If you worry about your charitable giving traditions disappearing after you’re gone, check out these tips on bringing your loved ones into the loop. With some open communication, you may be surprised to find that your favorite causes will be the recipient of your family’s support for generations to come.

Start the Conversation
To begin, set aside some time to talk at a family gathering, at a family meeting or, if necessary, through a conference call. (Try a website service such as www.freeconferencecall.com.) During this discussion, you should:

• Share your vision, goals and philanthropic ideas.
• Ask your children for their thoughts.
• Request that your children consider their role in your charitable giving plans.

Involve Your Children
After your initial conversation, follow up with each family member to discuss:

• The specific charities you support or would like to support.
• Volunteer opportunities with these organizations.
• Traditions that can be started with your family and, if your children are grown, with their own families.

Plan to Give
Once you establish your children’s interest in taking on philanthropic responsibilities, you can develop the appropriate strategies. This could include connecting them with the organizations you support or setting up trusts to carry out your wishes.

We Can Help
We are happy to tell you more about our mission and the many ways you can support Hospice & Palliative CareCenter. Just contact Ellen Coble at 336-331-1312 or ellen.coble@hospicecarecenter.org.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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For most family caregivers, frustration and guilt are common, as is anxiety. These feelings are normal and reasonable under the circumstances. And it’s not realistic to eliminate negative emotions. Caring for an ailing family member IS emotionally taxing, especially in the case of memory loss.

But you can avoid amplifying a downer mood. According to stress and coping research, you can reduce your distress by concentrating on the present moment, the here and now.

To interrupt the downward spiral

– observe yourself. Practice noticing your thoughts and feelings. Get curious about your emotions. Explore them objectively, as though you were outside yourself. Your thoughts and feelings aren’t “you”; they are one part of your total experience.

Read the entire article…

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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A durable power of attorney is your written authorization for someone to act for you in many financial and legal matters. This document will serve you best if it provides a broad range of authority, so be very careful in choosing your representative. And always consult an estate planning attorney on the proper creation and use of this powerful and trusted position.

	Request our free guide on what you need to ensure a complete and up-to-date estate plan.

You may authorize your power of attorney to:

• Pay for your support and care.
• Borrow money.
• Complete bank transactions.
• Manage property.
• Handle legal claims.
• Gain entry to safe-deposit boxes.
• Prepare and file tax returns.
• Deal with insurance and retirement benefits.
• Exercise stockholder rights.
• Contract for services.
• Make gifts to family and charitable organizations.
• Collect Social Security and other benefits.
• Exercise rights of the creator or beneficiary of a trust.

For more estate and gift planning information, contact Ellen Coble at 336-331-1312 or ellen.coble@hospicecarecenter.org.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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When you are caring for a relative, it seems obvious that health care providers would readily answer your questions. But health professionals and health plans are not permitted to freely give information. This can interfere with your ability to help your loved one follow doctor’s orders or figure out insurance billing.

Rules about confidentiality

You’ve probably heard the term “HIPAA.”

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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The Promise Partnership
A thoughtful and ongoing COMMITMENT to provide HOPE. For $30 a month, $360 a year, Promise Partners gain real ownership – ensuring that we will be here in the future to help anyone in our community who needs the compassionate end-of-life support.

By United Way Designation
You can choose to designate a specific charity to receive your United Way pledge dollars. Hospice & Palliative CareCenter is listed on the United Way pledge form as a choice for your designation.

By Company Matching Gifts
Many companies match charitable donations made by their employees. Your Human Resources Department should be able to provide you with the necessary forms. Please be sure to find out if this is true at your place of employment and send us the matching gift form to increase the impact of your gift.

Through Special Events
Hospice & Palliative CareCenter hosts several fundraising events each year. Click here for more information on ways to support Hospice & Palliative CareCenter.

Through Your Will and Other Planned Gifts
Your will is the cornerstone of your estate planning efforts – your most important legal document. Many of our supporters choose to name Hospice & Palliative CareCenter in their will. Bequests take many forms and require special language. For information on Bequests, Estate, Deferred, Planned Gifts or more. Click here for more information.

Gifts of Stock or Other Property
Many donors find it convenient and beneficial to make gifts of appreciated securities. You can also make gifts of other property such as real estate, life insurance, or retirement accounts. Please call us at 336-768-3972 to discuss your gift of property.

