Senior Living Guide Summer 2023 - Queens Chronicle

SUMMER 2023

• ESTATE PLANNING AND LEVERAGING VALUE

• SEE YOU ON COURT — FOR PICKLEBALL!

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Estate planning essentials to know

Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

“Be prepared” is not just the Boy Scout motto or a line in the Disney movie “The Lion King,” but a means to an end for a person to safeguard his or her assets during retirement, in case of incapacity or after death.

One of the best ways to manage, preserve or distribute one’s properties, prized possessions or resources to either leverage for the future or pass them on to loved ones, while minimizing confusion, is estate planning.

For many seniors 62 and older, leveraging one’s home via a reverse mortgage for a lump sum of cash, monthly payments or a line of credit to retire on may seem ideal, but could have drawbacks.

“That I would not ever recommend,” said Jeanette Wilson, a realtor and notary from Springfield Gardens. “If anything, I would definitely seek out an attorney and get everything in writing to put in order. You may never know what may happen. You always want to be prepared for the abnormal ... We have to learn to be prepared a different way.”

Before making any major decisions like obtaining a reverse mortgage, Wilson suggests that seniors share their plans with family members or friends they are close with.

“For seniors, I would definitely make sure that there is more than one person who is aware about what is going on with their house,” Wilson told the Chronicle. “As they get older, people have a tendency to take advantage of them. As far as estate planning in general, see an attorney, put everything in your will, put it on paper and make sure somebody knows where those documents are and have multiple copies of them ...

“Also, after a certain age, you definitely should have more than one person on the deed. That also helps with fraud. Make sure it’s someone you truly trust ... There’s a lot of equity there.”

To get more advice from Wilson, call her at (646) 335-6161.

Michael Corcoran, an attorney with Queens Legal Services, shared Wilson’s sentiment.

“For seniors who are interested in a reverse mortgage, it is really important that they have an attorney they can trust to evaluate the mortgage product they might be entering into,” said Corcoran, an attorney for QLS’ Homeowner and Consumer Rights Project, which protects clients from foreclosure. “There is a lot of good reasons for seniors to take out a reverse mortgage, but in my practice, I would say a vast majority of seniors ... did not adequately understand the terms of the mortgage or the implications of what they are doing.”

When an older person dies, the entire amount he or she owes on the reverse mortgage will have to be paid by their heirs or the property would go into foreclosure.

“We are routinely introduced to family members with modest or no income, who have been living in their home with their parents for

their entire life, and now that the parent has died, they are responsible for paying off a large mortgage and they don’t have the resources to do it. Sometimes that is the decision the parent made and sometimes they didn’t realize that would happen,” Corcoran told the Chronicle. “It is not the heir’s debt to pay, but the debt has to be paid through the sale of the house.”

If not represented by a real estate attorney with a specialty in closings, a senior can get taken advantage by a reverse mortgage broker who gives him or her a higher interest rate than there should be or push for a lump sum payment that is less than the maximum amount that one is allowed to borrow.

“Depending on what your circumstances are, you can take out a reverse mortgage with a maximum borrowing amount of $500,000, but actually borrow no money after closing and just have a credit line you can access in the future if you need to pay for any specific things you might want. Work with an attorney that has nothing to gain with you taking out a reverse mortgage.”

Lawyers at QLS have a significant number of clients who have been foreclosed on because of a family member’s passing and lack of estate planning.

“We have tried to develop programming to specifically address some of the unique issues that these families face in terms of trying to take a title in the name of the deceased homeowner and to put it into the name of the deceased’s heirs, the legacies or devisees named in a will,” Corcoran said. “We have not secured funding to provide estate planning services, but it is without question that every single family that we meet with, whether the homeowner is alive or dead, should be engaging in estate planning because the failure to do estate planning results in a myriad of unintended consequences.”

A lack of knowledge surrounding the state’s inheritance laws could result in the erosion of wealth that families have built up in their homes, said the attorney.

