Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 25, 2022

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 25, 2022 


HOW TO HIRE AN IN-HOME HELPER FOR AN AGING PARENT 

Dear Savvy Senior,
I would like to hire an in-home helper for my 82-year-old 
mother to assist with household chores like housekeeping, 
grocery shopping and driving her to the doctor, etc. But mom 
doesn’t require any personal/physical caregiving, nor does 
she require any home medical care. Any tips to help us find 
someone? Searching Sarah 

Dear Sarah,
Getting your mother some help at home to handle some of 
her day-to-day chores is a smart idea that can make a big 
difference keeping her independent longer. Here’s are some 
tips to help you find someone reliable. 

In-Home HelpFor seniors who could use some help at home – but 
don’t need a caregiving aide for personal care – there are 
homemakers/home helpers you can hire that can help make 
life a little easier. 

Most in-home helpers can assist with any number of 
things like shopping, running errands, transportation, 
light housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, arranging 
services (home maintenance, lawn care, etc.) and other 
household chores, along with providing companionship 
and support. And, if your mom gets to the point she needs 
personal/physical care like bathing or dressing, many home 
helpers can assist with this too. 

Most home helpers are part time workers who work a few 
hours a day or a few days per week. 

You also need to know that while Medicare does cover 
home health care services if a doctor orders it, they do not 
cover in-home homemaker/helper services. 

There are two ways in which you can go about hiring 
someone for your mom; either through a home care agency, 
or you can hire someone directly on your own. 

Home Care AgencyHiring a home helper through a non-medical home care, or 
non-medical companion care agency is the easiest, but most 
expensive option of the two. Costs typically run anywhere 

pre-screened staff to care for your mother and finding a 
fill-in on days her helper cannot come. 

Some of the drawbacks, however, are that you may not 
have much input into the selection of the aide, and the 
helpers may change or alternate, which can cause a 
disruption. 

To find a home care agency in your area, use search 
engines like Google or Yahoo and type in “non-medical 
home care” followed by the city and state your mom lives 
in. Or you can use Medicare’s home health services search 
tool at Medicare.gov/care-compare – click on “home 
health services.” Most home health agencies offer some 
form of non-medical home care services too. You can 
also check your local yellow pages under “home health 
services.” 

Hiring Directly 
Hiring a personal assistant/home helper on your own is 
the other option, and it’s less expensive. Costs typically 
range between $12 and $20 per hour. Hiring directly 
also gives you more control over who you hire so you can 
choose someone who you feel is right for your mom. 

But be aware that if you do hire someone on your own, 
you become the employer so there’s no agency support to 
fall back on if a problem occurs or if the assistant doesn’t 
show up. You’re also responsible for paying payroll taxes 
and any worker-related injuries that may happen. If you 
choose this option, make sure you check the person’s 
references thoroughly and do a criminal background 
check. 

To find someone, ask for referrals through friends or you 
can search online at sites like Care.com or CareLinx.com. 

from $15 to $25 an hour depending on where you live. 

For more information on hiring in-home help for your 
mom, the Family Caregiver Alliance offers a helpful 

How it works is you pay the company, and they handle 

guide that you can access at Caregiver.org/resource/ 

everything including assigning appropriately trained and 

hiring-home-help. 


FAMILY MATTERS

 By Marc Garlett 

3 REASONS WHY SINGLE FOLKS WITH NO 
CHILDREN NEED AN ESTATE PLAN 

The fact is that many people who are single without children 
will eventually marry or form other relationships. 
In addition, many parents are single yet have children. 
Yet, for other young adults, staying single and childless 
is a matter of choice. And if trends hold, the number of 
single, childless households is likely to increase in the 
coming years. 

While most adults don’t take estate planning as seriously 
as they should, if you are single with no children, you 
might think there’s really no need for you to worry about 
creating an estate plan. But this is a huge mistake. In fact, 
it can be even MORE important to have an estate plan if 
you are single and childless. 

If you are single without kids, you face several potential 
estate planning complications that aren’t an issue for 
those who are married with children. And this is true 
whether you’re wealthy or have very limited assets. Indeed, 
without proper estate planning, you’re not only 
jeopardizing what wealth and assets you do have, but 
you’re putting your life at risk, too. And that’s not even 
mentioning the potential conflict, mess, and expense 
you’re leaving for your surviving family and friends to 
deal with if something unexpected happens to you. 

If you’re single and childless, consider these three inconvenient 
truths before you decide to forego estate 
planning. 