Instructions for Donation of Securities
Please call us at 336-768-3972 to discuss your donation of securities

Memorial or Honorary Gifts

Memorial gifts honor the memory of someone who touched your life in a special way. Many families name Hospice & Palliative CareCenter in obituaries or funeral notices as the preferred beneficiary of memorial gifts. Sample language is as follows:

The family requests that memorial gifts be made to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Another way to remember your loved ones is to purchase a plaque with your loved one’s name which will be permanently installed on the Remembrance Wall at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home on the Winston-Salem campus.

Honorariums provide a way to express appreciation for a living person. The person honored will receive acknowledgement of your gift. Honorary donations are a thoughtful way to remember a person on a special day or holiday.

HOW YOUR GIFT WILL HELP

In addition to providing hospice care, your gifts support needed programs available to our entire community. Most of these programs are available at no cost to anyone in the community. Your contributions support these programs, including:

• Grief counseling to anyone in the community who has lost a loved one
• Advance Care Planning so that end-of-life care choices will be known and legally documented
• Residential hospice care at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home for those who cannot be cared for in their own residence
• Education of healthcare professionals in the important areas of end-of-life care and pain or symptom control
• Complementary therapies designed to help patients and families experience the best possible quality of life

For more information on contributing to Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, please contact one of the following staff members at 336-768-3972 or 1-888-876-3663.

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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After a lifetime of maintaining your will, you may be wondering what exactly happens to it after you pass away. Well, after your lifetime, your will goes through what is known as probate, the legal procedure by which the courts oversee that your assets are properly distributed.

In general, if you leave a will, the will is submitted to a court for legal review. If you die without a will (called intestate), a court becomes responsible for ensuring that your estate is distributed according to your state’s intestate succession laws. A number of steps occur in the probate process, including:

• Your will and any codicils (separately written amendments to your will) are submitted to the probate court.
• An executor is appointed to act on behalf of your estate.
• People and businesses that have claims against your estate or owe money to your estate are notified.
• Your estate’s assets are inventoried.

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For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Source: SeriousIllness.org

You may be entitled to claim your relative as a dependent. This requires that:

- The individual’s income was less than $3,650 in 2010. “Income” includes Social Security and pension benefits. Also, proceeds from investments or withdrawals from retirement savings plans.

- You paid more than 50% of your relative’s support. He or she does not have to live with you. Support expenses include food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Also, transportation, recreation, and other essentials. If he or she lived with you, include fair rental value for your family member’s share of the lodging.

Many relatives qualify. Your parents and siblings. Other family relatives, step relatives, and in-laws. Or anyone who lived with you all year.

If others paid some support expenses, a deduction is still possible. But only one person can claim it. And everyone who shared expenses must sign a multiple support agreement.

You may be able to deduct medical expenses.

• This includes expenses paid for yourself, your spouse, or a dependent relative. Or for a relative who would have qualified as a dependent but had too much income or filed a joint return.
• The expenses must add to more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). For example, if your AGI is $40,000, the first $3,000 of expenses doesn’t count.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

For more information about Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 336-768-3972, or see Hospice’s website at http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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Death and dying are not topics we talk about easily in our culture. As a general rule, in fact, we avoid them, almost as if to talk about them would bring on a premature demise. As a result, many families are unaware of their loved one’s wishes at the end of life and are faced with making difficult decisions. This can lead to family discord and can make a trying situation even harder than it already is.

Norene’s father, Richard, showed caring and foresight in planning ahead. He thought about what “quality of life” meant to him. Reflecting on what made life worth living helped him to make decisions about life support issues. (It also helped Richard and his family maximize the things that gave him pleasure!) After clarifying his own values, Richard was able to write an advance directive, a document that stated his wishes concerning health care decisions in case he was unable to speak for himself. He talked with his family about his wishes and asked his eldest son to be his health care representative if a situation came up that was not covered in the advance directive. By planning ahead, Richard was able to lay the groundwork for things to unfold the way he would have wanted them to.

In addition to health care planning, Richard took steps to plan his finances. When he began to have difficulty getting to the bank, he gave his daughter Norene “durable power of attorney.” He was able to continue making financial decisions on his own, but this simple document legally allowed Norene to step in and handle his affairs during those times when he was too ill to do so himself. Richard prepared documents stating his wishes for how his belongings were to be distributed. He was also mindful of the fact that medical expenses could eat up the resources he did have and leave very little for his wife to live on afterward. With some planning, Richard was able to protect his assets and safeguard his wife’s security.

