Health Happenings
Planning for the Future and Living for Today
By Sharon Hodges
The Otero/Lincoln County "Planning for the Future and Living for Today - Senior & Families Information Symposium" will be held on Saturday, April 12, 2008 from 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at the Alamogordo Senior Center, 2201 Puerto Rico Ave. The purpose of the free day-long community symposium is to bring together people and resources to provide information on a wide-array of issues affecting seniors and their families.
Are you an adult child who knows its time to have "the talk" with your parents? Or are you the parents of adult children that know it's time to sit down and begin "the talk"? This talk is often difficult to many families because it is about talking about personal matters that include understanding our parent's finances, insurance policies; knowing their wishes and protecting their assets. Have you had the dialog about a living will and the advance health directives, a power of attorney, etc.? Who in the family or a close friend would be the likely choice to make decisions or carry out the financial transactions and can act in your behalf. Who is the one that you would trust to assume the responsibility to ensure your wishes are honored in the event you are not able to make certain legal and financial decisions. Planning for the inevitable and talking about death is painful and uncomfortable for most of us. The practical side tells us putting off the discussion is not the best plan. But often our emotional side overtakes the practical side and this topic does not come up until there is a health crisis or it is too late.
Many of us live far away from our aging parents so how can we create a support network in our parent's home community? What are the resources for long distance care-giving?
These questions and many more will be address in this symposium. To start the dialog in a structured manner with good information and practical ideas and direction will make this journey easier for everyone involved! So plan on coming out and joining us for this day long event. The symposium agenda includes the morning general topic information sessions covering, The Importance of Planning presented by Michael Murphy, Estate Planning presented by Al McDonald and Signs of Alzheimer's presented by Rita Martinez. A free lunch provided by the Alamogordo Senior Center will be available to participants and presenters with a special guest speaker Bill Boverie, Cowboy Poet and Humorist. The afternoon will include the following breakout sessions: Funeral Planning - (The Ultimate Planning) - Harold O'Dell - Hamilton - O'Dell Funeral Home, Social Security Benefits - Lucas Zertuche - NM Mexico Long Term Services Division, VA and Survivors Benefits - Roberto Herrea, HAFB, and Survivors Kits for Seniors - Cindy Najar - Heritage Program and Preventing Elderly Abuse - Coleen Widell - Help End Abuse Forever. The each session will be presented four times so event participants will have an opportunity to attend all of them. Along with the days presentations and breakout sessions there will be a variety of information booths along with free snacks and beverages, and great door prizes.
For further information or to pre-register call Sharon Hodges, Otero County Public Health at 439-1367 ext. 126 or email Sharon.Hodges@state.nm.us or come by the Alamogordo Senior Center and pick up an event flyer along with a pre-registration form.
Hope you will make time to come out to this event and "learn how you can plan for the future, while living for today"!
Otero County Community Health Council
700 E. 1st St.
Suite 720
Alamogordo, NM
88310
(575) 443-8100
Fax (575) 437-2949
oterochc@tularosa.net
oteromch@netmdc.com