Issue 35.09

Macular degeneration is a medical condition usually of older adults that results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina.  It occurs in “dry” and “wet” forms.  It is a major cause of blindness in the elderly.  Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision can remain to allow other activities of daily life.

The inner layer of the eye is the retina, which contains nerves that communicate sight, and behind the retina is the choroid, which contains the blood supply to the retina.  In the dry form, cellular debris called drusen accumulates between the retina and the choroid, and the retina can become detached.  In the wet form, which is more severe, blood vessels grow up from the choroid behind the retina, and the retina can also become detached.  It can be treated with laser, and with medication that stops and sometimes reverses the growth of blood vessels.

Vitamins are very important to our eyes but how do we know what to take?  As the average lifespan continues to increase, we can expect to see more cases of eye disease related to the older population, namely age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.  Both conditions already are significant causes of visual loss in the United States, and they have become major public health issues in the rest of the world.  More than 13 million Americans older than age 40 show signs of Age related Macular Degeneration,

(ARMD).  The National Eye Institute completed the first stage of a study called Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).  The first stage of AREDS was designed to:

§  learn more about the natural history and risk factors of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataract

§  evaluate the effect of high doses of antioxidants and zinc on the progression of AMD and cataract

Results from the AREDS 1 study showed that high levels of antioxidants and zinc significantly reduce the risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its associated vision loss.  These same nutrients had no significant effect on the development or progression of cataract.

For more information please call Richens Eye Center at 435-652-4040.

Issue 35.09

Creating a durable power of attorney can be helpful to your family in the event you become incapacitated.  An accident, health crisis, or diseases of age may render you unable to manage your affairs.  Someone will need to pay bills, manage investments, and make important financial decisions for you.  A “durable” power of attorney allows the person you choose to act for you.  That person is called your “agent.”  Your agent has authority to act for you during the time that you are incapacitated. 

Making a durable power of attorney gives your agent the authority to act for you but only according to the terms of the power of attorney.  Your agent must act in your best financial interest at all times and in accordance with your wishes as stated in your power of attorney document. 

A durable power of attorney can give your agent broad powers over your property.  Broad powers are usually necessary to be sure that your agent has the flexibility and power to deal with the many issues that might come up in managing your affairs.  Because an agent’s powers are often so comprehensive, some worry that the agent might abuse them.  If that is a concern, you should consider the use of special power of attorney known as a “springing” durable power of attorney.  A springing durable power of attorney restricts your agent from acting on your behalf until you are determined to be incapacitated.  At that time, and only at that time, your agent’s authority “springs” into existence.  In your springing durable power of attorney, you set the standard for how your incapacity is to be established, such as by the written statement of your physician, by two physicians, or by a trusted family member or advisor, as examples. 

Describing how your incapacity is to be established avoids costly and public court proceedings to determine your incapacity.  I can help you decide which form makes the best sense for your circumstancesGreat care should be taken in choosing your agent.  That person should know your general intentions concerning your property and be financially secure, competent, trustworthy, and willing to take on the burden of your affairs.  If you do become incapacitated without having created a durable power of attorney and you have financial affairs that need to be addressed, your family will have to petition the court to determine your incapacity and appoint a conservator to manage your property.  Because of that unwanted possibility, most estate plans should include a durable power of attorney.

Sean Sullivan is a shareholder with the firm of Brindley Sullivan, PC, 382 S. Bluff, Ste. 150, St. George, UT 84770, (435) 673-9220.

Issue 35.09

Last week I visited some clients in Southern California.  Flying into SoCal is always an adventure.  It is a busy area with commercial and private traffic from several major airports.  Add to the congestion the morning marine layer or “soup” as pilots call it, and the adventure can become a little intimidating.

When I fly to SoCal I always prepare a very thorough flight plan.  Airplanes rarely travel in a straight line, but instead follow designated roadways in the sky.  These roadways contain intersections, altitude requirements, and sometimes even speed limits.  In preparing a flight plan a pilot must take into account wind speeds, weather conditions, terrain and other factors.  The goal is to arrive at your destination on schedule and with a high degree of safety.  It is always nice if Air Traffic Control allows you to follow your prepared flight plan, but in SoCal that is rarely the case.

Inevitably, as you enter the crowded California skies ATC will inform you they are altering your flight plan.  Suddenly you find yourself being “vectored” to a new intersection or airway that you had not planned on.  It is challenging enough to fly a plane in the clouds, but having to look through a pile of maps for the new intersections can add a great deal of unwanted stress.  These are not times for the faint of heart or those who are unprepared to adjust their plans.  There are many pilots who avoid flying into SoCal for just this reason.  I however, have found that if I am well prepared, the changes from ATC are manageable and merely result in a different course for getting to the same place.  The ability to accept and adapt to a changing environment is key to being a safe and successful pilot.

