Sponsor spotlight: Tips for protecting seniors and their legacy in the pandemic
From the Desk of Peggy Sanders, Elder Law Attorney and Ralph Sanders, Sanders Law Group Seniors are especially at risk during the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers are shocking. Of the current COVID cases in Snohomish County, almost a third are over 60. Of the death rate by age, almost 90% are over 60, with the…
Inslee announces state’s long-term care testing plan
Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday announced the state’s plan to begin broad testing within long-term care facilities . The state Department of Health issued an order that will require widespread testing. Residents and staff in nursing homes will be tested within approximately two weeks, with a completion goal date of June 12. All residents and…
Sponsor spotlight: Ginny’s Girls — Here to help you simplify the downsizing and moving process
Over the last few months, life seems to be in a state of suspended animation while we stay home to stay healthy. With stay-at-home restrictions lifting locally, many people are looking to resume the process of moving, downsizing, or making the transition into assisted living. This process can be challenging for all involved. It is…
Re-imagining Retirement: Consequential happiness
I recently was putting serious time into trying to come up with a new name for a project I was working on, when I came up with consequential happiness, as a possibility. I liked the ring to it; however, it would probably need some explaining, right? I’m actually amazed and disappointed, at the same time,…
Sponsor spotlight: Free legal clinic for seniors Wednesday, June 3 via Zoom
Here’s your chance to ask your burning legal questions, at no charge. A free monthly legal clinic offered by the Edmonds Waterfront (Senior) Center and Sanders Law Group will be available via Zoom and phone Wednesday, June 3. This popular monthly clinic offers 15-minute individual appointments with an elder law attorney. The clinic was canceled…
Sponsor spotlight: What if a stimulus check is received by someone who has died?
Update: Yesterday, May 6, 2020, the Treasury Department officially announced that stimulus checks that had been made out to deceased taxpayers should be returned to the IRS. If the checks were sent by mail, they should be voided and sent back to the IRS. If the payments were made via direct deposit, the taxpayer should…
Sponsor spotlight: Therapeutic Garden Kits – Just in Time for Mother’s Day!
Eldergrow, a Seattle-based therapeutic gardening company, is now going where they have never gone before––your backyard! Launched in 2015, Eldergrow started with a focus on supporting elders in senior living. To celebrate their five-year anniversary, Eldergrow recently unveiled their new Farm-to-Fork Herb Garden & Activity Kit, built to bring the restorative benefits of gardening right…
From the Lynnwood Senior Center: Tips for staying fit during social distancing
The Lynnwood Senior Center’s recently published newsletter, The Messenger, includes a range of advice to help older adults stay engaged and avoid isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak. We will republish some of these, by permission, including this installment on exercise and movement: If you’re used to regular exercise, such as walking or attending a group…
From the Lynnwood Senior Center: Tips for staying engaged in era of social distancing
The Lynnwood Senior Center’s recently published newsletter, The Messenger, includes a range of advice to help older adults stay engaged and avoid isolation during the COVID-19 outbreak. We will republish some of these, by permission, including this installment on staying socially engaged. Stay Engaged — Social Engagement Whether you are quarantined, working remotely or just…
For seniors, positive attitude is key to weathering the COVID-19 shutdown
The COVID shutdown has changed life for all of us, but perhaps no group is more heavily hit than seniors living alone and in long-term care facilities. Daniel Johnson, Executive Director of the Edmonds Waterfront Center, formerly the Edmonds Senior Center, sees this every day. “Those with a partner and large circle of friends and…
Sponsor spotlight: From the desk of an elder law attorney — thoughts on how to be prepared in the pandemic
We’ve been getting calls from family members and loved ones of patients who are in the hospital with corona virus or another serious and possibly terminal illness. They are in a panic because they need someone to prepare a will and powers of attorney for the hospitalized loved one. Heartbreakingly, it’s too late. We can’t…
Lynnwood Senior Center newsletter goes online to reach older adults
During Gov. Jay Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order, the Lynnwood Senior Center has closed its doors — but is still communicating with its members. The senior center has released a special edition of its newsletter, The Messenger, filled with information on how to keep busy and connected; move, eat well and relax; and where…
IRS: Don’t fall victim to a COVID-19 payment scam