“In New York, when a person dies without a will their assets transfer in accordance with the state’s inheritance laws,” he added. “There is a hierarchy for who is entitled to inherit.”

In the Big Apple, half of one’s assets will go to their spouse and the other half to their children, Corcoran said. If there are no children, everything will go to the spouse or vice versa.

“If any of the children die, but had children if they predecease the homeowner, their children will step into the deceased child’s shoe,” he said.

If an individual is estranged from a child or spouse before passing and didn’t want that per-

son to inherit anything, but preferred someone else to distribute their home, in the absence of a will that does not matter, added Corcoran.

“Saying my parent would have never wanted this is of no legal import,” he added.

Partition sales are another means of heirs ending up without their stated stake in a home because of a loved one’s failure to change or add a name on a deed before passing.

Corcoran says there are real estate investors who intentionally seek to buy a stake in a home that has passed on to several heirs by seeking out one or more of the family members who are willing to sell their interest and then they force a sale of the property, even if the other relatives are still living there.

“This is not illegal,” said the attorney. “This is the perfect example of the failure to do any estate planning.”

In one egregious case involving a disabled woman, he said her father and uncle purchased a home 50 years ago, but since her uncle’s death, five of his children and additional grandchildren have sold their interest in the property for $15,500. By forcing the sale of the house, the investor will receive $350,000. The city Department of Finance says the home is worth $700,000, said Corcoran.

People should start estate planning as early as 18 or when they come into any assets, he added.

“It’s never too early to start planning,” he said.

QLS can be reached at (347) 592-2215.

The city Department of Aging agrees that the sooner one starts estate planning the better it will be for an individual later in life. The process will also reduce stress for a person’s family when they die.

“There are different types of powers of attorney that serve different needs,” said a spokesman for the DFTA.

Other forms of estate planning include living wills, an advanced care directive; and a health proxy, a document indicating a person who is aware of how someone would like to receive care. Then there are guardianships, which is when someone petitions the court to be assigned to make decisions on all aspects of an individual’s life due to the person being unable to adequately care for himself or herself or manage his or her affairs.

Older residents can call Aging Connect at (212) 244-6469 to receive a referral to pro bono legal services to help with a long-term estate plan.

Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga is a 9/11 victim’s compensation attorney, who also specializes in elder law, Medicaid planning, trust and estates planning, probate, estate administration and special needs planning.

“When we talk to seniors, they are concerned about two big issues,” Kuang-Maoga said: Where their assets are going to go after they die and how they will protect their assets if they need homecare or nursing homecare.

Kuang-Maoga recommends that elderly people sit down and spend time deciding how they plan to distribute their assets via a will or who will take care of them if they are incapacitated but alive.

“In addition to setting up a will, we also need to set up paperwork so our family can take care of us if we get sick or at a nursing home,” she said. “We still have to live and we still have bills to pay. The legal documents for a power of attorney or healthcare proxy are very important, in addition to having a will.”

Unfortunately, there is no health insurance for homecare or nursing homecare, according to the lawyer.

“Nursing homecare is $15,000 to $17,000 a month per person,” Kuang-Maoga said. “For homecare, it is going to be at least $25 an hour for an aide. “Long-term, the cost is tremendous.”

Nursing homecare and homecare aides can be paid via Medicaid if a person is lowincome, she said.

“We can plan for it,” Kuang-Maoga said. “We can put the house in a trust ... There are many trust options.”

An irrevocable trust is the best option for those on Medicaid, according to the attorney.

“It says between the senior and a trusted family, I no longer own the house, but I have the right to live here until I pass, then you guys can sell the house or decide how to divide the house,” she said. “A revocable trust is just for estate planning purposes to help avoid the court process after a person dies when there is a trust.”

For more advice from Kuang-Maoga, people can email her at lk@pittabaione.com.

Estate planning is always a good idea for consumers, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, but to avoid potential fraud, never sign a document that was not read and always take the time to have paperwork explained to you by someone you trust.