1. Someone Will Have to Handle Your Stuff 
Whether you’re rich, poor, or somewhere in between, in 
the event of your death, everything you own will need to 
be located, managed, and passed on to someone, which 
can be a massive undertaking in itself—one that few families 
are properly prepared for. 
In fact, following a loved one’s death, American families 
spend an average of 500 hours and $12,700 over an average 
of 13 months (20 month if probate is required) to 
finalize their deceased loved one’s affairs and settle their 
estate, according to the first annual Cost Of Dying report 
released this March by tech startup Empathy in partnership 
with Goldman Sachs. 

On top of the logistical complications involved with finalizing 
your affairs, without a clear and comprehensive 
estate plan, including at least a will – and often a trust 

- your assets may have to go through the court process 
of probate, where a judge and state law control who gets 
everything you own. And in the event no family steps forward, 
your assets can become property of the state. 
Why give the state everything you worked to build? And 
even if you have little financial wealth, you undoubtedly 
own a few sentimental items, maybe even including pets, 
that you’d like to pass to a close friend or favorite charity. 

It’s rare for someone to die without any family members 
stepping forward. It’s far more likely, however,that some 
relative you haven’t spoken with in years will come out of 
the woodwork to stake a claim. Without a will or trust, 
state intestacy laws establish which family member has 
the priority inheritance. If you’re unmarried with no 
children, this hierarchy typically puts parents first, then 
siblings, then more distant relatives like nieces, nephews, 
uncles, aunts, and cousins. 

Depending on your family, this could have a potentially 
troubling—and even deadly—outcome. For instance, 
what if your closest living relative is your estranged 
brother with serious addiction issues? Or what if your 
assets are passed on to a niece with poor money-management 
skills, who is likely to squander her inheritance? 

And if your estate does contain significant wealth and 
assets, this could lead to a costly and contentious court 
battle, with many of your relatives hiring expensive lawyers 
to fight over your estate. In the end, this could tear 
your family apart, while making their lawyers rich—all 
because you didn’t think you needed an estate plan. 

I’m sure that’s not what you want. But unfortunately, I see 
it happen all the time. 

2. Someone Will Have Power Over Your Healthcare 
Estate planning isn’t just about passing on your assets 
when you die. In fact, some of the most critical aspects 
of estate planning have nothing to do with your money 
at all, but are aimed at protecting you while you’re still 
very much alive. 
Proactive planning allows you to name the person you 
want to make healthcare decisions for you in the event 
you are incapacitated and unable to make such decisions 
yourself. This is done using an estate planning tool 
known as a medical power of attorney. 

For example, without a medical power of attorney in 
place, if you’re incapacitated due to a serious accident or 
illness and unable to give doctors permission to perform 
a potentially risky medical treatments, it would be left up 
to a judge to decide who gets to make that decision on 
your behalf. 

If you have a romantic partner but haven’t granted him or 
her medical power of attorney, the court will likely have a 
family member, not your partner, make those decisions. 
And that person may make decisions contrary to what 
you or your partner would want. 

And if you don’t want your estranged brother to inherit 
your assets, you probably don’t want him to have the 
power to make life-and-death decisions about your medical 
care, either. But that’s exactly what could happen if 
you don’t put a plan in place. 

Furthermore, your family members who have priority to 
make decisions for you could keep your dearest friends 
away from your bedside in the event of your hospitalization. 
Or family members who don’t share your values 
about the type of food you eat, or the types of medical 
care you receive, could be the one’s making decisions 
about how you’ll be cared for. 

To address these issues, you need to implement an estate 
planning tool that provides specific guidelines detailing 
exactly how you want your medical care to be managed 
during your incapacity, including critical end-of-life 
decisions. This is done using an estate planning vehicle 
known as a living will. 

Bottom line: If you are single with no kids, you need to 
create an estate plan to name healthcare decisions-makers 
for yourself and provide instructions on how you 
want those decisions made should you ever become incapacitated 
and unable to make those decisions yourself. 

3. Someone Will Get Power Over Your Finances 
As with healthcare decisions, if you become incapacitated 
and haven’t legally named someone to handle your 
finances while you’re unable to do so, the court will pick 
someone for you. The way to avoid this is by granting 
someone you trust durable power of attorney. 
A durable power of attorney is an estate planning vehicle 
that gives the person you choose the immediate authority 
to manage your financial, legal, and business affairs if 
you’re incapacitated. This agent will have a broad range 
of powers to handle things like paying your bills and taxes, 
running your business, collecting your Social Security 
benefits, selling your home, as well as managing your 
banking and investment accounts. 

