15 minute read
1st Roundtable
Page 16 • October 2022 • Golden Gazette The realities of aging – it may be now or never
My Granny had a saying - The older you get, the faster time flies.
She was in her 60s and 70s at the time. As I become the same age as my Granny was when I lived with her, I really wish she were here so I could tell her that she was so right.
Looking back in your life when you were young,
where along the way did you change? Did you ever change? I mean a real change where you decide to do something differently, and then you carried out that decision?
Change is not easy at pretty much any stage of life.
As we get older, although we know we are older, it doesn’t always mean we change. Not many people say, I realize I am not as skilled of a driver as I used to be, so I am giving it up. What a huge loss, but sooner or later, if we live long enough, we will face it. In life, we are always facing something. No matter what stage we are in, there is something to deal with, something to face.
As a child, we are modeled by parents in how to deal with our circumstances. Without real change, we tend to deal with our circum-
stances the same way over and over. Sometimes, even as children, we see our parent’s mistakes and choose to do it differently.
It takes a lot to change, but we can if we are determined to do so. But it takes a lot of work.
What are you dealing with right now in your older age? As we get older, we are presented with new circumstances.
One of the things I’ve been facing is not only recognizing, but implementing the adage, “Don’t wait.” Do it now. I have college friends I am going to meet in Santa Fe. Oh, it is hard on others for me to be gone more than a long weekend. Really? That is an idea I have bought into. My patients want to know, when are you leaving and when will you be back.
My interpretation of that is, they don’t want me gone for very long.
What holds you back? It might be your children or your grandchildren, or even an elderly parent.
There are always others to consider when we make our decisions, but as my therapist used to say, you are in the equation, too.
What do I do? I have to remember that my family took a month-long vacation in September last year. We were in Italy. I was busy before I left, and after I returned, but my patients survived.
Your friends, family and even your children and grandchildren will survive if you take time off for you.
My cousin died at 59. I am learning lessons from her. Don’t wait.
If the opportunity arises, and you want to ever do it, do it NOW. Why not?
It seems like just a bit ago, we were in our 50s, and we rarely had a friend die.
But now I wake up each day to my 70s, and I do not know how long I will be here, but the time is narrowing, not just for me, but also for my friends.
As opportunities arise, take them. Meet friends for lunch. Go on that excursion. Take that trip if it is possible. I am choosing to live my life more than ever before with the attitude of it is now or never.
Maybe it has always been the truth, but my age has brought the reality to center stage.
We often want to get things squared away with people we have had differences with. Sometimes we do not even know why.
This is our time of forgiveness of ourselves and others. It is our time for healing, for making things right.
If we can’t do it in person, we can write a note to someone and let them know how important they are or have been in our lives.
One of my friends from what I call “the old days” called me one day. It wasn’t a long conversation because I was busy at work.
He was in a happy mood, and basically said, “Long time no see, and I’m getting older. I just turned 60, and I don’t know how long I am going to be here. I wanted to tell you that you were an important part of my life, and I remember and love you.”
What a lasting impact it can make on someone’s life.
A truck loaded with thousands of copies of Roget’s Thesaurus crashed yesterday losing its entire load. Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, stupefied, confused, shocked, rattled, paralyzed, dazed, bewildered, mixed up, surprised, awed, dumbfounded, nonplussed, flabbergasted, astounded, amazed, confounded, astonished, overwhelmed, horrified, numbed, speechless, and perplexed.
Roundtable
set for Oct. 1
The October meeting of the Roundtable will be on Oct. 1.
Our program will be Honoring Our Vets with Larry Williams and Katherine McLamore giving information on “10 Years of South Plains Honor Flight” and some background information of the Honor Flight which started in 2005.
Gary Harber will be giving some updates about the progress of the VA cemetery here on the South Plains area.
The meeting is held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carillon Senior Living Campus- 1717 W. Norfolk Ave, just off 19th and Quaker.
It will be held in the Pointe Plaza Building in the Cimarron Room on the left side of the regular dining room at Pointe Plaza.
Cost is $15.00. Make check to Roundtable or pay cash.
Anything extra you would like to give will go into the Scholarship Fund for the Honor’s College at Texas Tech.
We will have only October and November meetings before we do the check for the Honor’s College on Dec. 3.
RSVP to Marie Evans, chair of Roundtable prior to the meeting. MEvans1398@ aol.com, 806-281-3181
Covenant Medical Center has been recognized by Joint Commission as the fi rst and only Comprehensive Stroke Center in West Texas. Comprehensive Stroke Centers offer the highest level of stroke care and can treat the most complex stroke cases.
“It would be hard to overstate the importance of this new designation for our patients, the region and the Covenant Health system,” Covenant Medical Center Neurointerventional Surgeon Dr. Thomas Windisch said.
When it comes to stroke care, time is brain. Stroke patients who receive faster treatment are more likely to go home with fewer defi cits. Having a Comprehensive Stroke Center in West Texas allows stroke patients to receive the emergent care they need as quickly as possible.