“You should never feel pressured or rushed to sign any documents,” Katz said via email. “If you do, that is a warning sign that this may be a scam.”

Anyone who thinks he or she is a victim of fraud can reach Katz’s office at frauds@queensda.org or (718) 286-6673. Q

Estate planning is essential to protecting one’s assets as a senior or to pass on to loved ones after death. PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

Yan Lian Kuang-Maoga

COURTESY PHOTO

One of the greatest gifts you can give to those you love is a sense of security – the knowledge that you have taken care of everything. St. Michael’s is a religious Cemetery open to people of all faiths. For more information including a free Resource Guide call 718-278-3240 or visit us at www.stmichaelscemetery.com.

AVAILABLE: $1,000 PER SPACE

Pickleball may be just your speed

by Stephanie G. Meditz Chronicle Contributor

Kathy Toner enjoyed her pickleball lessons at the Freeport Recreation Center before the Covid-19 pandemic put the world on pause.

She wanted to start playing again, but she knew her serve would be rusty after years of inactivity. She attended a beginner pickleball clinic at Commonpoint Queens Tennis and Athletic Center in Alley Pond Park to start fresh.

This time, her husband, Patrick Toner, tagged along, just to see what all the hype is about.

Glowing with exertion after a round of doubles, the Bellerose resident described it as “exercise, but not too much.”

“Tennis would be a lot more physical, and as I get older, it’s not really good,” he said.

Pickleball incorporates elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and is played on a smaller court than tennis, so it does not require much running.

Kathy Toner enjoys watching tennis and figured pickleball would be a fun, low-impact substitute, especially for the senior citizens with whom she typically played in years past.

Gail Kahn from Forest Hills was a tennis player growing up but found that her stamina dwindled with age, making it difficult to keep up with the intense sport.

“You have to be in better shape, and tennis I think is more precision. You really have to practice and play a lot to get the moves and the serve and all that,” she said. “Pickleball is not as precision-oriented. I don’t think it’s as competitive as tennis, either.”

Commonpoint Queens Tennis and Athletic Center Tennis Director Aki Wolfson told the clinic’s 12 attendees that, while tennis and pickleball are similar in some ways, they are total opposites in others.

During her pickleball certification process, Wolfson was told she plays “too much like a tennis player” with the flick of her wrist.

A tennis background is not necessary to get started with pickleball.

Inspired by her colleagues who are seniors

and avid pickleballers, Woodhaven resident Karen Cannariato tried it out for the first time at the clinic, held late last month.

“It seems very popular now, and the thing that sparked my interest in a way was that it does seem like older generations are doing it and can do it,” Cannariato said. “I’m at an age where I’m up there, and I feel like it’s probably very good exercise, so I’d like to see if I can get into it.”

“I think it’s really good exercise ... and it’s not overtaxing your body,” Kahn added. “If you’re not a real athlete, you can still do it. It’s manageable ... I feel good after I do it. It lifts your spirits.”

Kahn started playing pickleball several months ago — she attended another clinic at Commonpoint Queens and regularly practices her volleys with a friend, whose apartment building includes a pickleball court.

“So many people that I know who play, they just rave about it,” she said. “I have a friend who sleeps very late, ’til one, two in the after-

noon, but because of pickleball, she’s getting up at 7:30.”

Ellen Kahaner advised new pickleballers to stay hydrated, wear a hat and stay in the shade as much as possible.

“It’s fun, it’s social, it’s not hard,” she said. “I think you should make sure you stretch beforehand and take a walk or take a bike ride beforehand just to loosen up, so you’re not coming in all stiff.”

Like many others, she was drawn to pickleball for its popularity — with limited space in public parks, pickleball courts are popping up in malls across the country to replace stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy and Saks Off 5th.

“Pickleball is growing everywhere in general,” Wolfson told the Chronicle in an email. “There is a high demand for space as more and more people are getting involved in it.”

Parks in Queens are starting to meet public demand for pickleball courts.