Without a signed durable power of attorney, your family 
and friends will have to go to court to get access to your 
finances, which not only takes time and money, but it 
could lead to the mismanagement—and even the loss—of 
your assets should the court grant this authority to the 
wrong person. 

What’s more, the person you name doesn’t have to be a 
lawyer or financial professional; it can be anybody you 
choose, including both family and friends. The most 
important aspect of your choice is selecting someone 
who’s imminently trustworthy since they will have nearly 
complete control over your finances while you remain 
incapacitated. 

Don’t Leave So Much At Risk 
Given these potential risks and costs for yourself and 
those you care about, it would be foolhardy to ignore or 
put off these basic estate planning strategies just because 
you if you are single and without kids . Identifying the 
right estate planning tools is easy to do, and it begins with 
a consultation with a qualified estate planning attorney 
who will consider everything you own and everyone you 
love, and guide you to make informed, educated, and empowered 
choices for yourself and your loved ones. 

In the end, it will likely take just a few hours of your time 
to make certain that your assets, healthcare, and finances 
will be managed in the most effective and affordable 
manner possible in the event of your death or incapacity. 
Don’t leave your life and assets at risk or leave a mess 
for the people you love; get your estate planning handled 
today.
Best, 

Marc Garlett, Esq.
Cali Law Family Legacy Matterswww.caliLaw.com 626.355.4000 

SENIOR HAPPENINGS 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY! …June Birthdays* 

Melinda Rogers,Joanne Thrane, Nellie Haynes, Dorothy McKay, Diane 

Hatfield, Georgette Dunlay, Elizabeth Shul, Donna Doss, Mary Carney, Carol 

Handley, Marilyn McKernan, Pat Fujiwara, John Shier, Beth Smith-Kellock, 

Ann Disbrow, Joan Ellison, Anne Montgomery, Trini Ornelas, Martha Spriggs, 

Pat Starkey, Kathleen Coyne, Suzanne Decker, Jacque Persing, Jeanne Peterson and Grace 

Sanders 

To add your name to this distinguished list, please call the paper at 626.355.2737. 

YEAR of birth not required 

THE HART PARK HOUSE SENIOR CENTER IS OPEN!!!! 
SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB Every Saturday from 11:30am-3:30 pm in the 
Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and pay 
BINGO. Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951. 

DOMINOES TRAIN GAME Wednesday, 5/18 11:00 am— 12:30 pm Hart Park 
House The object of the game is for a player to play all the tiles from their hand onto 
one or more trains, emanating from a central hub or “station”. Call Lawren with questions 
that you may have. 

PAINT PALS 

Tuesday, 5/10 & 5/24, 10:30 am—Hart Park House If you enjoy painting, sketching, 
water color, or making some other form of artistic creation please join our new 
program, PAINT PALS!!! Bring a project that you are working on to the HPH and 
enjoy some quality art time with other artists looking to paint with a new pal. 

TEA AND TALK SENIOR BOOK CLUB Tuesday, 5/25— 9:00 am Staff has 
launched a new book club series, Tea and Talk, which meets twice a month to discuss 
the fun, suspense, intrigue, love and so much more that each selection will have in 
store! 

FIBER FRIENDS Tuesday, 5/17 —10:00 am If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, 
embroidery, needlepoint, bunka, huck, tatting or cross stitch then we have a group 
for you! Bring your current project, a nonalcoholic beverage, then sit and chat with 
likeminded fiber friends. We meet in the Hart Park House 

BINGO Monday 5/16 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm Come on down to enjoy this time with 
friends. We are trying a new spin on BINGO fun so please bring your good luck 
charms and BINGO markers! 

CHAIR YOGA Every Monday and Wednesday, 10-10:45 am Please join us for some 
gentle stretching, yoga, balance exercise and overall relaxation with Paul. Classes are 
ongoing and held in the Memorial Park Covered Pavilion or the Hart Park House.. 

HULA AND POLYNESIAN DANCE Every Friday, 10-10:45 am Bring a lei, your 
flower skirt or just your desire to dance! Hula in the Park is back and waiting for you 
to join in on all the fun! Memorial Park Pavilion. 

SENIOR CINEMA WEDNESDAY, 5/25 1:00 PM 
MERMAIDS 1hr 50min An unconventional single mother relocates with her two 
daughters to a small Massachusetts town in 1963, where a number of events and relationships 
both challenge and strengthen their familial bonds. 

