Your Current Decision-Making Capacity

‘George’ divorced his wife of over 35 years, sold his business, found a young woman to accompany him, and bought a yacht.

‘Emily’ cancelled her plans to study abroad within a week of leaving.

‘Lee’ got a review he didn’t like at work and quit on the spot.

‘Charlotte’ went on a date with a man her friends warned her to avoid.

‘Pat’ took his life last night.

What was the decision-making capacity of each of these people?

Were they living on a firm foundation of self-identity, core values, and purpose?

What if you could have known and had a way to come alongside them and help them strengthen their decision-making capacity based on their very personal areas for improvement before they made these decisions?

Consider each person you love and care about. Why guess when you can know…and know how to help them?

Because It All Matters

• Is your doctor the only person who has valuable input to share with you about your #health?
• Are #finances the only thing of importance to plan for your #retirement?
• Is in-home care vs assisted living the only eventual-care planning that is important?

Let’s start with your health. 

A truly great primary care provider will be fully informed of the actions of anyone else on your healthcare team and will be assuring all of the associated pieces fit your desired health goals and all are safe together. For many reasons, this is rarely the case. So, the input and additional oversight of your nurse(s), your pharmacist(s), your specialist(s), your mental health counselor(s), your chiropractor(s), your massage therapist(s), your dietician(s), your dentist, and more ALL matter. Are you helping them stay informed and collaborate in your health?

For your retirement planning, your health is at least as important as your wealth. Also consider your legal decisions and documents, your advanced directives for healthcare, keeping your personal advocates updated, meeting the needs of those relying on your decisions, and your own personal care preferences. Who is guiding you?

If you can no longer live safely alone or with your spouse in your home, what are your wishes? If you desire in-home care, have you done some research or found resources to help you select the right resources? If you envision assisted living, have you selected where and made some efforts to assure that resource can be available if/when you need it?

Healthy transitioning through phases of life rarely, if ever, happens well by accident. How are you planning?

How do you like it?

When you don’t feel good or have an ailment that keeps you down, how do you like for someone to care for you?
-      What foods make you feel better?
-      What music makes you feel most peaceful?
-      What music perks you up and makes you feel good?
-      Do you like hugs?
-      Do you like massages?
-      Do you like for someone to hold your hand?
-      Do you like noise or quiet?
-      Do you like conversation, if so, which sorts of topics?
-      Do prefer to be indoors or out? If out, in what type of setting?
-      What are your favorite movies or programs to watch?
-      What time do you prefer to get up in the morning?
-      What is your morning routine?
-      What about bedtime?

Have you considered these aspects of your preferences?

You can’t predict when something will cause you to need the care of someone else for awhile.

A man had a joint replacement and needed family assistance for a couple of weeks. He hadn’t shared any of these details. A very well-meaning nephew came to help for a day. He blasted his own favorite music the whole day. The man who needed the care was absolutely miserable.

Part of planning for optimal health in retirement is planning for future eventualities.

I encourage you to take some time to answer these questions and record your answers where you could share them with anyone caring for you.  

What details would you add?

A group of 5 guys

- Friends since high school or before
- Teammates
- Golf buddies
- Successful businessmen
- In mid 60’s thinking about retirement
- Planning golf resort retirement together

One got really proactive with his health

Offered the same to friends

They didn’t see the need, maybe later

2 years later all retired or very close

2 died in the past two weeks

Are you skipping the self-care and doctor visits and those healthy changes until you have more time?

Will you truly have more time?

Actively planning the health (alongside the wealth) is beyond worth it!