The Commonpoint Queens Tennis and Athletic Center in Alley Pond Park boasts 10 pickleball courts, seven tennis courts and a 40-by60-yard turf field. Rockaway Beach 102nd Street installed a dedicated pickleball court last summer.

Handball courts at Ravenswood Playground in Astoria, St. Michael’s Playground in Woodside and Louis C. Moser Playground in Jackson Heights have spaces designated for pickleball. Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans includes four lined pickleball courts on its tennis courts, and Crocheron Park in Bayside has two permanently lined pickleball courts, though players must bring their own net.

Flushing Fields is home to eight tennis courts that can be converted into pickleball courts with chalk and a net.

Wolfson said pickleball is all the rage among older crowds, but it is suitable for all ages.

She said Commonpoint Queens wanted to host a kids’ pickleball clinic, but it did not garner much interest in the community.

“At the moment, [pickleball] is more appeal-

ing to the older community members, but more and more we are starting to see all adults gaining interest,” she said. “... Especially for the little ones, with the smaller space and lower net, it is a good way to start hand/eye coordination skills leading into playing tennis.”

Wolfson noted a lack of pickleball leagues in the area, and she hopes Commonpoint Queens can start one in the future.

According to NYC Pickleball’s website, organized leagues are a challenge due to lack of space.

This summer, Alley Pond Park is hosting an outdoor women’s pickleball league on Thursday evenings that started July 6 and runs through Aug. 17, as per LI-Kick.

With a membership, residents can play pickleball at the Al Oerter Recreation Center in Flushing, which is home to three wooden indoor courts.

Whether it’s an organized league, beginner clinic or open play in a public space, pickleball brings communities together and introduces people who may not have met otherwise.

Senior women at the Commonpoint clinic exchanged phone numbers between matches. They might meet again at a future clinic, or even an open court to play doubles.

Pickleball gives senior citizens the chance to feel young again — they can break a sweat without overdoing it, but also bond with new friends over a common interest.

“I think if you can walk, you can play pickleball,” Kahn said. Q

Pickleball clinic and tournament

Residents of state Senate District 15 are invited to a free pickleball instruction session and “friendly tournament” Sept. 23, hosted by Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven).

The event will be held from noon to 4 p.m. in Middle Village’s Juniper Valley Park, at Juniper Playground Softball Field 8. There is limited space, so anyone who wants to play must register in advance by calling Addabbo’s office at (718) 738-1111.

Evan Naumann, a 2023 graduate of St. John’s University, will provide the instruction. Naumann is the winner of the 2023 Three Lakes Tournament and head coach of the St. John’s Alumni Pickleball Johnnies.

State Senate districts recently changed. Addabbo’s runs from Lindenwood through neighborhoods including but not limited to Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Glendale, Middle Village and Forest Hills to the Long Island Expressway on the northern end. One may find a map on his Senate website. Q

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

New pickleballers practice bouncing the ball on their paddle, a basic skill necessary to play, at the Commonpoint Queens Tennis and Athletic Center in Alley Pond Park. PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE G. MEDITZ

Players practice their serves, including, in front, Patrick and Kathy Toner and, at rear, Karen Cannariato and her partner on the court.

Work opportunities for older adults

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

Many adults look forward to retirement: the day when one can sit back, relax and not have to worry about work anymore.

However, some seniors prefer to not settle down. Working can provide motivation to get up in the morning and go about the day, providing socialization and fulfillment that some goldenagers would not have in retirement. And then there is the income.

The city Department of Aging launched Silver Corps last May. The program, funded by AmeriCorps Seniors, provides opportunities for older adults who still want to work. It aims to increase financial mobility among older adults, combat ageism in the workforce and fill employment needs in local communities.

Silver Corps provides prospective employees with quality skills development and credential training in high-demand sectors and industries, leading to greater financial self-sufficiency and having a social impact, creating a sense of fulfillment.

The program consists of three tiers:

• Tier One, Explorer: rapid attachment to employment that may not require a credential or training.

• Tier Two, Navigator: up to one year of credential attainment or occupation skills training is required.

