Client Education

Canadians continue to put long term care planning on the back burner. "It won’t happen to me. My spouse will look after me". "The kids will look after me" "The government will provide for me" - continue to replace critical steps we all need to take.

These include:

1. Looking after our health. Diabetes and obesity are running rampant among adults - and our children.
2. Talking to our parents and spouses about what we all want as we age.
3. Talking to our financial advisors about what we want as we age and together coming up with a plan to ensure we have the financial and social resources to care for ourselves till the end of life.

This all-too-prevalent attitude to aging and long term care can make talking about it challenging, to say the least.

Why not offer your clients a special event seminar delivered by Karen?

When your clients have heard Karen speak about her personal long term care experience with her father, it becomes impossible for them to deny the reality they face. They become more open to "the conversation".

Topics that appeal to clients include:

• Everybody’s Doing It - Aging That Is. Healthcare/Financial Challenges and Solutions
• Family Caregiving: A Plan for Action
• It’s Never Too Early - or Too Late - to Start the Conversation: Talking to Parents About Their Changing Needs

Long Term Care Planning: A Critical Issue for Women

Women traditionally provide and receive the majority of long-term care services. Thus the issue of long-term care planning should be important to them.

Women are more likely than men to assist aging or disabled family members with the Activities of Daily Living or ADLs. If they care for children under age eighteen while caring for aging family members, this dual caregiving situation can take a toll on their emotions and physical health.

The financial implications can be substantial. The most obvious is the loss of work time and wages, as well as missed business opportunities such as promotions. Thus, caregiving can affect earnings, productivity and ultimately a woman’s quality of life.

A 2006 study by Genworth Financial found women were 60 percent more likely than men to enter a nursing home at some point in their lives and may experience large financial sacrifices in their roles as the predominant unpaid care providers.

Women need education about the costs of care and how they can provide for themselves if necessary.

Karen is working on a special series of seminars for women. The first is:

• Women and Long Term Care Planning: What is the Answer?

Contact Karen for more information.