Providing information for & about individuals over the age of 55
The Washington State Fair in Puyallup is back for its annual 17-day run Sept. 5-21 with a wide variety of entertainment and exhibits of animals, flowers, crafts and art, farm produce and vendors’ products.
The fair, one of the 10 largest in the United States, opens at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on weekends.
Information on admission, special ticket prices and promotions is available at thefair.com and 253-845-1771.
Create a backyard escape with the help of container gardens. Whether you’re looking for a visit to the desert, an English garden or tropical paradise, a few planters can help create the mood.
Reduce your workload and increase your enjoyment with a bit of planning and proper planting.
Select a container with drainage holes and one that mimics the color and feel of the location you are trying to recreate. Use troughs, stone or other containers made from neutral colors when growing succulents. The container should complement, but not overpower the simple beauty of the desert plants.
Keep things warm and natural when going for a more tropical feel. Wicker, bamboo and other natural materials work well with the lush foliage and vibrant colors of tropical plants.
Add a few terra cotta, metal and basket type containers when creating an English cottage setting. Set them on your patio, steps or in the garden to create a focal point.
Keep your plants looking good throughout the season with the proper planting mix. Look for potting mixes with good drainage and water holding abilities, like Schultz Potting Soil Plus (schultz.com). Check the label as some mixes contain enough fertilizer to last the entire season and water-retaining crystals to reduce the need to water.
Use a cactus mix that provides the perfect growing conditions for cacti and succulents. The potting mix should retain the moisture and nutrients the plants need, while providing the excellent drainage that is a must for these plants.
Plant any orchids added to your backyard tropical paradise in a potting mix designed for these plants. Use an orchid mix that has excellent drainage and aeration, yet retains the moisture and nutrients these beauties need to thrive.
Check your planters daily and water thoroughly whenever the top few inches of soil are crumbly and slightly moist. Allow cacti and succulents to go a bit drier.
Mulch the soil in tropical, herb, vegetable and annual container gardens. Spread a thin layer of shredded leaves, evergreen needles or twice shredded bark over the soil surface. Use fine pebbles for cacti and succulents that like things hot and dry.
And don’t forget about garden accents. A wattle fence and arbor of twigs and branches work well for an English garden setting, while a water feature can enhance a tropical paradise themed garden, and some southwest garden art can complete the desert scene you’re going for.
So start your vacation this year with a trip to the garden center. Invest in a few containers, the right potting mix and plants. Then plant your way to the retreat of your dreams.
Gardening expert, TV/radio host, author and columnist Melinda Myers, who wrote th
is article, can be reached www.melindamyers.com
Oftentimes, when we reach a certain age we begin conversations with ourselves, friends and family about where we want to live while we age. Do we stay in our current home, downsize to something smaller, move to a retirement/assisted living community, move in with family, or perhaps consider an alternative housing lifestyle? Regardless of what you choose, making decisions about housing and aging are best done when you have the time and are in good health.
This article focuses on selling your home and purchasing or renting a smaller home or condo. Seniors typically choose to downsize because they no longer need the large family home or they have physical limitations.
Selling your house can be an overwhelming experience for anyone. Downsizing and organizing a lifetime of possessions and treasures can come with additional emotional and physical challenges for seniors. It can also be one of the major reasons seniors decide to stay in their current home. The thought of going through the process of preparing the home for the real estate market and deciding what to keep, gift, sell or donate can be daunting.
These tips may help you downsize and prepare your house for sale:
• Start today with a plan. Whether you have 30 days or three months to move, having a plan will help. Set realistic expectations and consider hiring an expert to help you with the process. Hiring the right agent can have a positive outcome on the process; real estate agents/brokers who specialize in senior’s real estate will have the skills and resources to help you with the process.
• What to do with for your stuff? Divide your home into sections, by rooms or perhaps by collections. Some ideas for groupings include china, holiday decorations, clothing, books, photos, antiques, towels and linens, yard equipment, tools, kitchen stuff.
• Eliminate the clutter. Buyers want to see your house, not your home. You want to showcase your house and not your belongings. Remove excessive yard decorations and debris (cars, wood, etc). You’ll want tidy kitchens, bathrooms, closets and storage areas; remove most items from the flat surfaces of the rooms and furnishings. The house should be tidy, clean and orderly.
• Consider a pre-home inspection. Hire a licensed home inspector prior to putting the home on the real estate market. The inspector’s report will detail areas of repair, maintenance and replacement. Buyers prefer homes that are in move-in condition and that don’t hint at neglect. You’ll get the most money for your home if you can show buyers that your home has been well cared for.
• Make your home shine. Most buyers see your home within the first week of it being on the market. Therefore, you’ll want your home to shine the first day it hits the market. Make sure your shrubs are trimmed, grass is cut and plantings are healthy. Consider painting or power washing the siding and make sure the roof is free of debris and moss. Lighting makes a huge difference; clean windows, remove heavy drapery and provide adequate lighting in rooms.