• Tier Three, Voyager: more than one year of credential attainment or occupation skills training is required.

Applicants must be willing to participate in skills training and specialized certification programs and willing to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours per week in a nonprofit or city agency.

“We know the demand is there among older New Yorkers who want to continue contributing to their communities and keep working, but too many times they are prevented because of ageist

biases people have. The Silver Corps program will allow us to help even more older residents who need the support to enter the workforce, and we are pleased to launch this program to help them find employment,” said DFTA Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez in a statement.

“I am glad that I found this program! I was looking for something to help me stay busy and I was ready for a job change,” Karen Sturgis, a member of Silver Corps, said in a press release. Another member, Tony Lorenzo, said, “Volunteering made me see life in a different light.”

Silver Corps is not the only job opportunity program for seniors living in the city; there are a number of alternatives.

The Older Adult Employment Program, according to the

Department of Aging, is designed to help city residents aged 55 and above secure employment and develop new skills in various professional fields.

Participants in the OAEP can secure employment in a variety of areas, including administration, human and social services and customer service, among others. They will be able to take classes on digital and financial literacy, as well as other areas of job preparation, in addition to being assigned an internship at a nonprofit or city agency to build their skills.

Another program, called Silver Stars, is an opportunity for retired city municipal employees to work part-time at a city agency to help contribute to the well-being of their communities. The positions for Silver Stars are temporary and project-based, typically limited to one year but determined by the agency’s business needs.

Civic Engagement Employment Service (ReServe) is a program designed for retirees 50 and older who want to work parttime for nonprofits or government agencies. Assignments will typically range from 10 to 20 hours per week and pay minimum wage.

Older adults that are keen on social fulfillment might consider the Foster Grandparent Program, which offers the opportunity to serve as mentors, tutors and emotional support for children and youth with special and exceptional needs. Volunteers in the program serve a minimum of 15 hours a week. They are placed in a variety of community settings, such as Head Start Programs, day care centers, schools, hospitals and family courts.

Anyone interested in the aforementioned programs can find out more information, including eligibility terms, by calling Aging Connect at (212) 244-6469, or by visiting the Department of Aging website. Q

The city’s Silver Corps program aims to provide older adults with financial mobility in a workplace free from ageism.

UNDERSTANDING TRUST TERMINOLOGY

By Donna Furey, Esq.

• TRUST - A Trust is a legal entity under which the “TRUSTEE” holds legal title to property for the benefi t of “benefi ciaries.” The Trustee must follow the rules provided in the trust.

• IRREVOCABLE TRUST/REVOCABLE TRUST - An IRREVOCABLE trust is one that cannot be changed or rescinded by the person who created it and the person who created it cannot be the TRUSTEE, while a REVOCABLE trust allows the creator to change or rescind the trust and the creator can be the TRUSTEE.

Trusts are often used for Medicaid planning, tax planning, to avoid probate, to allow for someone with expertise to manage assets, to shelter assets and protect them from creditors, to protect assets for disabled persons, (Supplemental Needs Trust) and/or for long-term care planning.

• TESTAMENTARY TRUST CREATED THROUGH A WILL

WILL - A legally binding document that instructs who will receive your property at your death and appoints a legal representative, EXECUTOR, to carry out your wishes. A Will only applies to assets in your name alone that do not have a benefi ciary. A Will can also create a TRUST to protect assets for a benefi ciary. To enforce the provisions in a Will, the Will must be filed in the Surrogates Court for probate.

PROBATE - This is the process of notifying your blood relatives and beneficiaries you have passed away and that ownership of your assets should be transferred according to your wishes in the Will. The Court will issue LETTERS TESTAMENTARY to the Executor named in the Will. If the Will contains a Trust, the Court will issue LETTERS OF TRUSTEESHIP to the TRUSTEE.

Unfortunately, the Courts are extremely backed up due to COVID, therefore, you may want to consider creating a Trust that keeps your estate out of Court!

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