Life Care Center of South Hill, focusing on inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, has opened in Puyallup.
Located a mile from MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital, two-story facility offers 24-hour skilled nursing care, an in-house rehabilitation team, and a 4,800 square-foot rehabilitation gym. Amenities include private rooms, rehabilitation and therapy services, on-site physicians, hospital transportation, restaurant-style dining, and individualized activities.
Life Care announced in April that the new facility had started accepting patients for orthopedic care, cardiac rehabilitation, short-term rehabilitation and long-term care.
Additional information is available at 253-841-6600.
Life Care Centers of America, along with sister company Century Park, operates or manages more than 260 skilled-nursing, rehabilitation, Alzheimer’s and senior living facilities in 28 states. There are 19 locations in Washington. They include Garden Terrace at Federal Way, Life Care Center of Federal Way and Hallmark Manor in Federal Way, Harbor Place at Cottesmore and Cottesmore of Life Care in Gig Harbor, Life Care Center of Port Orchard and Life Care Center of Puyallup.
Life Care Centers of America is based in Cleveland, Tenn.

Life Care Center of South Hill offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation. (Courtesy photo)
Life Care Center of South Hill offers skilled nursing and rehabilitation. (Courtesy photo)

If your loved one died leaving significant debt behind, would you know what to do?
It’s a worrisome question for everyone. Young or old, based on particular debt circumstances or geographic location, death with debt can provide significant problems for surviving family members. Depending on state law and the specific credit relationships involved, they might be shocked to learn that they could be legally liable for a deceased relative’s outstanding debt – anything from unpaid mortgage balances and medical debt to unpaid credit card balances.
Spouses (http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/unexpecteddeath) who may share any kind of debt jointly, particularly credit cards in dual name, could face greater challenges. It also may spell problems for co-signers of any kind of loan.
As with all financial planning, the best time to act is before an issue arises. Watching any family deal with extensive debt problems after a spouse or relative passes on illustrates the need for financial transparency while all parties are alive. No matter how difficult a family member’s credit circumstances are, spouses and adult children should face those circumstances while options are available to deal with any problems.
Spouses can begin by requesting and sharing their three free annual credit reports (https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action) from TransUnion, Experian and Equifax to confirm debt status. Once that information is out in the open, it’s time for the couple or family members to deal with specific circumstances related to that debt. For example, a young couple may have different debt issues than an older, retired couple, but both should consider how they would handle the debts of a spouse or legal partner after death. It can be helpful to meet with a qualified financial or estate expert about ways to extinguish or manage debt issues as part of current financial and estate planning.
It is particularly important for borrowers and their executors to know what categories of the deceased’s debts will likely need to be repaid after their death and other debts that might be canceled or forgiven. Generally, certain forms of unsecured debt held in the deceased’s name alone – like credit cards or federal student loans – may likely be discharged, but check with qualified experts first.
Any kind of debt held in joint name should be evaluated. Spouses, legal partners and family members who have co-signed loans or joint credit accounts of any kind risk payoff responsibility for that debt if their co-borrower dies. Experts can advise how to deal with individual situations.
Experts also may suggest that co-borrowers without credit in their own names apply for a credit card in separate names while their spouse is still alive. A separate credit account, if responsibly managed, can help the survivor qualify for additional credit in their name after a spouse or legal partner dies.
Keep in mind that all debt situations are unique to the individual. For example, a senior who qualifies for nursing home care under Medicaid (public aid) may have family members who will need to sell the senior’s home to address certain expenses after he or she has died. It is best to prepare relatives for that possibility in advance. Separately, a healthy senior relative may leave a home to heirs still under mortgage, or there could be a significant tax debt.
Airing and reviewing these issues in advance can either prepare relatives for certain realities or enable them to solve problems while the relative is still alive.
Bottom line: Dealing with a deceased relative’s debt can add stress at a particularly worrisome time for spouses and relatives. The best option is transparency while relatives are alive so debt issues can be addressed as part of overall estate planning.

Jason Alderman, who wrote this article, directs Visa’s financial education programs.

This year’s Grand Puyallup RV Show will provide a showcase of new RVs, seminars, attractions and manufactured-housing exhibits over four days April 30-May 3 at the Washington State Fair’s Event Center in Puyallup.
“There is no better place to comparison-shop local dealers and see all the new RVs in one convenient location,” said Dave Helgeson, show director.
The show’s hours are Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 if purchased in advance online or $10 at the gate for adults younger than 62 and, $7 (online) or $9 (at the gate) for seniors 62 or older. Children 17 or younger will be admitted free if accompanied by a paying adult.
Free parking will be available all four days at the fair’s Blue parking lot.
Additional information is available at http://puyalluprvshow.com.

The Grand Puyallup RV Show will include the latest models.
The Grand Puyallup RV Show will include the latest models.

Cherished Acres Estates is celebrating the opening of a newly licensed adult family home.

Hopeful House joins Cherished Acres’ three other adult family facilities (Faithful House, Grace House and Wisdom House) on the 24-acre campus in the south Auburn area. Information and referrals are available at 253-740-0341.

Cherished Acres Estates also has an adult daycare center that’s open to the community. Registration and information is available at 253-347-4750 and cherishedacresestates.com.

The owner of Cherished Acres Estates is Jennifer Hendrickx, a retired dental hygienist who worked in private dental offices and nursing homes.