I had lunch with my friend, Libby Crom, last week at Cristo’s. it is one of her favorite places. During our conversation and laughter about the latest movie we saw, we started speaking in earnest of some of the things her clients face. Libby provides services and solutions to help older members of our community with fiduciary services (court approved trusts, conservatorships, etc.), financial management, estate planning options and living and care issues. Her firm, Heritage Fiduciary & Asset Mgmt, LLC, often sees clients when they are distressed and confused. A little bit of planning and knowledge can help prepare families.
I found a good article that can help families prepare that I wanted to share with you. It’s a plan for peace of mind.
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
When it comes to tips for the elderly on how to prevent loneliness, getting a pet is a great step to take. Loneliness is one of the biggest challenges people face as they age, especially if they live alone. Having a pet helps alleviate this problem because pets provide companionship and unconditional love and affection. Caring for a pet also provides health benefits as well. Time spent with a pet can lower blood pressure, and help improve memory and cognition.
However, these benefits also come with significant responsibilities. Part of caring for seniors is also helping them tend to their pets. That’s why it is important to select a pet that requires a level of care that does not exceed the abilities of the caregiver or the senior citizen. Cats and dogs make great companions, but they also require more care and attention than birds or fish. When choosing a pet that requires a significant amount of care, like cats and dogs, make sure someone is readily available to help with feeding, exercising, grooming, and cleaning up after the pet on a routine basis. Choose a pet with an appropriate energy level – puppies and kittens tend to be very energetic and excitable – sometimes it is better to adopt an older animal that is not overly rambunctious.
No matter what type of pet you choose, it will provide the opportunity to give and receive love and attention, which is something that everyone needs in their lives.
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
According to national color expert Kate Smith, people have conflicting emotions regarding their homes during these economically challenging times. Homeowners want to embrace their need for change and feel positive about their living space by purchasing new products, while being financially and environmentally responsible.
House Color Trends
Smith, president of Sensational Color, says there are some distinct trends emerging that will guide homeowners during the next several years. “People naturally seek newness of colors, products and other items for their home,” says Smith. “However, this is now being balanced by our concern with greater issues. Many of us are willing to tame our desire for newness and change in order to make decisions that have a positive impact on the greater good of the environment and our global community.” Homeowners are seeking out better quality products with longer life spans. “People are educating themselves more these days on the impact a single purchase will have on themselves and on the environment,” says Smith. “For example, a
Wood Single Roof
homeowner may desire real wood shake shingles on a roof, but they understand the lifespan of those roofing shingles is extremely limited. They’re thinking twice about how many trees would need to be harvested to make those wood shingles. “Instead, that same homeowner is more likely to lean toward selecting a polymer shake roofing tile. These tiles are man-made and require minimal long-term maintenance. This becomes a ‘win-win’ choice for the conscientious homeowner.”
Some current trends:
Living Simply in a Complex World – This trend relates to people moving away from the old question of “what more do we want?” to the question of “would life be better with less?” The desire for a more streamlined life motivates people to select modern technology, products and materials that make our complex lives easier.
Give Me More “Me Time” – Younger buyers, who once would not be bothered by a home that was anything but brand new, are now changing their home buying strategies. These individuals are embracing older homes that they can personalize by adding newer products that require minimal maintenance. These Internet savvy people are relying on researching the best product options online for their homes. They’re looking for products that help blend the older bones of a home with their modern sensibilities in order to provide a sense of connection to history and their community.
Rules are Made to be Broken – Today’s homeowners are making their own rules. In the coming years, look for unusual mixing of materials and colors in ways communities haven’t previously seen. Homeowners want their homes to reflect their personalities, but they also want to express themselves on the exterior of the home. Look for attention-getting colors on front doors, a not-so-expected color on window frames and unique blends of color on the roof in the coming years as homeowners put their personal stamp on their homes.
Naturally Inspired and Improved – Colors and materials that harmonize with the natural surroundings of a home are increasingly important to homeowners. Homeowners are basing their purchasing decisions on their increased understanding that the manufactured products they select will have a longer life span, thus reducing the need for replacement.
Inside Out Harmony – Regional colors and materials on a home exterior help anchor people to their community. In many cases, homeowners are bringing the outside indoors by adding plant walls, gardens and water features into the home. On the exterior, they’re adding fire pit areas, and outdoor living and dining room spaces that blur the boundaries of living both inside and outside the home.
For more information on Kate and color, check out her blog.
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
MADELINE PHILIPS’S life has gone through many aesthetic phases. In the 1950′s, there was the matching monogrammed bath-towel phase (a must). In the 60′s, it was the olive-green phase, in which she swaddled the living room and dining rooms entirely in olive-green, including the piano (which she painted). But no phase, past or present, could have prepared her for the next one: the 11-by-18 phase.
Sometime in the next few months, Mrs. Philips, an 80-year-old widow, will leave the three-bedroom house here in which she has lived for 14 years to move closer to two of her three children, who live in Oakland. Like so many others making similar transitions, she will be leaving a place ample enough to house Aunt Thelma’s wing-back chairs and Grandma Fanny’s marble-topped walnut bureau into a stark, rather frightening rectangle about the size of her current kitchen.
She will have to ”de-thing” herself, in the words of Muriel Seligman, 78, who went through a similar process two years ago when she moved to Claremont House, Mrs. Philips’s home-to-be in Oakland.