Not all patients are able to make these kinds of decisions ahead of time. Many need help from family members who can assure the patient that it’s okay to talk about these things and, in fact, would be helpful for the family if they were discussed. Ideally, all of us adults would have documents stating our desires for the distribution of our belongings and the handling of our medical care at the end of life. After all, any one of us could get in an accident tomorrow! These decisions especially need to be made when a serious illness has been diagnosed, and the sooner the better while the patient still has the ability to think and communicate clearly. To help you, we have tips to start the conversation about planning. Although it can be awkward at first, families who do have these discussions fare a lot better emotionally at the end, not having to guess and knowing they are doing what their loved one wanted them to do.

For more, visit http://www.hospicecarecenter.org!

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No one likes to dwell on the possibility of disaster. But we all need to prepare for one. Help your loved ones gear up for safety. Whether you live across town or across the nation, the action items are the same.

Identify contacts. Who should Mom or Dad call in case of disaster?

- Because local phone service may be down, choose an out-of-town contact.
- Also identify the address and phone number of a potential gathering place. This might be a friend’s house, or a church, school, or store within walking distance.
- Ask family members to leave a note if they are evacuating. Have it include date, time, and plan.
- Program “in case of emergency” (ICE) information into cell phones.
- Teach family members to text message. Text messaging is often possible even when phone service is disrupted.

Supply the house. Keep a box on hand with at least a three-day supply of necessities.

• The basics include one gallon of water per person per day, food, clothing, bedding, personal hygiene items, batteries, etc.
• Include prescription medications and a first-aid kit.
• Regularly replace medications so they don’t expire.
• Keep copies of health insurance cards and an up-to-date list of prescriptions, doctors, and any special needs.

Address special needs, such as oxygen or a wheelchair.

• Create a network of neighbors. Give at least one person a key to the house. Show everyone where to find the emergency box.
• Show them how to operate any special equipment. Put written instructions in the emergency box.
• Have your loved one wear an identifying bracelet if he or she has a disability or significant medical condition.

Register your family member with the city or county to receive special assistance in a disaster.

For more, Visit us at: http://hospicecarecenter.org!

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Estate Plan Review Averts Potential Heartache

Shortly after her divorce in 2002, Tracy¹ made a will to name a guardian for her 11-year-old son and set up a trust to provide for his future financial needs. “I wanted to make sure my son would be taken care of, my debts would be paid off and my money would go where it was supposed to go,” Tracy explains.

Time to Update
In 2008, Tracy began a new job. In the process, she rolled over a 401(k) into an IRA and filled out life insurance and retirement beneficiary forms at her new place of employment. With her son now nearing adulthood, Tracy felt it was time to look over her existing plans.

Tracy met with estate planning attorney Johni Hays, and, together, they discussed her old will, her current assets and her future goals. While the 45-minute conversation was simple and relaxed, what they discovered will save Tracy’s son from future problems and offers Tracy true peace of mind.

4 Estate Planning Must-Haves for Single Parents
1. Will (to name a guardian) with a trust (to handle the money)
2. Durable power of attorney
3. Health care power of attorney
4. Living will

Issues That Caused Concern

1. Tracy had her younger brother listed as trustee and guardian of her teenage son. She did not, however, have a backup listed if her brother did not survive her.
2. For executors of her will, Tracy listed her brother, who lives out of state, and her father. Because at least one executor must be in state, according to the state law where Tracy lived, Tracy needed a backup for her brother in case her father should predecease her.
3. Tracy had a financial power of attorney in place, but she lacked a power of attorney for health care and a living will to take care of future health care wishes.
4. Of greatest concern, Tracy had filled out her beneficiary forms incorrectly on her life insurance and retirement plan assets—the bulk of her estate. Instead of putting the trustee of her son’s trust as beneficiary, which would distribute payments to him at ages 25, 30 and 35, Tracy had listed her son as beneficiary. As a result, he could receive the full amount when he turned 18, a much younger age than Tracy wished for him to receive a large inheritance.

The Solutions
Hays was able to amend the will with a codicil and draft the other needed documents. To correct Tracy’s beneficiary designations, she requested change of beneficiary forms for her IRAs and her life insurance.

“Tracy’s case is the perfect example of how you need to coordinate your whole estate plan, and that includes more than just a will,” Hays says. Tracy is thrilled she took the time to update her plans.

	To make sure your plans are in order, request our FREE guide to estate planning.

¹Although this article is based on a real-life example, the name has been changed to protect privacy.

For more, Visit us at: http://hospicecarecenter.org!

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