• Keep it clean, organized and show-ready. Now that the house is ready for sale, it is important to keep it that way. You will need access to your everyday necessities, so arrange these items for easy accessibility while the house is on the market. You’ll want to put valuable possessions and medications out of sight.
If downsizing sounds like a good option for you, but you don’t want to pay a mortgage or tie up money in a home, a reverse purchase may be a good option for you. Never heard of reverse purchase? Most people haven’t. The Home Equity Conversion Mortgage for Purchase (HECM) loan program is a reverse mortgage that is specifically designed to assist people age 62 or older when purchasing a home. This is a Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured loan that allows seniors to use the equity from the sale of a previous residence to buy their next primary home in one transaction.
Regardless of how long they live in the home or what happens to their home’s value, they only make one, initial investment (down payment) towards the purchase. The down payment is approximately 45 to 55 percent of the home’s appraised value, and the rest is placed in a reverse mortgage. The senior will have no mortgage payments until they permanently leave or sell the home. The loan is a non-recourse loan, so if the home sells for less than what is due on the reverse mortgage purchase loan, FHA will pay the difference. If the home sells for more than is due, the senior or heirs will receive the profit.
Juli Anne Cooke and Reb ecca Rainsberger wrote this article. Cooke is the chief executive officer of Real Estate 65 Plus, which serves Pierce County. Rainsberger is with American Advisors Group.
Who’s the better driver – mom or dad?
In a recent national survey, 63 percent of adult children say dad’s a better driver than mom. However, if adult children had to take away their father’s car keys because he’s unsafe to drive, many fear he would get so angry he’d cut them out of the will.
The new poll reveals 79 percent of adult children say telling their parents they’re taking away their car keys because they’re no longer fit to drive is the most uncomfortable conversation they could have with them. Sixty-six percent say it will be more difficult to have the car keys conversation with dad than with mom. And, three out of four adult children believe dad will be more upset than mom if he can’t drive any more.
The survey of 400 adults whose parents are both living, 65 or older and currently driving, was commissioned by Visiting Angels, an in-home senior care company with more than 450 offices throughout the country, including in Pierce, King and Kitsap counties.
When asked how their parents will react to the car keys conversation, poll respondents said dad is more likely than mom to:
• Deny there is a problem (78%)
• Get angry (74%)
• Refuse to give up his car keys (75%)
• Take away some of the inheritance (70%)
• Stop speaking to you (62%)
Mom is more likely than dad to:
• Cry (89%)
• Say she’s relieved she doesn’t have to drive any more (75%)
• Agree with you and hand over her car keys (70%)
The survey reveals more than half (55 percent) of adult children would prefer their siblings have the car keys conversation with their parents. 58-year-old Jeff Cooper, of Phoenix, Ariz., was nominated by his two sisters to have the dreaded car keys conversation with his 85-year-old dad. Jeff talked to his dad four or five times – and each time, his dad was convinced he was still a good driver. Jeff eventually had to call law enforcement and his insurance agency to test his dad. His father failed the tests, and his keys were taken away. Jeff’s father was furious, and he says it would have been nice to have a caregiver help facilitate this difficult conversation with his dad.
Visiting Angels has created a Senior Driving Safety program that can help families address this issue without causing conflict. The company’s in-home caregivers act as a mediator for families during the car keys conversation with senior parents, and are an extra set of eyes and ears for families at home (is dad on medication that makes him drowsy? Is his hearing getting bad? Are there new dents in the car?). The caregivers also drive seniors to the doctor or the grocery store, the top two places respondents worry their parents can’t visit if they can’t drive.
Visiting Angels created a Senior Passenger Aboard sticker that seniors can proudly put on their vehicle while their caregiver drives them where they need to go. This sticker alerts drivers to be cautious around this vehicle, as seniors are more likely to be injured or killed in traffic crashes due to age-related vulnerabilities, such as fragile bones (AAA).
What’s so stressful about taking away parents’ car keys?
• The majority (61%) of respondents fear their parents will become depressed if they can’t drive.
• Nearly half (45%) say it will in some way damage their relationship with their parents.
• 42% say they worry they’ll now have to drive their parents around.
“We often hear how families dread the ‘car keys’ conversation because it’s uncomfortable, emotionally charged and can strip their parents’ feelings of pride and independence. We would rather help families have this conversation than to have them avoid it all together. That’s why we started the Senior Driving Safety Program,†says Larry Meigs, CEO of Visiting Angels. “Our caregivers can help mediate the conversation and drive parents around so they’re not socially isolated and can get wherever they want to go. Plus, our caregivers are trained to spot elderly driving problems adult children often miss.â€