Elder care presentation comes to St. John the Baptist

Intermountain Catholic

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Catholic chaplain Susan Mitchell sings hymns with cancer patient Celia Nissen at her home in Rockville, Md., Dec. 9. Nissen has been in hospice care since August 2008. CNS file photo

DRAPER — Saint John the Baptist Parish will host a presentation on elder care Feb. 29, with a special focus on health care needs and issues, long-term care insurance, estate planning and community resources.

"There is such a need, not only in our parish community, but the community in general due to the expanding population of the elderly and middle-aged children caring for their elderly parents," said Jenny Connolly, St. John the Baptist parish nurse. "There are options and choices available in terms of caring for the elderly, but we need guidance."

To help navigate these choices, Connolly has asked three speakers to talk about their related fields. Carol Wilcox is a licensed clinical social worker and clinical program manager of the Alta View Senior Clinic. She is a member of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish and a graduate of Saint Mary of the Wasatch and Judge Memorial Catholic High School. She received a Master of Social Work from the University of Utah.

Wilcox will address the causes of premature death and disability in the senior population. She will also discuss memory loss in conjunction with primary care and cognitive testing, home health care, assisted living and nursing facility options and also briefly discuss physical and emotional abuse and financial exploitation of seniors.

Kathie Roberts will also talk about what to watch for as far as elder abuse. Roberts is an attorney and the vice chair (elect) for the Utah State Bar Elder Law Section, a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Elder Counsel and the Salt Lake Estate Planning Counsel. She also received a 2010 Volunteer Service Award from the Sandy Senior Center for her pro bono services to seniors. That same year she was appointed to both the Finance and Capital Corporation Boards of the Diocese of Salt Lake City. She is a member of St. John the Baptist Parish.

Roberts will address the importance of having a durable power of attorney.

"I will talk about what it is, how it functions, and the important provisions it should have," she said. "I will also talk about the Utah Advance Directive packet, which is a statutory form in the State of Utah that combines the health care power of attorney, HIPPA (privacy) release, and the living will. Incapacity is also important to plan for in elder law. Long-term insurance is crucial and that marries into my talk, as well as what Nate Raso will talk about."

Raso, the third presenter, will discuss long-term care. A Knights of Columbus insurance field agent and a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Raso is a current board member of a National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors chapter and a Fellow with the Fraternal Insurance Counselors. He graduated from Judge Memorial in 1996 and the University of Utah in 2004 in economics with a minor in business.

"I will give a description of long-term care insurance and talk about some of the consequences of not owning it and statistics of why people should consider it," Raso said. "The main reasons of owning it are to protect your assets and give yourself and your loved ones options. Many people think they will be covered by their health insurance or Medicaid and Medicare, but in most instances this is not the case. Long-term care insurance covers non-medical care, which health care doesn’t do. Custodial care includes the six daily activities necessary for daily living, which I will discuss."

A question and answer period will follow the presentations.