This designation could not have been achieved without the partnership with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech Physicians.
TTUHSC neurology faculty and residents participate in research, respond to stroke alerts in the emergency department, and routinely cover stroke call at Covenant Medical Center.
Covenant Medical Center’s stroke program medical director is Texas Tech Physicians Dr. Saif Bushnaq.
Covenant Medical Center is now one of only 40 comprehensive stroke centers in the state, and one of only 13 certified by the Joint Commission. It is the only comprehensive stroke center within 300 miles, in any direction.
The Joint Commission surveyors are experts in stroke care and are an impartial review of the program to ensure the hospital is meeting quality standards to care for stroke patients.
Covenant Medical Center underwent a rigorous, unannounced onsite review. During the visit, a team of Joint Commission surveyors evaluated compliance with related certifi cation standards including 24/7 physician coverage to care for the sickest stroke patients.
“As part of achieving this designation, CMC needed to demonstrate the ability to provide a constellation of uninterrupted services, perhaps most notably the ability to diagnose and treat a host of neurological emergencies including stroke, aneurysm, hemorrhage, seizure and trauma,” Dr. Windisch explained.
“This relies on the continuous availability of physicians, nurses and other providers skilled in emergency removal of blood clots blocking blood vessels in the brain, treatment of ruptured aneurysms, evacuation of hematomas in or around the brain, and stabilization of otherwise neurologically unstable patients.”
“This process was initially entertained more than a decade ago and has taken monumental eff orts by passionate stakeholders to get to this point,” Dr. Windisch said. “It has required Herculean eff orts from other areas such as neurology, the emergency department, neurosurgery, radiology, ICU, anesthesiology, and pharmacy to name a few.”
Senior Transportation
To and From Lubbock Adult Activity Center
Transportation for those ages 60+ to our center M-F for lunch, crafts, games and activities.
Call 806-767-2710 For More Information Voluntary Donation Per Trip $1
Page 18 • October 2022 • Golden Gazette What happens if you call that phone number on your
Texas Driver’s License?
A lot of drivers never notice the phone number, but among those who do, there’s been some misinformation.
The Texas Roadside Assistance phone number is on the back of the Texas driver’s license.
The toll-free number is printed on all state driver’s licenses and ID cards. The Texas Department of Public Safety created the hotline in 1989 to get stranded motorists the help they need.
“There seems to be a preconceived notion that when you call this number, you’re going to get a free wrecker tow,” said DPS Trooper Richard Standifer. “That is not correct. There will incurred costs if there is a mechanical failure for the car and it has to be towed.”
Some of that confusion stems from an email circulated, telling drivers that if they call the number, the state would pick up the tab for their roadside service.
Here’s what actually happens. Motorists who call the hotline are connected to DPS operators. They’ll contact a nearby trooper or local police agency to send help or go and check on the motorist.
Standifer said he wants more drivers to be aware of the resource, but he said the hotline is specifically intended for non-emergency situations.
“A non-emergency would be something like debris in the roadway, a flat tire, you’re out of gas,” he said.
Standifer asks drivers to have key information on hand when they call the hotline.
Dispatchers will likely ask for your name, cell phone number, and location. He said noting nearby intersections or mile markers will help an officer reach you as soon as possible.
Texas Roadside Assistance can be reached at 1-800-525-5555.
If you or anyone is in danger, call 911 instead.
Source: https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/ news/2016/01/06/132297/whathappens-if-you-call-that-phonenumber-on-your-texas-driverslicense/
I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, I eventually remember the important things.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.
Need a doc? www.LubbockMedGuide.com
Lubbock & area physicians - by specialty & alphabetically + hospitals & related medical services Golden Gazette Crossword Puzzle
ACROSS
1. Abominable snowman 5. Aquatic vertebrate 9. German submarine 14. Acquire through merit 15. Melody 16. Stare angrily 17. Against (colloq.) 18. Coiled 20. Not sweet 21. Underwear 22. Plastering tools 24. Barren place 28. Wander 29. Oceans 31. And not 32. Inwardly 33. Braid 34. Enemy 35. Not kosher 36. Severe 37. Scottish Gaelic 38. Organ of hearing 39. Harvests 40. Monetary unit of
Burma 41. Consumed 42. Authentic 43. Morning 44. Edit 46. State in Malaysia 49. Rapier thrust 52. Hesitation 53. Tending to induce euphoria 56. Capital of Peru 57. Willow 58. Group of three persons 59. A person who uses 60. Nursemaid 61. Yellow cheese coated with red wax 62. Castrate
DOWN
1. Something that causes fermentation 2. Enthusiastic 3. Tricorn 4. Tavern 5. Comprehended with ease 6. Golf clubs 7. Vocalize melodically 8. Possess 9. Most gruesome 10. Depressed spirits 11. Cereal grass 12. Part of verb to be 13. Spread out for drying 19. Establish by law 21. Tax 23. Carnivorous mammal 25. Admit to citizenship 26. Perch 27. Woody plant 29. Slumbered 30. Hearing organs 32. Angry 33. Egyptian deity 35. Rip 36. Zone 37. Jaguarundi 39. Parsonage 40. Serbian folk dance 43. Freshwater catfish 45. Gray 46. Craze 47. Humped ruminant 48. Give merit 50. Call to mind 51. Wool cleaning brush 53. Long period of time 54. North American nation 55. Slender metal fastener 56. Pull laboriously
Solution on P. 21
Golden Gazette • October 2022 • Page 19
How’s your checklist? Where are your ‘things’ going?
