What Should Be Number One on Your Retirement To-Do List?
It sure goes by fast, doesn’t it? School, career, family—life. Before you know it, you’re thinking about retirement and that next phase of life.
It’s fun to think about all you’ll do with all that extra spare time. Perhaps you’ll travel, volunteer, or explore extra activities with the grandkids. Maybe you’ll finally be able to devote your talent to that long neglected hobby, or take a class or two.
But an item that may be further down on your list of plans is what you’ll do if you’ll need extra care in the future. It’s an easy point to ignore. After all, it’s not an enjoyable topic to think about and besides, you’re not ready anyway. You’re way too young and any care you may need in the future, well, that sounds like it’s a long way off.
But you may want to rethink that and move future care to number one on your list of what to think about. Statistics show that after age 65, you’ll have more than a 70% chance of needing help with Activities of Daily Living, (ADLs), such as dressing, grooming, and using the bathroom. These are tasks you don’t want to burden your spouse or a family member with. Putting a plan in place for your future care can ease the burden not only financially, but give you and your loved ones peace of mind. Additionally, waiting until you think you’re ready can limit options and choices. And that can be incredibly expensive, depending on what kind of care you may need.
Moving to an exclusively Lifecare senior living community offering a full continuum of care will provide you with a secure plan for the future. Lifecare is a unique and financially smart type of contract that provides residents of a senior living community short- or long-term care—should it be needed later—without an increase to their monthly fee because of the increased level of care. But, what if you decide to remain in your home for retirement—as many do? Choosing to remain at home means it’s imperative that you make other plans for your future care.
Jerry and Fay Shultz had these same thoughts. Parents of three daughters, they had experience with skyrocketing costs of private pay care for a loved one, and they saw firsthand how quickly those expenses can deplete a family’s assets.
So, the Shultzes joined SmartLife VIA Willow Valley, a true Lifecare at Home program offered in Lancaster, Cumberland, Dauphin, and Lebanon Counties. SmartLife is an innovative, membership-based plan that enables seniors to continue their current lifestyle in their home, with the security of knowing they are covered if additional care is ever needed. Families’ assets are better protected with the program’s Lifecare coverage because monthly fees do not increase if a member needs an increased level of care later.
SmartLife gives you the full continuum of lifetime care at age 60 and beyond. From independent living to the highest level of skilled nursing care, your monthly fee will not increase if your level of care is increased. This promise helps to safeguard your assets.
Your personal Smartlife Lifecare coordinator—not your spouse or other family member—arranges everything for your care. This includes your meals during short-term illness, an emergency response system, and transportation, just to name a few.
This was very important to the Shultzes, for themselves, and for their daughters. Jerry explained, “Should I need care, SmartLife will take care of me; not my wife.”
Jerry summarizes the thought process he and his wife went through: “Only when something happens do you realize you’re not going to live forever, so you better get fixed up with whatever you need to do. When SmartLife came, it was the answer. We knew we were going to join SmartLife and stay in our home.”
For more information about how SmartLife VIA Willow Valley can provide future security and peace of mind for you and your family, call 717-299-5673 or visit SmartLife.org.