Boomer Corner

If not Immortality what about The 120 Club? Planning for the End of Your Life Social Resources for Boomers

My good friend Alexander Everett died in 2005 aged 85 on his ranch in Oregon. It wasn’t really a ranch, more like an Ark. Alexander just liked to hang out with animals, certainly not eat them. Hewas an educationalist and an English eccentric much influenced by Rudolf Steiner and Huxley’s Perennial Philosophy, who decamped to Oregon in the 1960s becoming a leading figure in the personal development movement that became popular at that Who will end up with your books and your tchotskes, your gadgets and your garden tools when you change your cosmic address at the end of your life? It’s probably the easiest and least onerous part of your estate planning to make a list of all your possessions and decide who will get the stuff you have accumulated all these years. Will Junior get your porno movie collection? Your daughter might like some jewellery or family heirlooms; Great news for Boomers: whether you are an extrovert, an introvert, a newcomer, a regular or occasional visitor, you can rest assured that Bali- thanks to its thriving and diverse expat community- is an ideal place to connect with likeminded people and make new friends fast. This is a small area fi lled to the brim with expats of many origins, backgrounds, types and interests and it’s easy to connect with compatible people and increase your circle of friends in retirement. time. As a young man he had been crippled by polio maybe your best friend would appreciate your gadgets or but claimed to have cured himself. He was, he told garden tools. You have made your Last Will and Testament? me a member of the 120 Club, all of whom committed Good. That takes care of your estate, your possessions and themselves to live to be over 120 years old. Alas, financial accounts and settles your preferences. Or does it?

Alexander didn’t make it. He died 35 years short aged 85, which is respectable. Estate Planning

Somewhere around the age of 18 or 19 our bodies cease developing and from that moment on the various body clocks that comprise what is us, start their remoseless countdown to our eventual demise. How long we last from that point on depends on good luck, our genes, our lifestyle and how much money we have. The process doesn’t usually start to manifest visibly until our mid-30s or so and, given good genes, psychologically we don’t usually start to feel old until our early 70s. Here’s what we’re all up against:

Chronic Inflammation

Aging people suffer an epidemic of outward inflammatory diseases such as arthritis, but chronic inflammation also damages brain cells, arterial walls, heart valves and other structures in the body. Heart attack, stroke, heart valve failure, and Alzheimer’s have all been linked to the chronic inflammatory cascade.

Glycosylation

Diabetics age prematurely, but even non-diabetics suffer from this chemical reaction, where protein molecules bind to glucose molecules forming non-functioning structures. Glycosylation is most evident in senile dementia, stiffening of the arteries, and degenerative diseases of the eye.

Methylation Deficit

Our cellular DNA requires constant enzymatic action for maintenance and repair. Aging cripples methylation metabolism causing DNA damage that can manifest as cancer, liver damage and brain cell degeneration.

Mitochondrial Energy Depletion

The cellular energy powerhouse, the mitochondria, requires a complex series of chemicals to maintain critical functions such as transporting nutrients through the cell membrane and purging the cell of toxic debris. Mitochondrial depletion lead to congestive heart failure, muscle weakness, fatigue and neurological disease.

Planning for the dissolution and distribution of your estate is not that cumbersome but you need to take a few things into account, especially if you have property or a foot in two countries. Besides the bequests and provisions your last will and testament should appoint an executor who will take care of administrative and financial matters such as liquidating bank and investment accounts, your pension or retirement accounts, ensuring your assets go to the proper beneficiaries, paying any debts or taxes. It could also include selling your home or terminating your lease. And with foreign property rights restricted in Indonesia, be sure you don’t leave behind a can of worms your executor will have to deal with. Even if you have little in the way of assets or possessions, you should have a simple will because if you die intestate the legal system in your location will decide who gets your assets, no matter how massive or meager. Things are more complicated if you are the parent or guardian of a minor child, have an informally adopted or sponsored child and there’s no document stating what you want to bequeath them or who will care for them after your demise. By the same token, are you making some provisions for your faithful staff who may lose their jobs and probably have no retirement or financial cushion to fall back on? Another thing to consider is to make sure that your will does not contradict the account beneficiaries named on your retirement accounts, life insurance policies and the like. The person listed as the beneficiary on each of those policies will get the money even if your will says otherwise. Make sure your beneficiary designations are up to date and sync with any other legal provisions you have made. It pays to review the beneficiaries on all your accounts. You may not be ready to die and in fact may yet have a long bout of life ahead of you but remember that things change, people come and go in your life and situations alter. Be sure these changes are updated in your will. Including your will, make a list of critical documents that the will’s executor will need to settle your estate like your insurance policies, bank and investment account statements, credit and debit cards, pension and tax documents and pertinent information like your Social Security or National Insurance numbers and make sure you tell your family or carers where to find them. This includes passwords so your online accounts can be accessed. Other practical directives should address the paying of any taxes due, utility bills, recurring payments or donations. Any time a major change occurs in your life, make sure your will and last directives reflect it.

