Page 12 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 16, 2024 August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day N ational Senior Citizens Day is upon us. Since it was signed off on by President Ronald Reagan in 1988, August 21 has been known nationally as Senior Citizens Day. This annual event, now in its 36th year, has raised awareness of so many of the small and large challenges and achievements of our nations’ seniors. According to a recent census, 47 million seniors live in the United States. By 2060, that number will nearly double. Their wealth of knowledge, skill and experience off er so much to the next generation. Additionally, our senior citizens are pioneers of science, medicine, psychology, civil rights and so much more. Their valuable contributions to our communities create better places to live. They deserve the respect and dignity their achievements earn them. EVENTS | FROM PAGE 11 the generous support of the Friends of the Everett Public Libraries. Resume Writing: Shute Adult Department. Book a one-on-one resume assistance appointment at the Shute Library and let a librarian help you craft a resume tailored to your strengths and aspirations. Sign up for a 30-minute session at the Shute Library; Fridays by appointment only. Computer Basics 101: Shute Adult Department. Tech Newbie? No Problem! Learn to power up, click around, type like a pro, explore the digital world and even send your fi rst email. Book your Friday adventure with technology today! By For Advertising with Results, call The Advocate Newspapers (Courtesy of Brookhouse Home) How to celebrate Senior Citizens Day? Spend time with the senior citizens you know. Let them know they are appreciated and loved. It might also be a good day to volunteer at a retirement home. Share your smile with those who might appointment only on Fridays; please call the Shute Library to register for an appointment. Shute Children’s Lizard Story Time: Shute Children’s Department, Monday, August 19, at 11 a.m. Join us for story time with Sunni, the bearded dragon! Picture books will be read aloud as Sunni listens with you! For ages two to six. No registration required. not otherwise get a visitor on that day. Other suggestions from AARP include helping with chores and errands or just doing something fun together while sharing stories and memories. • Host a party: Invite friends and family to celebrate a loved one with their favorite food, music and cake. • Spend time together: Let seniors know they are appreciated and loved. • Volunteer: Volunteer at a retirement home. • Listen: Ask what they want or need and follow through. • Help out: Off er to assist with housework, yard work, errands or transportation. • Teach: Share computer and internet skills. • Participate: Take part in an intergenerational service project. Making Early Decisions By Michelle Woodbrey, CPRS, CDP, CSA W hy do you wear a seatbelt? Is it your intention to crash your car? No. You hope it never happens but if you do get into an accident, the seatbelt will minimize the impact. Having a plan for needing support as you get older is just like that. You hope you never need support but if you do, having a plan will minimize the impact. Do any of us drive anywhere and not put on a seatbelt? No. Aside from our car’s incessant beeping, we know that we are, after all, someone’s parent or grandparent and the most loved person. Even if you don’t want to plan for needing care, maybe do it for the people who love you. Truthfully, everyone needs a plan. That unexpected things happen in life is a guarantee. There are things we can all do now to minimize the impact on our loved ones if something unexpected does happen. In honor of Grandparent’s Day, let’s take a minute to consider what you may need. If something were to happen, we can save our family from the additional overwhelm of fi guring out our passwords, fi nding bank account information and determining what we want to happen if we are ever incapacMichelle Woodbrey is the cofounder of 2Sisters Senior Living Advisors and a contributing expert for the website Excellent Care, Decency, and Optimal Living (ECDOL). She has been working in the fi eld of senior living for over 20 years. itated. Given the chance, most of us would spare our loved ones from the agony of making such impossible life-changing decisions. Well, you have the chance now. Here are some of the things you will need. Start with the important documents. This includes fi nancial power of attorney, health care proxy, DNR if chosen, long-term care and life insurance information, Medicare card, living will, social security card, as well as discharge papers if you were in the military. You can plan ways to communicate your end-of-life wishes, down to the fi nest of details if you want. If we think about what would be needed for a loved one to do and how we can make things easier for them, we can spare them the frustration of figuring out all of our usernames and passwords, finding our account numbers, locations of keys, etc. Just like we pray that we never need a seatbelt, we can put a plan in place for our care with a similar prayer. Important considerations include our living arrangements and care needs. If we want to stay home, we can identify ahead of time what we would need to make that successful. If I were going on a road trip across the country, for example, I would not start driving without some sense of what my route might look like. I would also consider the number of miles and how much gas I need as well as the price of gas. If I don’t do these things, the chances are that I might never actually make it across the country. I could end up stuck somewhere in the middle (no off ense, Kansas). If I do complete the journey, I will have spent a lot of time and resources going in the wrong direction with the best of intentions. Make a plan, put on a seatbelt and do your best to enjoy the ride.
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