It is not uncommon for investors to be frightened by change.  They resist adapting and instead hold tight to plans made years ago.  Or worse, they lock their money up for years in products where change is not possible.  They sometimes forget that the destination is the key ingredient, but the way of getting there will likely need to change over time.

As we enter the fall of 2009 we have just finished a few months of stock market rally.  I suspect that change is on the horizon again and those who are prepared to make adjustments will have the highest likelihood of reaching their destination.

Dan Wyson, CFP®  is author of the book “21 Financial Myths” and owner of Wyson Financial. 1173 S. 250 W #305 St. George 435-986-9525 - Securities offered through LPL Financial FINRA/SIPC.

Issue 35.09

Just a little over a week ago, I was ready for another business trip.  Now, even though I had had this particular trip planned for quite some time, my busy schedule influenced me to put off phoning ahead for my rental car.

By the time I had finally gotten around to it, I discovered that the only options less would cost me double what I normally paid and that the cars I was able to choose from were of a lesser quality than I normally drive.  Not only was the car lesser in quality, but it wasn’t very well cleaned either.

How many times has this happened to you?  How many times have you procrastinated your plans and your to-do lists only to find out that the last-minute options aren’t as good as the ones you had originally planned on?

If I had called even a week before I did, I would have paid less for a nicer car.  Instead, I put it off until all that was left was a small car that was poorly cared for.  The reason I bring this up is to also point out that our economy is always changing.  Do you know that the options you are looking forward to will still be available in the future?  If your money isn’t prepared for the changes in our economy, you might end up with higher bill, less income and a lesser quality financial plan than you had originally intended.

I always urge my clients to think ahead.  I want their money to be secure and the only way to guarantee that is to start now.  Right now.  Who knows what financial options will be available in the future?  Like I mentioned before, if I had acted simply one week before I did then I could have had a much nicer rental car for a lower price.  The same mentality applies to your finances.

Maybe you’ve thought about what you want to do with your money, but still haven’t taken the time to actually take steps toward that goal.  I would love to sit down for a free visit with you and learn about the goals you have for your money and for your lives.  Please feel free to give me a call at (435)773-9444 to set up your free visit now.

Issue 35.09

The LDS Church has created a new temple and family history web site found at new.familysearch.org to improve the process for organizing ancestral information and submitting names to the temple.  This new web site replaces the current process of submitting names to the temple through TempleReady.

After registering on the Internet at new.familysearch.org , members can view their pedigree information and see ancestors’ names appear in the new web site.  They can also see what temple work has been performed for each ancestor.  Related family members can also view any new information as it is entered into the new.familysearch.org web site.  Those individuals who enter information into the new.familysearch.org web site may add or make changes as they deem necessary.

The improvements of this program include 1) All steps needed to prepare and submit names for temple ordinances can be done at home, at a family history center, or anywhere the Internet is available for personal use with the new.familysearch.org web site.  TempleReady will be removed from family history center computers after the new system is in place.  2) Computer disks will no longer be required.  All information needed to prepare temple name cards will be printed from the new.familysearch.org web site for use by the temple . This printed form is called a Family Ordinance Request (FOR) and contains a bar code and the list of ancestor names with the temple ordinances to be performed for each.  The bar code is scanned at the temple to print the temple name cards.  3) The International Genealogical Index (IGI), Ancestral File, and Pedigree Resource File have been combined with selected Church Membership information to create a single, lineage-linked database that can be viewed in a common pedigree tree in the new.familysearch.org web site.  Using this pedigree tree view, members will know at a glance if their ancestors need temple ordinances.  4) Members may easily coordinate family history efforts with other family members and preserve family information in a single, secure place.

Remember, go to new.familysearch.org and click on Register for the new FamilySearch.  You will need your LDS Membership Record Number and confirmation date. 

Shanna Sullivan Jones is a professional genealogist now accepting new clients.  For additional information, Shanna can be reached at (435) 628-4900 or shannasjones@msn.com.

Issue 35.09

Tucked away in shady canyons throughout the west are deserted mining towns.  Once prosperous communities filled with saloons, humble shacks, boarding houses, hotels, a church or two, a school and a few stores; now they are all gone.  Few traces are left: an old foundation, the steps leading to a church building or a lilac bush where someone’s house once stood.

