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Pat Ditter uses a break from caregiving to work on her quilts. Photo by Bob Riler.

 

Bob Riler
For Pierce County ADRC

Ditter is not alone.  According to the National Family Caregivers Association, more than 29 percent of the U.S. population provides care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend.

Like most other caregivers, Ditter couldn’t do it alone.  “Caregiving can get pretty lonely,” she said.  She made a call to the Aging and Disability Resource Center (253-798-4600) and now gets regular help from the Family Caregiver Support Program, a service of Pierce County Community Connections.

Eight hours each week a caregiver from Lutheran Community Services gives her a break and takes the responsibility off her shoulders.   The Family Caregiver Support Program helps pay for that service allowing her to do things, like quilting.

Now, more families who are caring for a loved one will be able to receive a break like that thanks to an increase in funding provided to the Family Caregiver Support Program.  The program provides services that support and sustain the caregiver–spouse, relative or friend–who is caring for a disabled adult 18 years of age or older.

The Washington State Legislature has allocated a 30 percent increase in funding for the program in Pierce County.  The program helps unpaid care providers cope with the stresses and demands of giving care and helps care recipients remain in their own homes rather than have to move into more expensive formal caregiving settings.

“There’s tremendous logic to this increase in funding,” said Connie Kline, Social Services Supervisor with Pierce County.  “A little bit of support provided to a family can prevent or delay people needing much more expensive support.  The Family Caregiver Support Program is a wise investment and a special help to families working to keep their loved ones at home.”

Currently, the program supports 372 Pierce County families.  The enhanced funding will allow an additional 167 families to receive help.

“Eight hours doesn’t seem like a lot but it does wonders for my spirit,” said Ditter.  She had to learn how to accept that help.  “The first few times Joe came and I said to myself, ‘Now what do I do?’  Eventually I learned just how much there is to do.”

The Family Caregiver Support Program provides a number of important services designed to help the caregiver: information about and connection to needed resources and services; education to caregivers on diseases and planning; minor adaptive equipment; help with problem solving and coping skills; therapies to relieve stress and support health; and respite, the kind of help that keeps Ditter going.

Caregivers who receive help from the Family Caregiver Support Program cannot be receiving Medicaid services.  Some services are available on a sliding fee scale while others are available free of charge with a limited maximum allowance per caregiver.

For a few hours each week, Ditter can focus on quilting, a hobby she picked up after retirement.  “John is very proud of what I have produced,” she said.  “Whenever people come over, John points to my quilts and says, ‘Pat did that!’”  And that praise does wonders for her spirit.

More information is available by calling the Pierce County Aging and Disability Resource Center at (253) 798-4600 or (800) 562-0332 or by visiting www.PierceCountyWA.org/FCSP.

Contributing Author by — July 30, 2012 in Spotlight

The Korean War Memorial, designed by Montana artist Deborah Copenhaver Fellows is located at East Campus Plaza next to the Capitol Way skybridge in Olympia.

Washington residents are invited to pay tribute to veterans of the Korean War on Saturday, July 28, as veterans groups gather in Olympia to remember the 59th anniversary of the armistice signing that ended the Korean War.

A special wreathlaying ceremony will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the Korean War Veterans Memorial on the East Capitol Campus, as well as the unveiling of the name of Army Sgt. 1st Class Richard L. Harris of Spokane. Harris was serving with the 2nd Infantry Division in North Korea and was captured during the Battle of the Chongchon in November 1950. During Operation Big Switch in 1953, captured American soldiers were returned and fellow servicemen reported that Harris had died of malnutrition on Jan 22, 1951 while in captivity. In 2005, remains found in a mass burial site in North Korea were identified as Sgt. Harris. Harris was buried at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent April 10 of this year.

All organizations and individuals are welcome to bring flowers and/or wreaths to place during the ceremony. This event marks the 19th anniversary of the dedication of the Washington State Korean War Veterans Memorial.

For information and directions to the memorial, visit http://www.ga.wa.gov/Visitor/korean/koreanwar.htm  or call 1-800-562-0132 option 1.

The Korean War lasted three years, from June 25, 1950, until a cease-fire was signed on July 27, 1953.  535 Washington residents lost their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during this conflict.

Press Release by — July 10, 2012 in Lifestyles

A. Colby Parks
For Senior Scene

No one knows everything.  Yet, we all hate to hear the words, “You should have done this instead.”  To help you avoid that awkward situation, there a few important matters to address before the end of the year 2012.

For example, if you do not have a complete estate plan: do that first.  Even if it only means you name someone to help you manage your affairs if you cannot … do that next.  This will protect you and your estate from losses of privacy and significant amounts of money in a guardianship proceeding.