The Internal Revenue Service warns Americans to be wary of scams related to forthcoming COVID-19 payments from the federal government. An IRS announcement Thursday notes that the IRS will begin to distribute COVID-19 economic impact payments in a matter of weeks. For most Americans, this will be a direct deposit into your bank account. For those…
MLT restaurant fundraiser focuses on hot meals for area senior citizens
Mountlake Terrace’s 44th Street Sliders said that between now and March 31, it will donate a hot meal to senior citizens for every meal purchased at the restaurant. “With your help, I want to keep my team members employed a social distance and provide 1,500 meals to seniors citizens in South Snohomish County in the…
Sponsor spotlight: You need a power of attorney
With all the excellent advice available about how to protect yourself and loved ones during the coronavirus outbreak, one necessary legal document is often overlooked. It’s a Power of Attorney. You really do need a Power of Attorney (POA.) Why is that? In the event that you become hospitalized or in a care community, the…
An adventure in online grocery shopping: Tips for first-timers
Okay, my wife and I are tech-savvy – to a point. We use a computer, iPad, iPhones. We text, have Facebook accounts; we can navigate YouTube and Messenger. But we don’t use Instagram or Snapchat, we don’t Tweet, we don’t speak ‘WhatsApp” or “weChat,” we don’t know what TikTok does, or “Viber” either. You get…
As worries about virus spread, local agencies look for creative way to support vulnerable seniors
With the continuing spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), local communities have seen closures and cutbacks in programs and services at senior centers and other organizations who target senior populations. Yet, creative measures are being deployed to maintain the most essential services — in particular, meals — to those who depend on them. Lynnwood-based Homage is a key…
New state Covid-19 rules aimed at protecting older adults in nursing homes, living facilities
New state rules were issued Tuesday to ensure that nursing homes and assisted living facilities better protect older adults – a population more likely to be hit by Covid-19 (coronavirus). The rule changes, announced by Gov. Jay Inslee, center around visitors, screening and precautionary measures. “The risk of severe illness and death from Covid-19 appears to…
Homage closes Lynnwood office to the public through March 20
Lynnwood-based Homage, which provides services to older adults and those with disabilities in Snohomish County, announced Saturday it is closing its offices on 196th Street Southwest to the public at least until March 20. All but essential staff will be teleworking “to hope prevent the spread of coronavirus,” Homage said in an announcement. “At Homage,…
Registration opens March 10 for Creative Retirement Institute spring quarter classes
The Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), an organization affiliated with Edmonds Community College, provides non-credit academic-level classes to lifelong learners. Classes are offered weekday mornings and afternoon. Each class normally runs on the same day each week from one to four weeks in a row. Brochures describing the more than 30 courses offered for spring quarter can be picked…
Delayed due to January 2017 fire, Scriber Lake Road senior housing now open
After delays due to a fire that engulfed the construction site three years ago, a senior housing complex is now open on Scriber Lake Road in Lynnwood. The Reserve at Lynnwood — located at 19815 Scriber Lake Road — is an age 55-plus community that features 295 new studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. The five-story…
Sponsor spotlight: Next free legal clinic for seniors March 4 in Edmonds
The Edmonds Waterfront (Senior) Center and Sanders Law Group offers a free monthly legal clinic for seniors, with the next one set for Wednesday, March 4 in downtown Edmonds. Here’s your chance to ask your burning legal questions, at no charge. This popular monthly clinic offers 15-minute individual appointments with an Elder Law Attorney. The…
Sponsor spotlight: Harsin Advanced Tax Strategies presenting workshops on taxes and retirement
Harsin Advanced Tax Strategies is presenting two workshops in March and May related to taxes and retirement. On Thursday, March 19, Dick Harsin, CFP, CPA, president of Harsin Advanced Tax Strategies, will conduct a workshop on the new SECURE Act and the effect it will have on your current IRA distributions — and the major…
Sponsor Spotlight: Spousal trusts — nothing says romance like a visit to your lawyer
Love is lovelier the second time around Just as wonderful with both feet on the ground It’s that second time you hear your love song sung Makes you think perhaps that love, like youth, is wasted on the young Love’s more comfortable the second time you fall Like a friendly home the second time you…
Re-Imagining Retirement: Longevity planning
Longevity planning, I feel, is the answer to the extensive debate and controversy about the need for a new perspective and language on aging. Today’s Boomer retirement is certainly not going to follow “our parents’ idea of retirement.” Like the rocking chair or couch potato images just don’t fit anymore. Should we be called senior,…