The actress Bette Davis once remarked that “growing old is not for sissies.”  In trying to plan for one’s elderhood, there are lots of matters that need to be considered.  With the Aging with Grace series, the Hope and Healing Center & Institute (HHCI) is providing an overview in four different areas: health care, legal, living, and financial.  If you are under the age of fifty, don’t dismiss these matters because of your youth – not only is planning important, some of our parents need help in addressing aging matters.  If you have already made plans, this is a good time to review these areas.  Specific content for each of the presentations in HHCI’s Aging with Grace program series includes:

• Health care – rights and responsibilities as a patient. When you go to a new doctor or hospital, you are given information about your rights and responsibilities as a patient? When was the last time you read this document?  We will review some of the key features of advance directives, as well as explain ways that you can assure that your health care wishes will be followed.
• Legal – Aging brings the reminder that we need to consider the legacies of our earthly possessions. If you do not make a plan, the state of Texas has one for you, which may not agree with your own wishes. In addition, there are other legal considerations of aging.  It is important to understand these, as well as understand other documents that may be needed as we age.
• Living – Studies show that most of us prefer to remain in our own homes as we age, but we may need help to do so or may need to consider alternatives. We will present the different living options for seniors, including considerations for obtaining help inside and outside the home, including approximate costs.
• Financial – Aging comes with its own challenging financial issues considering costs and income needs for everything from living arrangements to possible elder care. Individuals and families will learn how to define their financial goals and execute them, and will present some of the considerations in paying for our golden years.

Dr. Determeyer’s Aging with Grace 2018-2019 program series kicks off on October 1, 2018 with a presentation on Healthcare Rights and Responsibilities.  Other presentations in the series include Legal Concerns of Aging on October 8, Understanding Living Options on October 15, and Paying for Aging on October 22.

For more information and to register, please visit the HHCI’s program calendar at https://hopeandhealingcenter.org/events/