9094, or email her at . There will also be a sign-up sheet at the senior center.
Saturday, Oct. 15 is also Senior Citizens Law Day at Albany Law School, 80 New Scotland Ave. in Albany from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be workshops on estate planning, Medicare and Medicaid, charitable giving, and protecting against scams. All sessions are free, and no registration is required.
The next shopping bus, to Walmart and Colonie Center, will be on Oct. 19. Call CDTA at 437-5161 two days in advance to arrange for pickup.
Sign up now at the senior center for the trip to the Festival of Nations on Sunday, Oct. 23. Bus leaves the senior center at 1 p.m. and will return by 5 p.m. Cost is a whopping $4. Contact Phyllis Johnson at 872-9370 for more info.
Menu
The lunchtime menu for next week at the Berne Community and Senior Services Center is ready. Swap tales with friends, and enjoy a lunch that you don’t have to cook. Doors open at 11 a.m., and lunch is served promptly at noon.
— Monday, Oct. 10, chicken with peach sauce, broccoli, roasted red potatoes, wheat bread, tapioca pudding, and milk;
— Tuesday, Oct. 11, chili con carne, spinach, corn bread, apple crisp, and milk; and
— Friday, Oct. 14, grilled muenster cheese sandwich on wheat, tomato soup, coleslaw, apple juice, brownie, and milk.
Please call Linda Hodges 24 hours in advance to 872-0940 to reserve lunch, or email her at: , or sign up when you come in. Tell us how many are coming, your name, and your telephone number. If you’d just like to come and help out, give Mary Moller a call at 861-6253, or email her at , and put “volunteer” in the subject line.
Lunches are provided by Helderberg Senior Services, the Albany County Department of Aging, and Senior Services of Albany. The Town of Berne Community and Senior Services Center is located at 1360 Helderberg Trail (Route 443) in Berne.