2022-2023 Speaker Series
Aging in Place: What's Your Plan?
St. James NEST offered its second senior living expert speaker series from September 2022-May 2023 to all residents of St. James, called Aging in Place: What’s Your Plan? The programs were held at the St. James Community Center and were FREE to attend. In case you missed them, the recordings and handouts are available on this page.
Past Sessions during 2022-2023 Series
How to Masterfully Manage Your Medications and Health
May 16, 2023 – 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Speaker: Denise Hayes, RPh, MS, The Apothecary at St. James
Drug and/or supplement interactions negatively impact seniors regularly. Pharmacist Denise Hayes will discuss how to speak with your doctors to better understand and manage your medications safely; how to organize your medications at home; and, best ways to compare medication pricing and services.
Speaker Materials:
Speaker Materials and Resources: You can access Denise's presentation here. There were no informational handouts at this presentation.
How to Make Your Home Safe as You Age
April 25, 2023 – 3:00 – 4:30pm
Speaker: Jeff Pittman, Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), TruBlue of South Wilmington
Jeff Pittman, a Certified Aging in Place Specialist and owner of TruBlue of South Wilmington, will explain what a Certified Aging in Place Specialist is; what the most important modifications you can make to your home are, to ensure you can safely live in it during your golden years; and how to make your home visitable for anyone.
Speaker Materials:
Speaker Materials and Resources: You can access Jeff's presentation here. There were no informational handouts at this presentation.
Decluttering Your Home for Safety and Wellness
March 21, 2023 – 3:00 – 4:30pm
Speakers: Taryn Lamb and Donna Epps, Certified Professional Organizers (CPO), Organized Havens
Our living and working environments greatly affect our mental, emotional and physical well being, as well as our productivity. CPOs, Stagers and Move Managers, Taryn Lamb and Donna Epps, will discuss the reasons why your home is cluttered and/or disorganized and why decluttering is especially important as you age. They will give you tips to organizing success and ideas to streamline your daily activities and simplify your life, leaving you more time for the people and activities that are really important.
Speaker Materials and Resources: You can access Taryn's The Keys to Organizing Success, Home Safety Checklist and Donation Resouces handouts, as well as her PowerPoint presentation of the program.
Estate and Long Term Care Planning
November 15, 2022 – 3:00 – 4:30 pm (Back by popular demand!)
Speaker: Kara Gansmann, Attorney at Law, Cranfill Sumner LLP
Estate planning provides peace of mind for handling your assets when you are no longer alive or capable of handling assets yourself. A comprehensive estate plan may encompass a broad range of legal strategies, including wills, trusts, and powers of attorney for finances or health. Estate plans focused on asset protection may often be geared toward planning for long-term care needs. Asset protection plans may involve deed transfers, protective trusts, or promissory notes to preserve assets. Planning for any long-term care is a gift that you and your loved ones will appreciate.
Get more information about these important topics from an experienced Elder Law attorney. This session will help you understand essential estate planning tools, asset protection and long-term care planning; Powers of Attorney and how to determine if yours is “hot” enough; Wills versus Trusts and determining which one makes the most sense for you; how estate plans from out of state impact you in North Carolina; the best steps to take now to protect your assets for long term care; and how to find and pay for quality long term care.
Speaker Materials: View the video recording including the Q&A of Ms. Gansmann's session.
What's Next: Navigating the Challenges of Aging in Place
Tuesday, September 27, 2022 – 3:00 – 4:30 pm
Speaker: Valerie Moreau, LPN, Senior Care Consulting
Senior care expert, Valerie Moreau, LPN, will discuss examples of urgent issues that seniors need to contemplate if you plan to age in place - and the importance of preparedness now. She’ll cover topics needed for your aging in place plan to be a success, which include: home care (private, out of pocket) versus home health care (Medicare covered); plusses and minuses of Long Term Care coverage; skilled nursing facilities versus assisted living (continuum of care facilities). She will also briefly cover all of the necessary documents you should have on file (DNRs, Living Wills, Health Care POA and medical directives).
Speaker Materials and Resources: You can access the presentation or video recording. Ms. Moreau also provided these helpful resources: North Carolina Secretary of State Advance Health Care Directives and What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care, National Institute on Aging.