Episodes
Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. Moving has changed with the internet, making the whole United States one big neighborhood, and leading to scams. Seek local companies, and get an in-person estimate. Sean says, "People sometimes fall for fake reviews and flashy websites. When you put your precious items in the hands of movers, don't you want to get something in writing, and be able to look them in the eyes? Ask for references from a friend. Ask local companies if they can come up ...
Elder law and estate planning attorney Andrea Lee joins Suzanne to provide some tips for unpaid family caregivers caring for a loved one about the legal documents they need to have in place, and also some practical tips to keep in mind. Andrea Lee serves as an attorney for Legacy Estate Planning in Bellevue, Washington. Andrea says, "I'm going to share my own experiences, my own tips that I have, working as an elder law attorney for 15 years and then my own experiences as a caregiver to my mom, who has dementia, and is still at home with my dad. "The basic legal tools that they need are so ...
Elder law and estate planning attorney Andrea Lee joins Suzanne to talk about essential legal documents to have in place no matter your age, keeping them up to date, and describing oft overlooked documents such as the HIPAA release and POLST form, Physicians Order of Life Sustaining Treatment form. Andrea Lee serves as an attorney for Legacy Estate Planning in Bellevue, Washington. Andrea says, "Earlier, I said estate planning is a little bit like a pyramid. In the very bottom of that pyramid are documents every single person should have. And two of those documents are the financial and he...
Elder law and estate planning attorney Andrea Lee joins Suzanne to talk about the healthcare power of attorney document. Andrea Lee serves as an attorney for Legacy Estate Planning in Bellevue, Washington. This document is often overlooked by families. Who can make medical decisions for you when you're not able to make your own choices? Andrea says, "There is so much that goes into making someone's medical decisions. When I've had family members in the hospital, I've been awoken at 1 a.m. to authorize a blood transfusion. Or I've been hit with a question of, hey, there are different treatme...
Elder law and estate planning attorney Andrea Lee joins Suzanne to share advice and tips for legal planning to help you age gracefully in a situation that you like. Andrea Lee serves as an attorney for Legacy Estate Planning in Bellevue, Washington. The power of attorney document is a critical tool to let your family help take care of you when you're in a crisis situation. Andrea says, "There are a lot of misconceptions regarding power of attorney documents, having the ability to manage an individual's state or affairs, and what each person should have in place. Now, typically when I talk a...
John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about how he got started as a hospice chaplain and wrote his two books ''Remember Me: End of Life as Seen through the Eyes of a Hospice Chaplain'' and ''Delayed Honor.'' "John says, "What I found as I was visiting these patients, I would leave having to write their stories down. So on my computer, I have 1,000, 1,500 stories... One of my pastor buddies about a year or two ago said, John, you should write a book. I was telling him a quick story. He wasn't a chaplain, he was a retired pastor, and he said, John, that story is so overwhelming... I wrote my ...
Hospice chaplain John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about how he helps families facilitate having those difficult conversations during end of life care and hospice. John says, "I think you have to bring them to a peace of mind. You know, we come into a family, and what we like to call in our Christian life, a lot. Their last season, you have to convince them that you're there because you love them. You just want to be there and that opens up, that takes down that wall many times. I will have a conversation with family members as if I was [part of] the family. They get to love me in that ...
Hospice chaplain John Wenderlein joins Suzanne to talk about learning how to have the conversations to say goodbye to our loved ones at the end of their lives. There's often a denial process with family members. John says, "Even though a doctor has told you six months, mother and dad are getting ready to pass. So there's a big fight. I don't mean a physical fight or a verbal fight, I mean an emotional struggle, and it doesn't happen so much with the patient because many times they've been sick for a while, it happens with the family. One of our struggles in the hospice business is to get al...
Skyline Retirement resident Judy Mayotte joins Suzanne to give a tour of her apartment. Judy says, "I just love my apartment. I've lived in refugee camps and in grass huts. So I'm living in the lap of luxury here. But I also have lived for a number of years in condominiums. I lost a leg in Sudan, in the war zone there, and couldn't manipulate a lawn mower or things like that, so I'm used to living in condos and apartments. So it was not difficult for me to move here. I have one of the smallest apartments here at Skyline. t's a one bedroom, most people and particularly couples will get large...
Judy Mayotte has been living independently at Skyline Retirement in downtown Seattle for six years. Judy joins Suzanne to talk about how she decided to move into a Life Care Community. What led her to move here? Judy explains, "I had come back from living a number of years in South Africa, and I bought a condo. Because I lost my leg in the war zone in Southern Sudan a number of years ago, I knew that probably at some point I would need some kind of care. So I bought one that had three bedrooms so that I could have a caregiver. And then I realized it's really going to be lonely if I'm the on...