My mom was born is such a town––Silver City, Utah.  Just the name of the community gives a hint of what took place in this long forgotten ghost town.  Once filled with the boisterous activities of a booming mining community, now only silence reigns as the lonely wind blows through sagebrush and over deserted dirt roads.  Only in the memory of its former residents does it live.  My aunt Ethel remembers…Here we went to school.  This was where our mom planted flowers to beautify our yard. A big tree stood by our house and we had a rope we loved to swing on.  There was an outhouse in the back and a small shed where mom took in boarders.

To keep a community going, many different occupations were needed: store keeper, hotel manager, miner, laborer, team driver, assayer, saloon keeper, teacher, preacher and of course homemaker for those miners lucky enough to be able to marry or bring their families to live with them.  Not to be forgotten were the farmers, butchers and dairymen from the surrounding communities needed to supply food.

Reading through a census from the prosperous times of any of these mining towns shows a vast collection of immigrants from all over the world drawn by the promise of a steady living for their families.  In the 1910 U.S. census, Silver City had miners from: Serbia, Germany, England, as well as various areas of the United States: Colorado, Ohio, and California.  All brought by the promise of a good job and getting rich, if they were lucky enough to stake a claim that produced.  Few became rich, but it was the American dream.  Many lost their lives in this dangerous profession.

The town started to go under when the mines got water in them.  It couldn’t be pumped out to make mining profitable, so the workers and their families pulled up stakes and headed to the next boom town.  In time everyone left the once bustling community and now it lies forgotten and empty.

Issue 35.09

It’s been only a year since Social Security’s Retirement Estimator went online, but you’d never know it based on the praise it continues to receive from users.  It was rated the best online service in government by the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) for Federal Websites in February 2009.  In the most recent ACSI report, the Retirement Estimator tied for first place with Social Security’s online application.

The Retirement Estimator is so popular, in fact, that people have visited the website more than three million times in the past year.  You can visit it yourself online at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

The online Retirement Estimator is a convenient, secure and quick financial planning tool that lets workers calculate how much they might expect to receive in Social Security benefits when they retire.  The attractive feature of this calculator is that it uses your earnings information on file at Social Security, without displaying your personal information.  So you get an instant estimate of your future retirement benefits.  And, it’s so easy to use.

The Estimator even gives you the opportunity to run personalized scenarios and “what if” situations.  For example, you can change the date you expect to retire or change expected future earnings to create and compare different retirement options.  This can help you as you plan ahead.

To use the Retirement Estimator, you must have enough Social Security credits to qualify for benefits and you must not be receiving benefits currently.

Experience the best online service in government now by visiting Social Security’s Retirement Estimator at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.  Then, once you’ve sketched out your retirement plans, you’ll know where to go when the time comes to apply for benefits:  www.socialsecurity.gov.

Issue 35.09

See if any of these sound familiar.  “Simplistic typing job will allow you to remain home.”   “Legitimate work at home job, no experience needed “  “Make Money Taking Surveys Online”  “Become Certified in Medical Billing and Coding.” “Looking for a Fling?” (oops, how did that last one get in here?)  These and many others like them are titles of emails and pop-ups or other ads I have seen on the internet just this morning.  

Having been in the radio, internet and newspaper businesses, I have a slightly jaundiced view of most advertising, especially unsolicited advertising.  There are only three reasons to advertise.  You are either 1) trying to create a desire or perceived need for an unnecessary product or service, 2) Trying to get people to give you money (usually by preying on their needs or greed), or 3) informing people about a product, service or short-term special deal that they don’t already know about.  The third one is the only one that I personally feel is worthwhile and in integrity.  Most ads you see in the email box are of the second type and they are generally going to give you as little as possible in return.

Here are two I personally investigated. “Make money taking surveys online” sounded interesting.  If it was legitimate, my single-mom daughter could do that and stay at home, spending more time with her children.  What I found was a group of connected companies that want me to pay them for training so that I can be successful taking surveys or doing other on-line chores.  They guarantee my “tuition” fee back (but not the materials or exorbitant shipping and handling costs) if I don’t “break even” in one year.  Not much of a guarantee.

My daughter did sign up for the “Medical transcriptionist” course at a fairly steep price.  She worked hard, but as she got closer to “certifying”, the lessons they sent her were harder and harder.  The voices of the “doctors” that she was transcribing became mostly unintelligible.  She got very frustrated and quit.  She felt that they were trying to stop her from getting the certification.  We found when she got her courage up to ask if she could continue, that she would have to start over completely and pay the full tuition again.  Not a good experience.

I have talked with one woman who completed a similar course and works in the field.  I would be happy to hear from any of you who have had success with on-line money makers and I will report them here.  In the mean time, my rule of thumb is “If you didn’t ask for it, it probably is something you don’t want.”  Add the fact that many of these companies are also just trying to collect information about you, your address, banking info, etc. they can use or sell to others.  It can also be a way to introduce a virus into your computer.

