Santa Rita Fire District Outreach Coordinator L.T. Pratt addressing the Partners Losing Partners Outreach seminar
Gloria Bible
Someone once said, “I plan to live forever. So far, my plan is working perfectly.”
While that sounds like a good plan, we all know the reality is far different. The Scouts nailed it with their motto: “Be Prepared.”
With that in mind, the Partners Losing Partners Outreach (PLPO) presented a “Preparing for a Passing” seminar at Quail Creek on Nov. 13. Gary Reed, PLPO co-founder, began by tracing the transition from The Women of Quail Creek’s YANA (You Are Not Alone) to PLPO. With that change, TWOQC’s YANA, initially limited to widows, expanded PLPO’s outreach to all Quail Creek surviving spouses/partners and care companions.
Attorney Mike Stowell opened with broad explanations of estate plans, trusts, revocable living trusts, probate, and possible ways to avoid probate. He provided a handout defining those terms and answered questions, including out-of-state residency concerns.
The next speaker, Santa Rita Fire District Outreach Coordinator L.T. Pratt, stressed that many proactive programs are available to prevent life and death situations, in particular: Smoke Detector Maintenance, Residential Lockboxes, Fire and Home Safety, and Envelope of Life (of note: there is an Arizona State requirement that “Do Not Resuscitate” orders must be on orange paper). For detailed information and to contact the Santa Rita Fire District, visit their website at www.srfdaz.gov.
Nora Durham, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Surviving Spouses Liaison, spoke next about services offered by MOAA. Detailed information is available on their website at www.moaa.org/content/topic-and-landing-pages/i-am-a-surviving-spouse where resources related to military-specific processes can be found.
The following segment was presented by Quail Creek’s PLPO members Bobbi Gordon (co-primary contact/co-founder), Julie Sherwood (alternate contact/co-founder), and Joan Brown (PLPO Program Committee member). They gave an overview of the various categories of documents that should be gathered prior to the passing of a loved one. Several commercially produced journals are available to assist with this, or as Joan demonstrated, you can create your own similar binder. The key is to have pertinent information readily available for the surviving family members to access quickly.
The last segment was presented by Chaplain John Prim of Gentiva Hospice. He first described how hospice care differs from other health interventions, the fundamental difference being that hospice’s focus is on comfort, not curative care. He also discussed the various services hospice offers, all of which are covered by Medicare Part A. Anyone facing a decision about hospice is encouraged to contact any hospice agency prior to making that decision for assistance in the process.
PLPO meets the first Thursday of every month from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Mesquite Room. Quail Creek residents interested in learning more about PLPO are invited to attend any monthly meeting or go to www.quailcreekhoa.org/group/quail-creek-hoa/partners-losing-partners-outreach.