Suzanne is joined by Judy Mayotte, an 87-year-old resident of Skyline Retirement in downtown Seattle who lives independently. This is a Life Care Community, in which they take care of seniors from independent through memory care, should they need 24-hour care later in life. You pay an upfront fee, but the quality of care can be much higher. Judy says, "It's very, very easy to live here... We've got two towers of independent living, and we have our own apartments that have a kitchen, bedroom, living room and everything. And then there's another tower called the terraces that is attached to i...
Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about what happens on moving day. Sean explains the rules for various local and longer distance moves. "Every state has different rules and tariffs for professionally licensed and insured moving companies. We will use Washington as an example, because it's pretty similar to most other regulated states. So when you just move within a 56-mile radius, it's a local move. Therefore, we'll calculate the hourly rate. We'll charge the customer by the hourly rate for the packing and for the actual move. We always ...
Particularly for people who have mobility challenges or health issues and require special preparations, moving requires planning. Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk how to plan for a move, especially if you're downsizing or moving into a senior living community. Sean says, "We will do the estimate, then help figure out the packing option, and then comes the move date. That's 1-2-3, it's planning, planning, planning. For the move that is the traditional move, let's say the family member is in good health, we can move from point A to point B...
Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, joins Suzanne to talk about the variety of options people have when packing for a move, as well as how to pack if you choose to do it yourself. Sean says, "We have a variety of options. A of course is full packing: we come — with the truck, with the boxes, all the packing materials — to the house. You leave the house as is, you wake up in the morning, wash your face, have a coffee, sit on the couch, and everything around you will translate into boxes. "Option B: You can tell us what to pack. You can say, 'I will pack all my cl...
Moving can be a daunting chore at the best of times, but downsizing a senior whose been living in their house for 50 years can be overwhelming. Suzanne is joined by Sean Joseph, CEO of Jordan River International Moving & Storage, a nationwide firm that specializes in working with seniors. Suzanne says, "When I look back in my years of taking care of my mom, probably the most difficult and overwhelming situation was when it came time to moving her. As she declined, we had to move her three times. And the hard part for families is, there's all kinds of questions. Everything is overwhelming. T...
Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about the gut-brain connection and how to balance your functional wellness to achieve optimal health. "Think of it as like a two-way highway. What one does affects the other. The easiest way to illustrate that is, for instance, when you get nervous. You feel those butterflies in your stomach, right? There's a direct connection in the neurotransmitters, the chemicals that the brain sends for situations like that, fight or flight responses." "Inflammation is one of the number one things that we deal with. and when I'm coaching clients, we are talking abou...
Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about changes in our bodies that happen once we reach 50 years of age, and what strategies to use to maintain optimal health. "One of the first things when you get over 50 that you're losing is muscle mass. And that is so important. Increase your protein, make sure your strength training. A lot of people feel conflicted about it. Should they be lifting weights? Absolutely. You should be doing resistance training. We're also losing bone density, and as we age, that could increase your risk for fractures. But you also see other things. Our bladder changes...
Dr. Shawn Weiss joins Suzanne to talk about taking charge of the six pillars of health — nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress, substance use, and personal connections — so that we can achieve optimal health in our later years. Shawn says, "Health is not a one-size-fits-all for everybody, especially in the age where we're in now, with social media, where we're getting bombarded on a daily basis with contradictory advice. I deal with the six main pillars of health. And that for me is so easy to organize, because each one affects the other. I have everything in balance, which is the key. You hav...
Most people want their family to remember them, they want to pass on something. What does it mean to leave a lasting legacy? What's a mistake, and what are some pointers? Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about matters of Inheritance and philanthropy with your estate. What's Steve's definition of legacy? "It's probably different for everyone. I will say I came to this by having so many people that died without a plan, or it totally blew up, and their legacy was terrible. That's not what people want. People want to be able to pass on their assets and their values...
Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about whether you might choose to have a will or a trust for your estate, and why. Steve says, "Everyone needs a plan, right? So it's not a will or trust, it's a plan. A will doesn't work till you die, so you need powers of attorney, healthcare, et cetera. And then others would like to do a trust, and there's really common reasons to do a trust. You've got real property in more than one state. Our state's doubled the tax exempt amount. But I was meeting with a couple once – I might as well tell a story embarrassing about me. Thi...