By Frank Stepp, Executive VP Thompson & Associates
Every pilot knows the word “checklist”. It’s a word that’s said in every cockpit, before every flight. It’s a line-by-line list of specific items a pilot must check prior to starting and flying the aircraft.
Every pilot uses a checklist, from the single engine private pilot to the captain of the commercial jet. Pilots have checklists for routine situations, for malfunctions, and for emergencies. These little laminated sheets ensure your pilot does not forget a critical item when controlling the aircraft. Let’s face it, you want your pilot to use the checklist.
As important as the pilot’s checklist is, have you considered your estate plan checklist?
Trust me, your family is just as interested in your estate plan checklist as you are your pilot’s.
What would your checklist look like?
Here are a few items that should be at the top of your checklist. Do I have a will?
Everyone should have a will. Having a will is arguably one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family. Not only can a will legally protect your spouse, children, and assets, but it can also spell out exactly how you would like things handled after you have passed on. Has it been reviewed in the last five years, & does it still meet my objectives?
Life situations change and so should your will. Consider it an estate plan physical. Just as you visit your physician annually for a “routine” physical, you should have periodic reviews of your estate plan. Do my heirs or executor know where my documents are located?
An important step is to complete an estate planning inventory that details where to locate the will, titles, key to the lock box, investment accounts, life insurance, etc. Your family will appreciate having your thoughts for funeral plans as well. Are those mentioned in my will to act on my behalf still acceptable?
Your executor (also called a “personal representative” in some states) is the person or institution you have named in your will to carry out your wishes.
An executor typically offers the will for probate, takes action to protect the assets of the estate, makes distributions of property to beneficiaries, and pays the debts and taxes of the estate. It is not a difficult role but a time consuming one.
The person you named when you drafted your will, years ago, may not be up to the task today. The same is true for any named trustee or even more important, guardian of your minor children. A quick review of these roles is a good idea. Do I have Powers of Attorney?
It is important for you to have a medical power of attorney and a durable or financial power of attorney. We suggest you keep these updated every two or three years. A medical power of attorney is a document that lets you name someone else to make decisions about your health care in case you are not able to make those decisions yourself. It gives that person instructions about the kinds of medical treatment you want.
The durable financial power of attorney is a simple way to arrange for someone to handle your finances if you become incapacitated. A durable power of attorney simply means that the document stays in effect if you become incapacitated and unable to handle matters on your own. Am I passing my assets in the most tax efficient manner?
lifetimes and desire to leave a gift to these charities upon their deaths. It is common for the will to contain language like:
“I hereby give, devise and bequeath XX percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to XYZ charity, located at (address), Federal Tax ID #_______, for the charity’s general use and purpose.”
While this is a generous act, it may not be structured in the most tax efficient manner. In the above case, the executor will have to calculate the value of the estate and then pass the appropriate value, either in dollars or assets, to the charity.
If you have IRA’s or other tax-deferred accounts, it would be a better idea to leave your gift to charity from them, rather than from general estate assets, here’s why: • Distributions from IRAs to charities upon your death avoid income tax, estate tax and probate upon your death. You could leave a gift to charity from your IRA simply by changing your beneficiary designation. Any future changes can be made via the beneficiary designation form as well. • In the sample language above, the assets that will be left to charity, most likely, could have been left to heirs without any taxes associated, but because of the language in the will, they were given to the nonprofit.
Distributing assets to charity and heirs from the right “bucket” is an important item to check off your list. Outright instead of trust
Do you leave the inheritance outright to your heirs or in trust for them? This is a decision that will vary from family to family. Leaving inheritances in trust can give you the ability to control how much and when funds are paid out to heirs. Or, if your heirs are responsible, leaving their inheritance in trust can provide asset protection from bankruptcy, judgements and possibly divorce. This is a decision that should be discussed with your attorney and estate planning professional.
- Printed in the Seniors Are Special newsletter, August 2022.
Reprinted in the Golden Gazette with permission
“I asked Darrell Royal, the coach of the Texas Longhorns, why he didn’t recruit me.” He said, “Well, Walt, we took a look at you, and you weren’t
any good.” - Walt Garrison, Oklahoma State
“We didn’t tackle well today, but we made up for it by not
blocking.” - John McKay, USC
“I’ve found that prayers work best when you have big
players.” - Knute Rockne, Notre Dame
