Maximizing Your “Older Driver Potential”
We all want to maintain our ability to go where we want, when we want, especiallyas we grow older and enjoy more leisure time. Self-awareness is the key. People who can accurately assess their fitness to drive can adjust their driving habits, and stay safe on the road. With smart selfmanagement, you can retain the independence that comes with driving, while limiting the risksto yourself and others.
What To Do
• Be aware of your physical limitations and how they may affect your driving.
• Listen to the advice from those who know you best and care about you.
• Discuss driving with your doctor – he or she can evaluate whether any medication you may be taking will affect your driving.
• Refresh your knowledge of safe driving practices and learn about new traffic control and roadway design features through a defensive driving class.
• Plan your route. Drive where you are familiar with the road conditions and traffic patterns.
• Drive during the day and avoid rush hours. Find alternate routes with less traffic.
• Choose a car with an automatic transmission, power steering and power brakes. If you have a physical condition that limits your mobility, see an occupational therapist or a certified driver rehabilitation specialist to obtain special equipment to make it easier for you to steer and operate the foot pedals.
• Make sure you always wear your glasses and that they are a current prescription.
• If you lose or break your glasses, don’t rely on an old pair; replace them right away with your newest prescription. Avoid eyewear with sidepieces that may block your vision.
• See an eye doctor every year to check for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and other conditions.
• Begin planning for alternate ways of meeting your transportation needs. Learn about transportation options in your community, and then try them out to see which work best for you.
Source: www.michigan.gov/documents
A little lawyer humor….
An engineer dies and reports to the Pearly Gates. Saint Peter checks his dossier and, not seeing his name there, accidentally sends him to Hell. It doesn’t take long before the engineer becomes rather dissatisfied with the level of comfort in Hell. He soon begins to design and build improvements.
Shortly thereafter, Hell has air conditioning, flush toilets and escalators. Needless to say, the engineer is a pretty popular guy. One day, God calls Satan and says with a sneer, “So, how are things in Hell?” Satan replies, “Hey, things are going great. We’ve got air conditioning, flush toilets, and escalators; and there’s no telling what this engineer is going to come up with next!”
“What!” God exclaims, You’ve got an engineer? That’s a mistake, he should never have been sent to Hell. Send him to me.” “Not a chance”, Satan replies, “I like having an engineer on the staff, and I’m keeping him!”
God insists,”Send him back or I’ll sue!” Satan laughs uproariously and answers, “Yeah, right. And where are you going to get a lawyer?
Single Again
You find yourself single again – perhaps through a divorce or the death of your spouse. This is a difficult time emotionally. You may be weary of court proceedings and legal matters – however, you must give attention to estate planning matters.
Your single status affects:
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Your real estate. You now own your property alone. There are inheritance issues which much be addressed – you no longer have the protection of joint with the right of survivorship.
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Your will. If you have an existing Will, it needs to be changed. This is especially true if you are divorced. You will now need to specify new primary beneficiaries of your estate and name new personal representatives. If you never had a Will, it is particularly important to establish one now – there is no joint ownership now. Who will be your heirs?
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Your trust . As with your Will, you must change your trust after a divorce to reflect your single status and specify beneficiaries and successor trustee(s). If you are recently widowed, you need to sit down examine what the status of all provisions in the trust are, which need to be changed, which can be changed.
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Guardianship designations. You should designate your preference for guardian and conservator for your children if you are incapacitated or die.
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Your Powers of Attorney. You will need to designate new agents under your Durable Power of Attorney (for legal affairs) and under your Designation of Patient Advocate (Durable Power for Health Care.
It is important for you to sit down with an Estate Planning Attorney and address these important issues which affect you today and tomorrow. You owe it to yourself to find out what impact becoming “suddenly single” has had on your estate planning matters and how you can plan for the future.
What to do if you expect Elder abuse
Elder abuse affects hundreds of thousands of senior citizens annually. Seniors can be harmed physically or emotionally by neglectful or overwhelmed caregivers or preyed upon financially by strangers, family, or friends. As elders become more physically frail, they’re less able to stand up to bullying and or fight back if attacked. They may not see or hear as well or think as clearly as they used to, leaving openings for unscrupulous people to take advantage of them.
The first agency to respond to a report of elderly abuse, in most states, is Adult Protective Services (APS). Its role is to investigate abuse cases, intervene, and offer services and advice. The power and scope of APS varies from state to state. In Michigan, you can call 1-800-996-6228 for reporting elder abuse in the home, in the community, or in nursing homes and other longterm care facilities.
On the Lighter Side
Laughter truly is the best medicine…..
Three sisters, ages 92, 94 and 96, live in a house together. One night the 96-year-old draws a bath. She puts her foot in and pauses. She yells to the other sisters, ’Was I getting in or out of the bath?’ The 94-year-old yells back, ‘I don’t know. I’ll come up and see.’ She starts up the stairs and pauses
’Was I going up the stairs or down? The 92-year-old is sitting at the kitchen table having tea listening to her sisters, she shakes her head and says, ‘I sure hope I never get that forgetful, knock on wood.’ She then yells, ‘I’ll come up and help both of you as soon as I see who’s at the door.’