Life in declining years poses
unique situations and conditions to our lives. There arise unforeseen dangers
and unwarranted mishaps without any prior notice. Moreover, in senior years one
very naturally needs help and support from others. For these reasons planning
for your declining years after your retirement is of superlative importance.
Most of the time our senior loved
ones expect necessary help and support from their friends and family but there
are almost a quarter of seniors living in the US who are single, widowed and
childless, hence practically living alone without anybody to help. Another
significant portion of our senior loved ones are living far away from their
families due to various reasons hence they are also having to live alone.
For those seniors who have no one
to seek help in their senior years, planning for retirement is even more
crucial and has to be done with caution and urgency as long as they are able to
make the plans and the necessary actions done or delegated.
So, we from Comfort Keepers San Jose ans Silicon Valley have
these thoughts, ideas and guidelines to share with our senior loved ones who
are still in a position to make plans for themselves and are able to take care
of themselves; as soon the days may not remain the same as it is now!
Be Economic
Save money as much as you can for
your senior years and for your days after retirement. Although you do not have
friends and family to take care of you, you may be able to source help from
professional services. According to a 2013 report, an estimated $470 billion
dollars worth of senior care are currently rendered by family caregivers. So,
for the seniors who are alone, professional help is the only choice.
Organize Your Assets
Make a list of all of your assets,
bank accounts and other financial accounts like insurances, mortgages etc. and
save it for future. Document your financial details like account names, IDs,
passwords etc. Automate your financial distributions like paying bills and
other disbursements and save the necessary automation information for future
reference.
Prepare Your Financial Documents
Get in contact with a trusted
attorney and prepare your will and other financial documents like living trust,
health care proxy, or any other document that you may need as per the advice of
your financial consultant and accountants.
Choose a Health Care Surrogate
This is especially important for
seniors who are looking forward to living alone. You might be able to take
actions and plan for your life right now but in future, there may arise some
situations when your judgment and cognitive faculty may not work properly and
you will need a trusted individual to make crucial health care decisions for
you. So, find someone from your acquaintances and make him your health care
surrogate.
Be Socially and Communally Active
Staying socially and communally
active not only boosts your physical and mental health but also will help to
gather support in your senior years. Get involved in various social or
religious groups. Join volunteer groups and retirement communities. This way
you will have lots of people to get connected with who will be able to help you
in various ways after your retirement.
Select Retirement Community and Your Senior Care Provider
It is always a good idea to browse
all the options beforehand. Select one that best suits you among the best
retirement communities in your region and get connected with them. Or if you
want to age in your own home then you should do the same with senior home
health care service providers of your choice.
Create a List of Advisors and Keep their Contacts with You
Find all the expert advisors like
accountants, financial advisors, legal attorneys and medical emergency
professionals and make a list of them along with their contact details. This
way you will be able to get help right when you need and in times of emergency.
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