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Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JAnUAry 12, 2024 Say nr Sa ay Seni by Jim Miller Essential Topics You Need to Discuss with Your Aging Parents Dear Savvy Senior, My siblings and I don’t know much about our elderly parent’s fi nancial situation or their wishes if and when something happens to them. They are both in their mid-eighties. What’s the best way to handle this and what all should we know? Apprehensive Daughter Dear Apprehensive, Many adult children don’t know much about their elderly parent’s fi nancial situation or end-of-life plans, but they need to. Getting up to speed on their finances, insurance policies, long-term care plans and other information is important because some day you might have to help them handle their fi nancial affairs or care, or execute their estate plan after they die. Without this information, your job becomes much more diffi cult. Here are some tips that can help. Have the Conversation If you’re uncomfor table talking to your parents about this, use this column as a prompt or see TheConversationProject. org, which off ers free guides that can help you kick-start these discussions. It’s also a good idea to get all your siblings involved too. This can help you head off any possible hard feelings, plus, with others involved, your parents will know everyone is concerned. When you talk with your parents, you’ll need to collect some information, fi nd out where they keep key documents and how they want certain things handled when they die or if they become incapacitated. Here’s a checklist of areas to focus on. PERSONAL INFORMATION Contacts: Make a list of names and phone numbers of your parent’s doctors, lawyer, accountant, broker, tax preparer, insurance agent, etc. Medical information: Make a copy of their medical history and a list of medications they take. Personal documents: Find out where they keep their Social Security card, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc. Secured places: Make a list of places they keep under lock and key such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. Digital assets: Make a list of their digital assets – everything from social media accounts to online banking. It should include usernames and passwords. Pets: If they have a pet, what are their instructions for the animal’s care? End of life: What are their wishes for organ or body donation, and their funeral instructions? If they’ve made pre-arrangements with a funeral home, get a copy of the agreement. LEGAL DOCUMENTS Will: Do they have an updated will or trust, and where is it located? Power of attorney: Do they have a power of attorney document that names someone to handle their fi nancial matters if they become incapacitated? Advance directives: Do they have a living will and a medical power of attorney that spells out their wishes regarding their end-of-life medical treatment? If they don’t have these documents prepared, now’s the time to make them. FINANCIAL RECORDS Financial accounts: Make a list of their bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts, and any other fi nancial assets they have. Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debts they have – mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. Company benefi ts: Make a list of any retirement plans, pensions or benefi ts from their former employers including the contact information of the benefi ts administrator. Insurance: Make a list of the insurance policies they have (life, long-term care, home, auto, Medicare, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents and phone numbers. Property: Make a list of the real estate, vehicles or other properties they own, rent or lease and where they keep the deeds, titles and loan or lease agreements. Taxes: Find out where they keep copies of past year’s tax returns. You’re probably not going to get all this fi gured out in one gathering, so it’s important to keep the conversation going to ensure your parent’s wishes will be accurately executed. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Medford Community Chorale I f you love to sing and you’d like to meet others who love to sing, then you should consider joining the Medford Community Chorale or Medford Community Chorale Youth/Young Adult Chorus. The choruses off er a wide range of musical experience for all and welcome new members! Weekly rehearsals for the organization’s spring concert – A Grand Night for Singing! – begin January 31; Wednesdays at 6 p.m. for youth/young adults / 7 p.m. for adults at the First Baptist Church on 34 Oakland St. (off Salem Street) in Medford Square. Please contact Director Betsy Pesce at 617-3358155 or elizabethpesce@comcast.net for more information. The Medford Community Chorale, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is supported in part by grants from the ArtsAlive Medford Foundation, City of Medford Community Grant Fund, and the Medford Arts Council, which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council. Winter Weather Advisory: Check CO alarms and keep vents clear of snow Blocked vents can cause fatal buildup of colorless, odorless, deadly gas W ith the season’s fi rst signifi cant snow on the books in Massachusetts, State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine is reminding residents to test their carbon monoxide (CO) alarms and keep dryer, furnace and other exhaust vents clear of snow. “Carbon monoxide is a leading cause of fatal poisoning, and home heating equipment is the primary source of carbon monoxide in the home,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “As part of your storm planning, check your CO alarms to be sure they’re working properly, and if an alarm is past the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan, replace it.” Residents should also be sure to keep outside vents clear of falling, drifting, or shoveled snow. In January 2005, seven-year-old Nicole Garofalo died when a heating vent was blocked by snowdrifts outside, allowing carbon monoxide to accumulate inside her Plymouth home. This tragedy led to Nicole’s Law, which requires CO alarms on every habitable level of a Massachusetts residence. “Fuel-fired heating appliances like dryers, furnaces, boilers, and fi replaces are all sources of carbon monoxide,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “If the vent or fl ue is blocked, this poisonous gas can reach deadly levels inside the home. Know where the vents on your home are, be sure to clear them when shoveling, and be careful not to blow snow onto them if using a snowblower.” Massachusetts fi re departments detected CO at nearly 5,000 incidents in 2022, offi cials said, and 90% of these calls were at residential settings. The poison gas can cause headache, fatigue, dizziness and/or nausea at lower concentrations and death at higher concentrations. Exposure while asleep is particularly dangerous. Children, older adults and people with lung or heart disease are especially vulnerable. “We can’t see, smell, or taste carbon monoxide, but we can detect it with working CO alarms,” State Fire Marshal Davine said. “If your alarm sounds, get outside and call 9-1-1.” For more information on carbon monoxide and CO alarms, visit the https://www. mass.gov/info-details/smokeand-carbon-monoxide-alarms y Senior ior nior Calling All Adult and Youth Singers

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