So, as always, stay safe and happy computing.

Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 27 years (locally with Musicomp & Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions, you can reach him at 668-7118.

Issue 34.09

Did you know that 20.5 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts, one of the most curable causes of vision loss?

To recognize Cataract Awareness Month in August, Eye M.D.s want to debunk the myths about cataracts and remind people they don’t have to live with vision loss from cataracts.

A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s normally clear lens, blocking the passage of light needed for vision.  They form slowly and cause no pain.  Some stay small and hardly affect vision, but if the cataract does grow and begin to affect your vision, it can usually be removed with surgery.

“Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide; however, in most cases, vision loss from cataracts is reversible,” said Dr. William Barlow, MD, an ophthalmologist at Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists in St. George.  “New techniques developed over the past decade have made cataract surgery one of the safest and most successful procedures available in terms of restoring quality of life to patients.”  Each year there are more than 1.6 million of these delicate eye surgeries performed in the United States.

“There are no drugs or exercises that will make a cataract disappear, and contrary to popular belief, cataracts are not removed using lasers.  Lasers are used in follow-up procedures, if needed.  Cataract surgery is most often done as an outpatient procedure under local anesthesia,” says Dr. Barlow.  “The cloudy natural lens can be replaced with an artificial lens to give the eye proper focusing power.  In most cases, the improvement in the patient’s vision is profound.”

So how do you know if you have a cataract?  Dr. Barlow explains: “Some people notice a gradual painless blurring of vision, double vision in one eye or fading or yellowing of colors.  When older patients mention sensitivity to glare and/or bright light or trouble driving at night, this may be caused by cataracts.  Or, if a patient needs frequent changes to his or her glasses or contact lens prescriptions, I’ll evaluate him or her for a cataract.”

“Cataract surgery, although quite safe, is still surgery.  If cataracts don’t affect your quality of life, you may feel that surgery is not needed.  The only person who can really decide when it’s time to have them removed is you, under the care of your doctor.”

Cataract surgery has advanced to include artificial lens’ that allow you to reduce or potentially eliminate the need for glasses.  “This technology is an improvement on the original design.  It increases the quality of vision without glasses, especially with intermediate visual activities such as using a computer.”  Dr. Jason Ahee, MD, senior partner of Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists, was the first Eye M.D. in Southern Utah to implant this new lens technology.  Dr. Barlow says, “We have been very pleased with our initial results with this exciting new technology.”

Issue 34.09

Lately I have had the unfortunate experience of working with a family that had not prepared themselves for a medical emergency.  They had talked about their Advanced Directives, but had not filled out or signed the paperwork  Because of this, the family has been left to make all the medical decisions for the patient.  This has added an enormous amount of emotional distress in an already difficult situation.

An Advanced Directive is a medical form that allows you to outline, in writing, your wishes for medical treatment should you become incapacitated.

Discussing your decisions with your family is NOT enough.  If you have not taken the time to outline your medical decisions on paper, the doctors will look to the family to make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make them for yourself.  Even though the family may be aware of your wishes, during this emotionally charged time they will most likely follow their hearts regarding treatment.  These decisions may or may not reflect your own choices.  This is a terrible burden to place on those you love, and can tear families apart.  By being prepared and having your Advanced Directives in place, your family will not be placed in a position to have to make life altering medical decisions for you.

It is extremely difficult to make educated medical decisions during a crisis.  Preparing your Advanced Directives should be done prior to it being necessary, and during a time when you are able to sit and really think about what medical treatment and lifesaving measures you want.

An Advanced Directive or a Physicians Order for Life Sustaining Treatment addresses your end-of-life decisions.  These documents explain your wishes in case the condition becomes terminal while you are incapacitated.  You are able to outline in these documents when and under what circumstances life-sustaining measures should be aggressively pursued or withheld.  The documents can be changed as often as necessary to keep it updated.

Make sure that your physician is provided with a copy of your Advanced Directives so that they are aware of your treatment wishes.  These papers will become a part of your medical records, and the doctors will then be able to direct any medical team regarding the care and treatment you want provided or withheld.

Quality of life is a subjectively defined experience and people value aspects of their lives differently.  Let people know what your desires are.  Fill out, and sign, your Advanced Directives paperwork.  These papers can be provided by your physician or can be found on the internet.

Take the time to get this done, so your family is spared the agony of make decisions for you.

Laura Kelso is the owner/manager of Heart to Heart Home Care.  With 25 years experience in nurturing and caring for people, Heart to Heart Home Care has the ability to help meet all your non-medical caregiving needs.  To contact Heart to Heart Home Care please call 435-986-1077.  We look forward to hearing from you.