SIERRA MADRE SENIOR CLUB 

Every Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in the Hart Park House Senior Center. Join us 
as we celebrate birthdays, holidays and play BINGO. 

Must be 50+ to join. For more information call Mark at 626-355-3951 

OUT TO PASTOR 

A Weekly Religion Column by Rev. James Snyder 

IS GROWING UP REALLY THAT IMPORTANT? 


After seven decades of 
walking on this earth, I 
assumed I had heard and 

experienced it all. Then, several days ago, 
I had a significant throwback in time.
I don't know exactly what I was doing, but 
I was exercising my right to do some good 
juvenile pranking. Nothing is more exciting 
than reaching into my past for an old-
time prank. There are so many that I can't 
remember which one it was. 
At the end of my juvenile prank, The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage turned 
around, stared at me, and said very frankly, 
"Are you ever going to grow up?"
When I heard that, I froze in my tracks. 
Suddenly I was not hearing my wife's 
voice but rather my mother's. I have never 
been so rattled before in my life.
When I was young and got into trouble, 
my mother would always say, "Son, when 
are you going to grow up?"
I usually laughed at her because growing 
up was not part of my agenda at that time.
Looking back over my life, I wonder if 
growing up is that important? And, what 
does it mean to grow up?
With all the trouble and chaos in our 
world today, there is so much sadness 
and so very little to cure it. Then, I go to 
a playground area and see children running 
around, laughing, and having a great 
time. Their activity at the playground has 
nothing to do with what's happening in 
the world. 
Watching them, I get very envious.
To a certain extent, I have "grown-up," 
whatever that means. But thinking about 
it, does growing up ever come to a finish 
line? Do I have to live all my life trying to 
"grow up?"
We were talking with a couple the other 
day, and the wife said something to the effect 
that her father was going through his 
second childhood. So I looked at her and 
said quite seriously, "What's wrong with 
that?" To which she could not give me a 
good answer.
Maybe it's a good idea to enter into your 
Second Childhood. After all, you have the 
experience of going through your First 
Childhood so the Second Childhood can 
be entered with a great deal of expertise. 
That sure makes sense to me. 
As I pondered this, I couldn't help but ask 
myself, "Is there a Third Childhood?” If 
there is, it must be the most fantastic time 
in a person's life.
Throughout my First Childhood, my 
mother nagged me about growing up as if 
it were my personal responsibility. Is that 
not the job of mothers and fathers?
Thinking along this line, I often wonder 
what my mother had in mind when she 

asked me if I would ever grow up. She 
never gave me any instructions along 
this line. She just nagged me to grow up. 
I think she should have given me a few 
instructions along this line, and maybe 
I would have grown up according to her 
specifications.
When a person grows up, what does that 
really mean? And when does that take 
place?
It didn't matter what kind of trouble I 
was in when I was young; my mother always 
had the same advice about growing 
up. During several of those moments of 
trouble, I did not understand how growing 
up would have anything to do with the 
trouble I was in at the time. 
Looking back, I think my mother told 
me to grow up because she had no other 
solution for the trouble I was in. After 
all, there's trouble of all kinds when 
you're young, and I'm not sure growing 
up would ever make any difference at all. 
Sometimes trouble was worth it. Just don’t 
tell my wife.
The thing that concerns me is that now 
I am officially grown-up, The Gracious 
Mistress of the Parsonage finds an occasion 
to ask me when I will grow up. So 
what is she seeing that I don't see?
When my mother told me to grow up, 
it was in a completely different environment. 
But, when my wife tells me to grow 
up, I'm not quite sure where I'm at because 
I thought I had already grown up.
As I was thinking about this, I couldn't 
help but remember our friend's father 
who was entering his second childhood, 
and was wondering if maybe my wife 
thinks I'm entering my second childhood. 
So how can you tell if you are entering a 
second childhood? Because if I'm going 
into a second childhood, I want to be well 
prepared to experience it to the utmost. I 
don’t want to miss a single prank. If I'm 
going to my second childhood, I want 
people around me to notice that I have yet 
to grow up.
My opinion is that growing up may not 
be the accomplishment that many people 
think. Before I was "grown-up," I had the 
time of my life with no worries whatsoever. 
I sure do miss those good old days 
before I grew up.
Thinking about this I was reminded of 
the spiritual aspect of this growing up. Peter 
writes about it and says, “But grow in 
grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory 
both now and for ever. Amen” (2 Peter 
3:18).
As a Christian my challenge is not to relive 
the past but to grow daily in such a way as 
Christ is glorified in our experience. 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com