January 2021 – Happy New Year
Numbers at the start of the year for our January 2021 breakfast were consistently high and it was good to welcome a couple of new faces.
They included Sharon Jenkins, who edits the local editions of In Touch, a series of free, local magazines. Sharon is hoping to feature more articles about local businesses in their relevant editions.
If you want to find out more about some of our members do check out the Member Spotlights page. Bear in mind that we do one a month so there’s an ongoing list of people to add!
This month’s presentation was from Nigel George, of Ageing with Optimism.
Getting the best out of growing older
The emphasis of Nigel’s message was that it is important to be organised and prepared for four main aspects of old age.
1. Inheritance
Increasingly, couples are living together long-term as partners without necessarily being married. This can cause problems when one partner dies and their partner has no rights of inheritance to property, even if it is jointly owned, unless there is a will.
In the absence of a will, the deceased’s assets go to their children.
For peace of mind, Nigel advised making a will to ensure assets go to those the deceased wants.
2. Funerals
Whether the funeral service is to be faith-based or not, Nigel said, it is important to ensure that whoever is delivering the eulogy is well-informed about the deceased’s life.
“Funerals can be as informal as you wish, but you only get one chance to say goodbye,” he said.
3. Someone to represent your wishes when you cannot
As more and more elderly people live with various forms of dementia, it can be important that there is someone who can express their wishes for them.
Arranging a LPA (Lasting Power of Attorney) nominating a person to represent you has to be done while you are still “of sound mind” and ensures there is someone available to help with both end of life decisions and financial affairs.
4. Dealing with LGBT issues
Nigel quoted the case of a couple who had been living together with their children for about 70 years when one of them died. At this point, it was revealed they had been lovers.
This raises the issue of being treated with dignity and respect, in care homes as elsewhere, and about informing surviving loved ones of a couple’s situation and commitment.
Future meetings
For the time being, meetings will be on the usual dates but via Zoom. You will receive emails in advance to book and give you the log-in details and passwords. For both the breakfast and the coffee sessions, pre-booking is essential.
Chairman Allan is always happy to receive any suggestions for what members want to see the Chamber doing in the future. Please send your ideas (and your wish lists) to [email protected]
Dates for your diary:
| February Coffee | February Breakfast |
| Online with Zoom | Online with Zoom |
| Friday, February 5 | Friday, February 19 |
| 10.00am | NEW TIME 8.00am |
For more information contact Keely Taylor
phone: 01449 770965 e-mail: [email protected].
Anyone who has a story to publicise should contact marketing officer Alison Withers: [email protected]