Bali boasts a rich layer of social, sporting, altruistic and professional expat organisations that cater to the need for information, advice, social and professional interaction, and assist in a seamless transition to expat life in this exotic locale. Here you will encounter both structured and informal groups that satisfy the social and interactive needs, wants and wishes of expats of all ages. As a Boomer you have many choices. You can join Bali chapters of familiar associations that focus on social and charitable causes like Rotary or Lions. If you are still a working Boomer, you can connect with strictlybusiness groups like Bedo and the Bali Business Club. On the social level there are a great number of clubs for you to choose from, including hobby and sporting groups. Some groups provide a combination of social, business and charity oriented pursuits. Some are women-oriented; others have a preponderance of men members. But they all have one thing in common: they provide a meeting place and a networking forum for expat fellowship, support and mutual recognition, and a platform for altruistic purposes. They represent just about every segment and age-group of the current expat population in Bali and Boomers, who make up a sizeable portion of the expat residents, are active members in all of them. Internations is one of the popular social expat clubs in Bali with over 500 members. It is part of a global organisation with community groups in more than 300 cities across all countries of the world. The Bali chapter is mostly social and organises monthly cocktail-hour gettogethers in various entertainment venues with free canapés and discounted beverages. The Bali faction also has focused Activity Groups, which organise cultural, entertainment and adventure outings for members around Bali. The groups active at this time are into chess, food, golf, board games and writing. Check out the Internations website (www.internations.org) for more details. The site also has a lively member’s forum where you can ask pertinent questions or join a discussion group. While Internations and other internationally-geared gatherings like BIWA and the Rotary Clubs welcome any and all nationalities in their midst, there are a few country- or language specifi c clubs in Bali that are popular. Bien A Bali (Comfortable in Bali) is a social association of French speaking residents. This group gets together for a casual lunch every month and organises activities such as playing cards or society games, lectures, documentaries and movies, or cultural presentations about Bali or Indonesia. Other activities include excursions (Bali and other islands), cooking classes, dinner parties, golf outings and karaoke evenings. Other nationalities tend to form casual groups that have no strict infrastructure like the Dutch business or social Nederlandse Club Bali. There is also an Indian Cultural centre with various activities of interest to India expats. Some of the embassies in the country have networks for their registered citizens and facilitate social get-together or business-oriented encounters. Besides nationalities, other groups are formed around religious or spiritual communalities, sports interests, literary or artistic interests, charitable pursuits, health, yoga and meditation. There are clubs for gamers and collectors, musicians and choristers, investors and traders. Sporting clubs include croquet and cricket, yachting, Aussie football, off-road biking and the Hash Harriers who organize weekly fun-runs followed by convivial social gatherings. There are many groups with diverse interests and focus and they can be easily tracked down. Check the very comprehensive listing in the Community Info section of the Bali Advertiser website for a good start to meeting compatriots in a social setting. Strictly Business – If you are a retired professional and still miss the excitement of your working life, you may think of joining a business club for the sheer joy of being in company of professionals in your area of expertise and maybe contribute your knowledge and skills as a volunteer consultant. A number of business groups and networking clubs promote professional interests and help members with various business related activities. The Bali Business Club is a commercial networking and referral club, meeting every month featuring a scheduled presentation on a topic of interest to the members who come from a variety of industries, business and commerce. BEDO (Bali Export Development Organization) is a non-profi t business support organization for Indonesian-run SMEs based in Bali. They hold monthly meetings on different topics that are relevant to SMEs and provide networking, training, coaching, workshops and assistance with design & product development, and marketing. Volunteer! For the altruistically inclined, your professional and seasoned life skills may also be put to good use in a volunteer capacity at the countless NGOs in Bali who work with humanitarian causes, children, the disadvantaged, the displaced, endangered or abandoned animals, wildlife conservation, the environment, etc. There are so many places where your contributions would be welcome and truly appreciated. The roster is simply too long to include here. The list of community organisations published on the Bali Advertiser website is a good place to start looking. Social Media Based – The internet has become the great communicator and connector and consequently you will fi nd many groups active on various social media. The big area- specifi c Facebook groups in Bali are Ubud Community, Sanur Community, Canggu Communty, and Bali Expat Community. There is also a lively internet forum and blog culture that provides portals for hooking up with like-minded individuals. Especially for Boomers, there is the Bali Retirement Group. Other Ideas to get involved – Some neighbourhoods, like Sanur, have a lively pub culture and it’s easy to make friends by waltzing into a place like that and join the crowd at the bar or challenge a patron to a biljarts game. If you’re sports- or action-minded, you’ve fallen with your derrière in the butter – to paraphrase an old Flemish expression that means you’ve struck it rich. There are golf tournaments, races and beach runs at the drop of a hat and these provide excellent occasions to meet people. There is a croquet club in Ubud, lawn bowl on the Bukit and yes, the famous Bali Harriers whose members seem to be greying a bit but still hold their own on their weekly hashing joints. Church groups are also a good way to meet people and many denominations organise social activities and get-togethers for their members. The literary minded can join book clubs, the playfuloriented can try out their luck or skill at board or card games. Trivia addicts can sate their addiction at a few trivia or quiz games like the famous and utterly hilarious quiz night at the Bali Dynasty Resort. If you’re truly stuck fi nding partners for a specifi c interest or activity, you can also put a free ad in the Bali Advertiser under the Game Partners category in the classifi ed ads section. Or start your own group with a new and not-yet-available-in-Bali activity. Start networking - With all the resources available in Bali and which, for the most part, are accessible through the internet, there is no excuse anymore for feeling disconnected and alone. It takes a bit of research and reaching out but with all the information at your fi ngertips and a social, business, and charitable life at your doorstep, it only takes a little time and motivation to lay that fi rst contact. From there, it just snowballs.