”I’m sentimental about it, but I have to make this change,” Mrs. Philips, said the other day, sitting in her kitchen, where spices, nails and picture hooks were organized in plastic bins. ”I know you have to let go. So I’m going to have to say goodbye to some things.”
The decision to move has been gradual. She came to her current home in the suburbs after her second husband, Sol, an engineer, died in 1981. Driving has become increasingly difficult; four years ago, she totaled her car after mistaking the brake for the accelerator. She has survived colon cancer, three hip operations and surgery on her right hand, which has meant giving up her beloved pastimes, playing the piano and making stained glass.
Two years ago, she contemplated moving but lost her nerve. She wasn’t ready, and it felt profoundly depressing to her, her son, Avi, said. It felt like circumstances propelling her rather than a full and free choice.
But imperceptibly at first, her feelings changed. In part, it was watching the panic that ensued after her first husband, Julius Rose, her children’s father, whom she divorced in 1963, got sick suddenly and had to be moved in a rush three times. (He died last spring.) ”You give gifts to your children,” she said of her move. ”This will make it easier for them.”
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
Investors who want to acquire and rent out real-estate owned properties from the Federal Housing Finance Agency can begin pre-qualifying for participation in the bulk REO rental program. The FHFA set off a firestorm of discussion in 2011 when it announced an REO-bulk sales initiative that aims to repair the hardest-hit housing markets by selling off bulk assets to investors who have the ability to turn those properties into rentals. The FHFA, as conservator for the government-sponsored enterprises, says …
A great step toward increasing private investment in foreclosed properties to help stabilize communities
The best advise I can provide to mature householders who are planning to downsize is to get your kids to clear our their own stuff, treasures and rubbish long before you begin to think about downsizing.
Go through everything in your home and ask yourself – is this part of my new life? Do I really love it? Will it be useful in the new home? Do I really need it any more?
Be ruthless – you won’t have time in your new active lifestyle to be decluttering, cleaning, and dealing with the past – you will be enjoying the present and planning for the future.
Don’t try to do the decluttering, sorting and moving all at once – this will be very stressful, and the whole idea of downsizing is to reduce stress. Take it one room at a time, and have the decluttering and sorting done way before you start collecting moving boxes! Get your children involved – pass on heirlooms to them or items you really love, but know won’t fit in your new home. It’s hard to let go of sentimental items, but if they stay in the family it reduces the stress. Identify those items you want certain family members to have and consider what items you are willing to bequest now.
Remember, you may get more pleasure out of seeing your granddaughter enjoy your china at the next family event than knowing she’ll have it after you’re gone. Important – don’t burden your children with stuff if they don’t want; you don’t want to clutter up make their homes in the process.
Have the kids remove their stuff: Don’t hesitate to tell the adult children it’s time to collect their childhood belongings and store their own mementos. Give them a deadline that works with your schedule and warn them that anything left over will be donated to charity. You may be surprised at how much they decide not to store themselves.
Always measure your new home to see what will fit. Going from a 4-bedroom family home with lots of big furniture is not going to work in a retirement village where space is at a premium.
Consider selling or donating your furniture and look are purchasing more suitable items – remember you’re starting a new phase of your life, so why bring in items from your old life if they don’t fit the bill?
Consider how much time you’ll be spending in the space, or what new routines or activities you’ll be doing. Are you going to be having new friends around for card games in your new home or will you be spending more time in the common recreation room with others?
You are off to a new adventure, so enjoy it!
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
The Huffington Post Alexander Eichler First Posted: 10/24/11 01:35 PM ET Updated: 10/24/11 07:17 PM ET President Obama and White House officials announced a major change to a national home-refinancing plan Monday, in an effort to stimulate the economy and rescue as many as one million homeowners from foreclosure. The proposal, an update to the Home Affordable Refinancing Program, is the latest in a long series of White House efforts to rehabilitate the housing market, which has been struggling to shake …
In this video “Opening the Lines of Communication,” Mary Alexander from Home Instead Senior Care offers more tips for effective communication with seniors — starting with when and how to begin the dialog. A good rule of thumb is to start talking while your aging parents are fairly healthy, and there are no apparent concerns. Home Instead recommends following the 40-70 Rule of parent-child communication, which is explained here.
Chris Stewart, SRES is a Real Estate Broker with Windermere Pacific West Properties in Salem, Oregon. One of her specialties is working with boomers and seniors over 55 who are downsizing, changing lifestyle, moving into retirement, or moving into assisted living. She is an active book club member and former Team Oregon Instructor.
Physician-assisted suicide is one of the most controversial yet important ethical issues related to Elder Law. It has been the topic of numerous attempted legislative acts, controversial court decisions, and heated debates held by people from all walks of life. According to the American Medical Association’s Code of Medical Ethics, physician-assisted suicide occurs when a physician facilitates a patient’s death by providing the necessary means and/or information to enable the patient to perform a …
The “life experience” of building your own home. Realize first, this is a huge, life-controlling undertaking. If you’re not actually constructing the house yourself, but acting as your own contractor, you must still be on the site daily. Daily. Everything that can go wrong — a wall in the wrong place, holes drilled into your beautiful new kitchen cabinets that do not fit the hardware you so painstakingly selected – will go wrong if you’re not there to question everything. Is that because …
