---

 

 

Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worst:  Documents and Lists

 

 

Rebecca’s dad calls himself a “Happy Pessimist” – he thinks ahead in an effort to be prepared if illness or another disaster strikes.  He has included his family in his planning process, so everyone is informed.  Gideon and Rebecca work with clients to do similar planning, but sometimes, in spite of all their work, there are occasional gaps.  Imagine being on a sailboat in the middle of the Long Island Sound and getting a call from a client requesting a list of her husband’s medicines.  This happened one summer to Rebecca as she was sailing to Martha’s Vineyard with her family.  For seniors, the potential for emergency illnesses and “in-home” or “falling-in-the-street” accidents are often greater, as they were with the husband of Rebecca’s client.  Since September is National Preparedness Month, we want to encourage happy pessimism in our readers, pushing you to think ahead for yourselves, your clients and your elderly relatives.  

 

In an emergency where the senior cannot handle financial and medical decisions, the following needs to be in place:

• Power of Attorney
  
• Health Care Proxy
  
• Signed Authorizations submitted to each health insurance company (Medicare, Secondary Insurance, Medicare D – Pharmacy Insurance) allowing family, friend, or other surrogates to speak on the senior’s behalf.  Call each insurance company while the senior is well and request a form to be filled out listing the senior’s choice of authorized people.  It is then signed by the senior and mailed back to the company.
  
• Everyone should be carrying emergency contact information and insurance cards with them, but seniors and younger people who have medical conditions should also carry a list of medicines, dosage, frequency of use and the prescribing doctor in their wallet.  An Excel spreadsheet formatted to be credit card size is perfect.
  
• Create a medical history – a list of all illnesses, past hospitalizations or operations, doctors, dates and locations.  This would also include a full-size version of the pharmaceuticals.

 

 

Hope for the Best and Prepare for the Worst:  Major Disasters

 

 

We remember vividly September 11^th 2001 as we approach the anniversary this week.  Meanwhile the destruction being wrought by Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike reminds us of Hurricane Katrina.  There are natural disasters, blackouts and acts of terrorism for which we list below the government’s preparedness resources.  On Monday we had the opportunity to hear a presentation by two representatives of the American Red Cross of Greater New York at our NY chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers.  They reinforced the need to “Get a Kit”, “Make a Plan” and “Be Informed”.  We will share here some of what we learned.

 

Home:

These are the things that should be in a home in addition to the documents cited above:

• Fire extinguisher
  
• Flashlights strategically placed around the home
  
• Phone that does not rely on electricity in case the power goes out
  
• Disaster Supply Kit with the following items to last at least 3 days
  
  • Water – at least one gallon per person per day
    
  • Food – non-perishable
    
  • One change of clothing and comfortable footwear and a blanket/sleeping bag per person
    
  • First Aid Kit
    
  • Battery-powered or crank radio and flashlight (and extra batteries)
    
  • An extra set of car and house keys
    
  • Sanitation supplies like toilet paper, toothbrush and soap
    
  • Special items for infants, the elderly or disabled persons
    
  • Extra pair of glasses and/or contact lenses and solution 

 

September is National Preparedness Month  

 

 

Prepare.  Plan.  Stay Informed.

 

The following ideas were extrapolated from Homeland Security’s Ready America at www.ready.gov :

 

1.  Choose an emergency contact person outside your area, as it may be easier to call long distance after a local/regional emergency.

 

2.  Commit a weekend to updating telephone numbers, buying emergency supplies and reviewing your emergency plan with everyone. 

 

3.  Choose a room at home to be a “safe room” that can be sealed up if necessary for up to 5 hours and have the necessary plastic and duct tape.

 

4.  Wherever you are - at home or in a public space - be aware of exit routes to be able to get out safely.

 

5.  Make a list of vets or veterinary hospitals in other cities where you might need to temporarily shelter your pet if evacuating the area.

 

Forms, Brochures and Videos from Ready America

 

Prepare.  Plan.  Stay Informed.

 

Emergency Kit list 

 

Emergency Kit Checklist Form to fill in

 

5-minute Movie for Older Americans  

 

Brochure For Older Americans

 

Checklist For Older Americans 

 

Checklist for People with Disabilities and Special Needs 

 

Family Emergency Plan Form to fill in 

 

Preparing Makes Sense.  Get Ready Now – checklist 

 

Ready Brochure 

 

American Red Cross in Greater New York – to take a quiz, for a calendar of special events and First Aid training, to purchase kits and other preparedness supplies

 

 

Upcoming Events

 

 

September 18th - Gideon will be a guest of Bernard A. Krooks, New York Elder Law Attorney and Special Needs Planning Attorney, on his radio show on AM WFAS 1230.  The show airs from 6:05 to 6:35 PM.

 

Please feel free to contact us.  We are happy to talk with you about how we can provide Life Keeping, Not Just Bookkeeping.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

    

• Seniors who need help in organizing and streamlining tasks such as expense and revenue tracking, bill paying, health insurance claims management, or providing regularly required information to accountants and lawyers.
• Seniors who may or may not have an estate plan in place, but need to catalog assets and personal effects and coordinate and track philanthropic activity.

To learn more about us, check out the May 2008 issue of Kiplinger’s Retirement Report.  It describes the services of daily money managers and quotes one of our clients.