Steve Waltar with Legacy Estate Planning joins Suzanne to talk about the particulars of choosing beneficiaries when planning for your estate. Why should people create an estate plan? Steve explains, "I was in the hospital with someone with a bad cancer diagnosis yesterday. But all of us will eventually die. And if we own a home, or if we have children, the need to plan is high because without it it may go to the wrong people, or you may not protect your children. Or if you're married, your spouse could remarry. I mean, [your estate] can implode, sometimes it'll go to the right people, but ...
Finance expert David Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about how to anticipate the future by putting a finance plan in place to take advantage of factors that we can control, and account for risks such as longevity, running out of money, potential inflation, taxes, and the needs of long-term care. David says, "Preparing for the unknown is probably the most delicate thing that we can do. There are some factors that we can actually control, we can actually prepare for it. For example, we know that the longer we live there's gonna be a market correction. The longer we live, things are going to ch...
Finance expert David Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about how a family owning a million-dollar home can downsize most effectively, maximizing their money for the future. He recommends investing some of the proceeds from the sale into an annuity with guaranteed income rider. “Any time we sell something that we have gains, we're going to have to pay taxes, and right now, the capital gains tax rate is the lowest it's been in about 50 years. Depending on what state we live in. The most common idea right now is to take the money after the tax and secure guaranteed income for you for the rest of ...
Finance expert David Phillips joins Suzanne to talk about finances in the face of a new downsizing trend among Baby Boomers. It's estimated that 54% of Baby Boomers in the U.S. will downsize and simplify their finances between 2024 and 2026. By 2030, Boomers will make up 35-40% of the country's population. David talks about how his firm helps people make choices during this process. David says, "The biggest problem is what's called the longevity issues. How long are we gonna live? We don't know that, we don't have a crystal ball. So we have to kind of play both sides of the coin. We don't w...
Christian Care Ministry President and CEO Brandon Harvath joins Suzanne to describe the four foundational principles of the Medicare resource Medi-Share 65+. Brandon says, "Our vision is all about transforming society through the Biblical model of sharing. There are probably four main things I'd highlight. The first is just giving market solutions for people to align their values with their spending. And it's true. We're in a culture war today. Christian consumers, we've got a responsibility to consider how those dollars we spend are used to further Kingdom causes. "The second one I'd give ...
Medi-Share President and CEO Brandon Harvath joins Suzanne to share success stories. Brandon says, "I can't go beyond my family without finding stories. My wife spent a week in the hospital just over a year ago, an unexpected medical situation. It was one of the most petrifying moments of my life. We have seven children, 18 down to 3 years old, five boys and two girls. And the last thing you want to hear as a family at any point in time is that mom is in the hospital, right? Thankfully, doctors took good care of her. She came out, and was fine. Now everything is good, but we got hit with a ...
Answers for Elders starts 2024 to show how different opinions and concepts can come together to create something better. This hour, Suzanne is joined by Medi-Share President and CEO Brandon Harvath. Medi-Share 65+ is an option for Seniors 65 and older with Medicare Parts A & B. Medi-Share 65+ will share in any medical expenses that are covered by Medicare. Brandon says, "There are other organizations that have connected into models like this in the recent decade, Go Fund Me or organizations like that. Way before that ever happened, we had a group of people here who saw a need of families wh...
The first Answers for Elders episodes of 2024 focus on Medi-Share 65+. This hour, Suzanne is joined by Christian Care Ministry President and CEO Brandon Harvath. Christian Care Ministry is the non-profit association of churches that manages Medi-Share. Navigating healthcare is a challenge for seniors, who are sometimes faced with overwhelming situating and confusing options. Christian Care Ministry is celebrating its 30th anniversary striving to connect people with resources. Medi-Share 65+ is an option for Seniors 65 and older with Medicare Parts A & B. Medi-Share 65+ will share in any med...
Brooke Kasten and Suzanne continue their conversation about the Skyline Seattle senior living community in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. Brooke Kasten is the community's Associate Executive Director. Skyline offers comprehensive care options including orthopedic and stroke rehabilitation, assisted living and memory support. From resort-quality amenities to jaw-dropping rooftop deck views to well-appointed apartment homes and gourmet dining venues, every element of the Seattle senior living community comes together to create an unforgettable retirement lifestyle. Skyline is loca...
Brooke Kasten and Suzanne talk about the Skyline Seattle senior living community in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington. Brooke Kasten is the community's Associate Executive Director. Skyline offers comprehensive care options including orthopedic and stroke rehabilitation, assisted living and memory support. From resort-quality amenities to jaw-dropping rooftop deck views to well-appointed apartment homes and gourmet dining venues, every element of the Seattle senior living community comes together to create an unforgettable retirement lifestyle. Skyline is located at 725 9th Avenue, ...