Additionally, according to a recent article in Forbes magazine (April 2012) more and more people look to the Internet to prepare their own wills and trusts even though commentators,  (see the Forbes article from May 17, 2011), have reported that these do-it-yourself solutions are a recipe for disaster.  Ideally, estate-planning documents are the culmination of a carefully considered financial and estate plan.  A stack of stand-alone homemade documents will not do.  Furthermore, those pesky local details (i.e., the “formalities”) in a well-written and valid legal document vary from state to state.

Internet sites may provide you with documents but no actual advice that fits your particular financial and personal life.  What happens when the laws change?  The law will change at the end of 2012.  Does your internet-guided plan trigger an unnecessary tax if our state and federal tax laws diverge substantially?  Whatever plan you have created, have it reviewed by an estate-planning attorney before the end of the year.

Also, keep in mind that making gifts during your lifetime is a simple and effective estate tax minimization strategy.  IRS regulations allow you to use exemptions now, which may be wiser than waiting to use them at death because the current rules expire at the end of 2012.

Above and beyond the amount you currently are allowed to give away each year ($13,000), the federal exemption amount allowed for transfers during life (gifts) and death (estates) has increased (by indexing) to $5,120,000 per person for 2012.  This is the highest it has ever been since the estate tax was established.  Wealthy individuals, who have the means and desire to do so, should plan on making these gifts during 2012.

Finally, maximize your annual gifting.  Making annual exclusion gifts (in addition to charitable gifts to your church, alma mater, the United Way, etc.) every year to family members, or anyone close to you, (depending on your personal financial situation) is good planning.  Over the long run, you can transfer significant sums of money out of your estate, along with the appreciation, thereby reducing the amount of tax that may be due.

A. Colby Parks practices law in Tacoma and is a member of WealthCounsel, a national association of estate planning attorneys.  You can reach him at (253) 682-1960 or at Colby@tacomacounsel.com

Contributing Author by — July 6, 2012 in Everything Else

Participants from the 2011 tour of Yellowstone National Park. Photo courtesy of Orchard Park Health and Rehabilitation.

Sherrie Kenyon
For the Senior Scene

What if you could teach someone to believe and to fight for their dream?  What if you could help someone to stand in the midst of a tragedy?  Would you?  Each of us is given an opportunity to play a vital role in helping others to overcome obstacles and to achieve their dreams.

Orchard Park Health Care & Rehab Center has been extending healthcare services to families for over 40 years.  Orchard Park staff, along with residents, and family members believe the future of our community is with our children. David Brower, founder of the Sierra Club Foundation and environmentalist, once said; “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.”

The residents have a monthly council meeting to determine what activities and services they need.  Three years ago residents voted to support Orchard Park in extending a hand to help future generations.  “We are committed to developing and implementing person-centered care and services.”  The Resident Council gives residents an opportunity to be involved.  This involvement led to the Boys and Girls Club.  Teaming up with the Pierce County Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Matt and Danny’s Adventure fund, they help give 21 ten-year-olds an opportunity of a lifetime–a five day educational adventure and wildlife experience in Yellowstone National Park.  Looking forward to helping these children is a highlight of the residents at Orchard Park.

The children apply for this opportunity by writing a story describing why they deserve to be picked.  A child from each club is chosen to take a weeklong trip to Yellowstone National Park.  To prepare for the trip, they visit Point Defiance Zoo and Northwest Trek, learning about and experiencing wildlife, ecology and geography.  They also learn about teamwork and being a part of something bigger.

This year’s trip will be in late August.  The boys and girls agree that this is a life changing event.  They come back home with a higher self esteem while caring for and taking care of each other.  Functioning as a group is a high priority for them.  The experience they have, from the plane ride to seeing the wonders of Yellowstone, gives them memories they will carry through their lives.

This program with the Boys and Girls Club is a small part of the wide range of health care services, recreational programs and activities, and social events offered in the long term care at Orchard Park.

Along with long term care, they provide a comprehensive range of restorative and rehabilitative services, including physical, occupational and speech language therapy.  Their goal is to enable each resident to get the skilled care they need to get back on their feet.  The post-surgical rehabilitation program is tailored to meet the needs of each individual patient at Orchard Park.  Skilled professionals from many different areas of expertise use the latest equipment and techniques to ensure the best outcome possible–no matter what the problem.
Over the years, Orchard Park has nurtured a reputation as the premier provider of nursing care and rehabilitation in Pierce County.  They recently won the Bronze Award for commitment to quality from the American Heart Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.  Orchard Park is also one of the few Skilled Nursing facilities that is Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) certified.

For more information on Orchard Park facilities or to donate to the Matt & Danny’s Adventures for the Boys and Girls Clubs, call Melissa McPherson, Marketing and Community Liaison at 253-475-4611 or email: Melissa.McPherson@Reveraliving.com.

Contributing Author by — July 3, 2012 in Everything Else