Hormone Imbalance

Trillions of cells in the human body are synchronised to function by chemical signals called hormones. Aging creates hormonal imbalance that can lead to depression, End-of-life preferences osteoporosis, coronary heart disease and loss of libido.

Now that the estate portion of your bounty is settled, have Excess Calcification you given a thought to the other end-of-life decisions you need to make while still, as they say, of sound and competent Calcium ions are transported into and out of cells through mind? What about drawing up a Living Will that will instruct calcium channels into the membrane. Aging disrupts this your nearest and dearest how you want to be cared for process and the result is excess calcium in the cells of the when you are no longer in a position to verbalise coherent brain, heart valves and arterial walls that can lead to thoughts? Remember there are very important instructions arteriosclerosis and Alzheimer’s. in regards to your end of life preferences that simply do not belong in a Last Will and Testament since that document will not be read until after your death.

The western way to do that is to draw up an Advance

Directive, a legal and binding document that outlines your wishes if you become incapacitated due to illness or injury.

It sets forth the specific life- supporting or prolonging measures you would like applied -or not- like resuscitation or CPR, or whether to end all life-saving measures. Your wishes should be written down and the document given to the people most likely to be close at the time of your demise.

You should not leave these agonizing decisions to others.

These instructions should include the type of care you wish to have, the medical team and the hospital you want to end up in. If you wish to be an organ donor here in Indonesia you can register with Komite Transplantasi National (the

National Transplant Committee) or the Eye Bank (Bank

Mata Indonesia) ahead of time and stipulate that in your directive.

