Sharing the important things with family while gathering at the dinner table may include talk about health care and long-term care
Saturday Night Live recently performed a sketch portraying a family sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner. Like most families, there were one or two relatives who wanted to bring up controversial topics like politics, race, and religion. Each time a family member would chime in with an opinion, the youngest family member played Adele’s music on her stereo, and the family would stop arguing and break into song. This happened over and over again, with the family members taking on more and more characteristics of the singer each time — big hair, dramatic makeup, and fur coats — until they were no longer fighting; only singing.
Thanksgiving is a time that we pause to be thankful for the things we take for granted every day.
Good health, health care, and people to care for us are things we typically take for granted until a situation arises where we are in need. But wouldn’t it be something if we talked about our wishes and needs for our health before a crisis? While the sketch was intended to make light of the difficult conversations that pop up during holidays, for some families, conversations, sometimes very difficult ones, need to take place around this important issue.
November is Long Term Care Month. Thanksgiving presents a great opportunity for parents and their children to talk about long term care. Seventy percent of children over age 25 have not talked to their parents about retirement, finances, or health care. Yet statistics show that while 70 percent of baby boomers will need an average of three years of care in a skilled nursing environment; only 26 percent have made a plan to address this need. With average monthly skilled nursing costs of $5,064 in Missouri and $6,205 in Illinois, ignoring this issue comes with a big price tag, one that many families have not yet planned to afford.
The next step is to move beyond just talking about health care. As we rapidly wind down 2015, consider adding long term care planning to your 2016 resolutions. Talk to your family, then talk to your trusted attorney. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, LLC, our goal is to be in front of the crises and plan for the “what-ifs.” We bring families together, and involve financial and tax professionals to come up with a plan that is as unique as your family. This holiday season, tune in — to your family.
