Peace may be defined by your state of mind, your state of being, or by the state of global affairs. Globally, we now are experiencing the end of ‘abundance thinking’ due to supply-chain disruptions, the pandemic, and the situation in the Ukraine. At least 70% of communication between ourselves and others is non-verbal. Observe how quickly children sense stress and anxiety without any real understanding of the issue-at-hand. Adult generations do the same. So when a family caregiver responds with ‘I’m fine,’ other family members know otherwise. So, how do you prepare?
In the story of the Jackson family, we see this family has used 3 Simple Steps to work out a plan for her parents that relieves caregiver Jodi of her deteriorating health, negative career and financial impacts, and family stress. Lesson learned combined with the recognition of the end of abundance thinking, Jodi wants to create a plan. She wants to create ‘peace’ within her own family regardless of the stress that comes with illness, aging, or state of mind. Jodi kicks off the meeting by sharing the social security online estimator which offers the average number of additional years a person can expect to live. While she cannot control the global situation, her goal is to create family peace and harmony.
Jackson kicks off the Zoom call by saying, “Let’s have
some fun! I shared a link in the chat box for a site that
allows us a peek at our expected longevity.
Nicole and Erik whip out their phones and start to play
with the calculator.
After the kids have announced their expected projected
longevity selves, and have sufficiently teased each other
and their parents, Jackson gets their attention. “I’m glad
you guys are enjoying this exercise. If you recall, while
doing the three simple steps with your grandparents, we
saw the impact of potential health-care costs on what
your grandparents thought was a solid retirement income
plan. You both have friends whose baby boomer parents
or relatives have health issues or are experiencing the
effects of aging.”
Looking pensive, Nicole says, “True, we can relate. Our
grandparents always seemed pretty healthy, but as they
grew older, they needed more and more help. Since it
was gradual, we sort of ignored it. Then the sudden
emergency, and everything changed.”
Sensitive to his mother’s not sharing the impact it might
have had on her finances, Erik ends the exchange on a
positive note. “Under the emotional and financial cost
umbrella, consequences might have spread far and wide.
Creating that plan to include funding for long-term
care expenses had a positive effect on their physical and
emotional well-being.”
Nicole gets her brother’s drift. “And on all of us too!”
Jackson is pleased that the complaint about work has
disappeared. He overreacted and was too sensitive. This
little exercise was fun and made all of them think about
the impact longevity can have on retirement and longterm
care funding.
-"How Not to Tear Your Family Apart"