213: Choice in Aging: How Medi-Cal Programs Help Seniors Age in Place
Absolute Trust Talk
What if staying home as you age cost a fraction of what a nursing facility does? In California, a shared room in a skilled nursing facility averages about $130,000 a year. Choice in Aging's Medi-Cal waiver program works with about $6,000 per person per year to help people remain in their own homes, with the care, connection, and dignity they want. This week, Kirsten Howe sits down with Debbie Toth, President and CEO of Choice in Aging, a 77-year-old Bay Area nonprofit that helps older adults and people with disabilities live and age in community. Debbie explains how the Multipurpose Senior...
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212: Childfree Wealth, Part 2: Pet Trusts, POAs, and Who Decides When You Can't?
Absolute Trust Talk
Most estate planning conversations start with who gets what. For childfree adults, a harder question comes first: who makes decisions for you when you can't make them yourself? In Part 2 of her conversation with Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC, Director of Financial Planning at Childfree Wealth, host Kirsten Howe moves from financial planning to the documents themselves — and to the people named inside them. Scott and Kirsten dive in where many childfree clients start: pets, and why a line in a will leaving an animal and $10,000 to a friend doesn't do what people assume it does. From there, they...
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211: Childfree Wealth: Who's Your Long-Term Care Plan If You Don't Have Kids?211:
Absolute Trust Talk
Most people already have a long-term care plan. Yet they have never written it down, never funded it, and in many cases never said it out loud — it is simply the assumption that a son or daughter will step in when the time comes. Roughly 25% of U.S. adults do not have that assumption available to them. In Part 1 of her conversation with Scott Barnes, CFP®, CLTC, Director of Financial Planning at Childfree Wealth, host Kirsten Howe looks at what financial planning has to account for when there is no built-in safety net. Scott explains why disability and long-term care coverage move to the...
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210: Aging in Place, Part 2: How JoeyCo Home Sharing Actually Works
Absolute Trust Talk
Once a student is living in your spare room and working for your household, the questions get practical fast. Can they have a friend over? What did the screening actually check? And if it stops working, how does it end? In Part 2 of her conversation with JoeyCo founder Alison Donnally, host Kirsten Howe asks all of them — and gets straight answers, including who tends to apply for these arrangements and, just as usefully, who doesn't. Every JoeyCo match rests on two agreements that reference each other — a lodging agreement and a household employment agreement — and Alison explains why,...
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209: Aging in Place: How JoeyCo Matches Older Adults with Student Housemates
Absolute Trust Talk
What if the answer to aging well at home isn't an expensive caregiver --- but a college student in the spare bedroom? In this episode, host Kirsten Howe sits down with Alison Donnally, founder of JoeyCo and a healthcare innovation veteran of Amazon Care and Kaiser Permanente. After three of her own family members experienced major health events while aging alone, Alison asked a question that wouldn't let go: if the au pair system gives American families relatively affordable live-in childcare, why isn't there an equivalent for older adults? Her answer is JoeyCo, which matches older adult...
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208: Downsizing on Your Terms, Part 2: Buy First, Sell Later
Absolute Trust Talk
In Part 1, host Kirsten Howe and real estate agent Nathan Jines of Jines Real Estate Group talked about why more people 55 and up are choosing to relocate --- and how to make that choice on your own terms. Now, in Part 2, they get into the how. Nathan's first piece of advice flips conventional wisdom on its head: if you're financially able, buy your next home first, start living your new life, and let a full-service team handle the sale behind you --- decluttering, staging, repairs, negotiations, all of it, even from across the country. He shares how bridge lenders make buying first possible,...
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207: Downsizing on Your Terms: Moving After 55
Absolute Trust Talk
When most of us picture an older adult moving out of a long-time home, we imagine a crisis — declining health, a loss of independence, a move someone else decided was necessary. This episode is about the opposite. Host Kirsten Howe welcomes back real estate agent Nathan Jines of Jines Real Estate Group to talk about homeowners 55 and up who are choosing to relocate — not because they have to, but because they want to. Nathan explains why this is his favorite group to work with, and why the most important question isn’t “where should I go?” but “what do I want this next phase of my...
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206: Estate Planning Misses: The Mess You Leave Behind
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, managing attorney Kirsten Howe shares an estate planning miss that has nothing to do with your documents — the literal, physical mess we tend to leave behind. Drawing on years of trust administration experience, Kirsten explains what really happens when one child is named trustee and inherits the job of emptying a home filled with decades of belongings: stalled home sales, frustrated siblings, and inheritances delayed by months. She also shares the story of a daughter trustee who nearly hauled a box of "trash" to the dumpster, only to find $2,500 in...
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205: Estate Planning Misses: How to Document a Loan or Gift to Your Child
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, managing attorney Kirsten Howe tackles a quietly common source of family conflict: parents giving money to their adult children without documenting whether it's a gift or a loan. Drawing on years of trust administration experience, Kirsten shares a real family story where canceled checks sparked a bitter dispute among siblings after their parents passed, and she walks through the simple documentation steps that could have prevented it. She also addresses a second pitfall most families overlook: when a loan is properly documented up front but the...