Fatty Acid Imbalance

The body requires essential fatty acids to maintain cell energy output. Aging causes alterations in the enzymes required to convert dietary fats into specific fatty acids the body requires. The effect of fatty acid imbalance manifests as irregular heartbeat, joint degeneration, low energy, hyper-coagulation, dry skin and a host of other conditions.

DNA Mutation

Numerous synthetic and natural compounds mutate cellular DNA and cause cancer cells to form. Aging cells lose their DNA gene repair mechanisms and the result is DNA genetic damage causes cells to proliferate out of control, i.e., turn into cancer cells.

Immune Dysfunction

For a variety of reasons, the aging immune system loses its ability to attack bacteria, viruses and cancer cells. In aging humans, excessive levels of dangerous cytokines are produced that cause the immune system to turn on its host and create auto-immune diseases,, such as allergies, lupus, anemia, rheumatoid heart disease and arthritis.

Your instructions should also indicate your wishes for preferred last rites, burial, cremation or repatriation preferences, appoint a funeral service and a trusted relative or friend who agrees to take care of all that. Also don’t forget to leave behind a list of family and friends you want notified. ‘Next of kin’ may not be near if you have Non-Digestive Enzyme Imbalance family in another country. Indonesian Immigration and Internal cellular functions depend on multiple enzymatic your consulate also need to be informed. reactions occurring with precise timing. Aging causes enzyme disturbances in the brain and liver, which result in And now for the big caveat: Remember that every country severe neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s or has its own norms and regulations when it comes to persistent memory loss. Impaired liver function results in durable health care and appointing a health care proxy. If toxic damage to every cell in the body. you plan to die in Indonesia you are well advised to inform yourself of the practices here. In fact, a quick survey Digestive Enzyme Deficit among a few Bali lawyers reveals that unfortunately, the

Indonesian law system does not recognise a Living Will. The aging pancreas often fails to secrete enough digestive However, you can draw up a private statement letter enzymes, while the aging liver does not secrete enough regarding your medical directives and wishes on how bile acids. The results are the chronic digestive problems medical personnel should treat you in case of a lethal many face as they age. condition. This statement letter only indicates your wishes and does not have the strong enforcement capacity like a

Excitotoxicity will. It behoves you to discuss these matters with your private physician now and see where you stand. The aging brain loses control of its release of neurotransmitters such as glutamate and dopamine, and this results In the end it doesn’t really matter - or does it to you? in devastating brain cell damage and destruction. Statistics claim that nearly half of people age 55 and older don’t have a will. I bet the percentage is even higher for

Circulatory Deficit not having a Living Will. Yet it is important to document your end-of-life preferences and communicate those to

Microcapillary flow of blood to the brain, your family and/or the people that are likely to be near you eye and skin is impaired as a part of at that crucial time. Putting a plan in place for things like normal aging. The result is that disorders medical care and funeral arrangements helps ensure that of the eye (such as cataract, macular upon your death, your wishes are carried out and that degeneration, glaucoma) are the No.1 family squabbles are avoided over your dead body. In age-related degenerative disease. Major terms of funeral arrangements, you can leave the and mini-strokes are common problems arrangements to a competent service like Antara Bangsa associated with circulatory deficit to the Funeral Services. Expats in Bali concur they are very brain. good and take care of the details. Oxidative Stress Don’t wait to put your affairs in order. Now, while you are Free radicals are unstable molecules that have been implicated in most diseases associated with aging. Antioxidants have become popular supplements to still hale and healthy and still have control of your belongings and the execution of your last wishes, is the best time to put some order in your end of life preferences. protect against free-radical-induced cell damage, but few Don’t wait until life’s inevitable loops throw you a curve and people take the proper combination of antioxidant beat you to it. supplements needed to do any good.

By Adrian By Shari By Ines Wynn By Shari The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com The Boomer Corner is a column dedicated to people over 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com 60 living in Bali. Its mandate is to cover topics, practicalities, activities, issues, concerns and events related to senior life in Bali. We welcome suggestions from readers. E-mail us at : Baliboomers@gmail.com By Ines Wynn Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2020 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz

Copyright © 2019 Boomer Corner You can read all past articles of Boomer Corner at www.BaliAdvertiser.biz