It seems like whenever I tell a friend or former colleague whom I haven’t seen in awhile what I’m doing, she also has a story about caring for elderly family members and how that has changed her life.  One of those people, who used the experience to start her own transformative journey, is Shirley Cox Knipp.

Shirley has had a long, successful career as a commercial, interior designer, and she is still involved in that field.  She is also responsible for caring for her mother, and she spends a lot of time with her and her neighbors in her assisted living facility.   In addition to learning more about her mother’s story, she has heard many wonderful stories from her mother’s friends and neighbors. Sometimes, she learns things that their own family members never knew, or have long since forgotten.  This got Shirley thinking about how these stories can be captured, both for the benefit of the elder, who loves the opportunity to reminisce, and for friends, current family members and those who will follow. 

Shirley will conduct a series of interviews with your elderly family member, in which she will ask what they want their descendents to know about their life, times and family.  What have they learned, and what advice would they give?  Shirley will then compose the story and deliver it in a bound book that is destined to become an heirloom for generations to come.

About 10 years before my grandmother passed away, my mother had a friend conduct a series of interviews with her that were captured on cassette tape.  I am fortunate to have these tapes, but I know that I need to have them digitized or transcribed, or they will be lost forever.  If you are interested in the service Shirley provides as a way to keep these memories forever, please contact Shirley Cox Knipp at 480-993-9182.

Annuities:  Are They Right For You?

As our population ages in what has been a declining interest environment, insurance companies over the last ten years have begun introducing very exotic and complicated annuity products to capture the wealth that baby boomers have accumulated for their retirement. Many of these new products are so intricate that even the brokers and financial planners selling them have difficulty explaining the subtleties of these investments to their clients. In addition, there are thousands of available products and even more agents selling them, many of whom may not have the necessary experience. Proper placement in a retirement strategy requires expert advice and analysis, so before you consider whether an Annuity is an appropriate investment for your financial plan, you should make sure you’re dealing with a trustworthy and seasoned  investment professional with a high degree of ethics and integrity who can explain things to you in a way you can understand. Here’s a helpful website discussing some considerations to keep in mind when reviewing an Annuity product: http://www.annuitystraighttalk.com

Following a death or difficult circumstances, how often have we wanted to offer condolences but are at a loss for what to say? How often do we say, “I know how you feel” without really understanding how that other person has been impacted by their loss? Can we ever really walk in someone’s shoes? Sometimes just being there is the “right thing to say.” An article in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, Vol. 13, No. 3, 2010, “The Power of Presence,” by Jefri Ann Franks, M.S. very effectively illustrates just that.

Being present means being comfortable with silence and not having the need to “fix” it with words. It creates a sense of sharing in the moment. It can be the most profound intervention we can employ to help people in their grief or through life’s transitions.