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204: Estate Planning Misses: Addressing Separate Property in a Joint Trust
Absolute Trust Talk
In this episode of Absolute Trust Talk, managing attorney Kirsten Howe tackles one of the most common — and commonly overlooked — estate planning scenarios: what happens when one spouse inherits money, assets, or real estate after a joint trust is already in place. Kirsten breaks down the difference between separate and community property in California, explains why adding inherited assets to a joint trust doesn’t change their character but does affect who controls them, and walks through the two practical solutions her firm recommends. She also reveals a lesser-known complication: that...
info_outlineDo you have a spouse or loved one who has dementia? Hearing them say “I love you” or share a memory is something that every caregiver hopes for. And in those rare instances, it truly gives a renewed sense of purpose in life. Unfortunately, often, after being diagnosed with dementia, patients are prescribed drugs that, in some cases, cause depression or suppress who they are. But what if there was a way to reduce the medications and boost the mental well-being of the person with dementia and the spouse or caregiver? Interestingly enough, evidence shows that art plays a role in improving neural health. Art therapy is being taught as an alternative approach to dementia cases, providing an opportunity for patients to boost their mood and change their behavior without diminishing their quality of life.
In this episode, Kirsten sits down with the incredible Angel Duncan. Angel is a mental health, art therapist, and research clinician specializing in therapeutic program developments for people with mental health, developmental, intellectual, cognitive, and memory disorders. Angel has an extensive background in counseling psychology, life development, and Alzheimer’s disease phase 1b, 2, and 3 clinical research trials. She works globally with leading organizations on brain health initiatives and is a widely published author and speaker.
During their discussion, Kirsten and Angel dive into the science behind art therapy, explaining how and why it works. Duncan also shares countless examples of patients who practice art therapy demonstrating the behavioral changes and how they reconnect with their spouses again or learn to engage with their caregivers. If dementia or mental health issues have impacted your life or the life of someone you know, this episode is for you. Tune in now for more on the benefits of art therapy and why Angel Duncan has spent her career advocating for this life-changing form of treatment.
Big Three from Episode #074:
- Research shows that by engaging in art, which taps into certain regions of the brain, those with dementia are also getting neural activation and productivity. Ultimately, this leads to a shift in mood and behavior.
- Art Therapy is found to be helpful for all forms of dementia and, really, all types of mental health issues. Just because someone has dementia or another cognitive issue, doesn’t mean their creativity goes away.
- Case studies and research demonstrate exactly how art therapy brings those with dementia out of their box, helping them reconnect with the outside world.
Time-stamped Show Notes:
3:08 Long-term memory is returning for dementia patients through the process of Art Therapy. Listen now to hear Angel Duncan share the benefits of staying artistically creative for those suffering from neurological diseases.
5:43 Studies prove that art truly does work for people who have dementia. Start listening now for more on how art is helping neurological disease.
8:05 Relationships between caregivers, whether family or professional, and dementia-infected patients are becoming nurtured with empathy because of art therapy.
10:13 More often than not, psychotropic drugs are the go-to fix for dementia patients, causing diminished behavior. Angel answers how art could be used as an alternative to psychotropic drugs.
14:21 Angel Duncan has advocated for art therapy for almost 20 years. Listen to her journey and the life-changing work that has come from working with like-minded physicians.
17:43 Press play here to learn what different creative mediums are included in art therapy treatments.
21:11 Ask Kirsten Segment: Kirsten answers an email from Maria in Danville looking for advice on how to encourage her mother, who has dementia, to do an estate plan. If you have a question that you'd like to have answered by Kirsten, send an email to [email protected].
23:56 Listen to how Angel helped co-create Art in Mind for dementia patients at the Yale Art Gallery.
28:08 Angel Duncan’s Art Therapy Workshop is not just for dementia patients but also for spouses and caregivers. Listen in as Angel shares stories and feedback from those who have participated in the workshop.
30:06 Interested in learning more about art therapy? You don’t want to miss out on this special event -The 12th annual Expressive Therapy Summit is hosting Neurosciences and Aging Symposium and Track Series for aging populations. Listen here for more details on the event.
32:18 Live Q&A: Do you find art therapy to be helpful in all forms of dementia?
Resources/Links in this Episode:
About Angel Duncan – How to get in touch about programs
[Ad] Do you need help planning for things like incapacity? The Absolute Trust Counsel team is here to help. If you become incapacitated without a plan, you don’t have time to wait for court rulings, nor do you want to waste your money on that. You need support right away. At Absolute Trust Counsel, we can help put a plan in place, so you and your family are covered – no matter what the situation. Visit our calendar to pick a date and time that works best for you, and let’s get started!
Take the Next Step in Your Estate Planning Journey
If this episode resonated with you, we'd love to help you with your own estate planning needs in California. Schedule a complimentary discovery call with our team at Absolute Trust Counsel. During this no-obligation conversation, we'll:
- Learn about your unique situation and goals
- Answer questions about our services
- Determine if we're the right fit to work together
Visit https://absolutetrustcounsel.com/scheduling/ or call 925-943-2740 to schedule your free discovery call today.
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