We have a Lyons political party, the Getty’s,  running five candidates to
take over the school board as well as them seeking a majority on the
village board and candidates for the Lyons library board.

I have no problems with candidates challenging incumbents but the
challengers never attended any School Board meetings, never spoken with
the superintendent regarding district polices or budget.

The threats the political party are making of ‘tossing administrators, and
promising jobs to people and business to ‘their’ vendors is outrageous.

I am seeking support for the re-election of incumbents myself, Joanne
Schaeffer, David DeLeshe and Deanna Viti-Huxhold for four year terms, and
John Kaiser, a newcomer seeking the two year seat.

David is a Lyons Policeman/Detective, John is a Forest View firefighter
and Deanna has been on board now for six years. I am retired from CNA
Insurance.

Now is not a time for takeover by novices considering the state and
federal economic situation.

Joanne Schaeffer

By John Gotschall

A parent caring for a newborn child is a picture of love and tenderness.
Giving a son or daughter a bath may be at first daunting and perhaps even
difficult, but is there anything sweeter than the smell of a baby fresh
out of the cute little tub in the sink or bath?

Of course you still feel love for an aging parent who has spent his or her
lifetime taking care of you, but do you really think you could give your
mom or dad a bath and not be at least a little grossed out? Would you want
the same sweet little baby to someday have to bite the bullet and give you
a bath?

Long-term care insurance could be the answer.

Many articles are written these days stressing the importance of saving
for retirement. It is equally important, however, to write about and help
people make decisions on how to protect those same retirement funds and
personal assets from depletion due to a personal illness or injury. Health
care costs could easily exhaust those savings and assets very quickly.

When was the last time you asked yourself, “What if I were stricken with a
long-term illness or injury? “Who will take care of me?” “How will this
injury or illness affect the members of my family — both financially and
emotionally?” “Hw much is this going to cost, and how will all of the
bills get paid?”

Here are a few research facts: The Employee Benefit Research Institute i
June 2009 projected that a male retiree will need somewhere between
$68,000 and $173,000 in savings to have a 50 percent chance of being able
to cover retirement health care premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. For
women, the projected need is somewhere between $98,000 and $242,000 in
savings.

From the Guide for Long-Term Insurance that is produced by America’s
Health Insurance Plans, a study by the US Department of Health and Human
Services indicates that people who reach age 65 have a 40 percent chance
of entering a nursing home during their lifetime.

Let’s put these numbers into perspective. If you had a 40 percent chance
of winning $1,000,000 in the lottery would you buy a $1 ticket. If you’re
at the race track and get a tip that the horse with 35-to-1 odds has a 40
percent chance of winning, would you bet at least $2 on that horse? In
both cases the answer is probably a resounding yes.

The reality of life is we just do not know if we are going to be one of
the 40 percent that will end up in a nursing home or not. Naturally, we
all do our best to be optimistic. When we look into the future, we believe
that we are never going to need any assistance in life, even though the
statistics above indicate otherwise. Many people believe that is a
long-term injury or illness does befall them, their children are going to
take care of them.

Do your kids have the training, the time, the money, or the space to take
care of you? How close to they live and will it affect the time they have
to spend with their children, your grandchildren? If the answer is “no” to
the first question or “yes” to the second, then the family is faced with
the very tough decision of hiring a professional home health care aide or
even placing a loved on in a nursing home.

The average cost for a one-year stay in a semi-private room in a nursing
home in the Chicago area is approximately $66,000. The cost for a home
health care aide in Illinois can range from $13 to $200 per hour for care,
and this amount does not include the expenses of maintaining a home,
medication and day-to-day living expenses.

So, with the high cost of health care after the age of 65, what is a
person to do? The answer is that each family, especially if there is a
history of long-term illness like Alzheimer’s, should evaluate their
financial resources and create a plan.

A great-way to protect your assets in retirement is to purchase a
long-term care insurance policy. This insurance policy will pay a benefit
that you select to cover the expenses for a home health care aide,
assisted living facility or nursing home.

The price of the coverage is based on the amount of benefit payable per
day or month, the length of time it will be paid out, the waiting period
until it begins, and how your benefit grows by adding inflation
protection. Benefits are payable once you cannot perform two of the six
general activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, dressing,
toileting, continence or transferring form a bed to a chair or have
cognitive impairment.

The price to purchase a long-term care plan may initially seem expensive,
especially if you just ask for a quote. First, remember that one year of
care could cost $66,000 for just the nursing home. Second, figure out how
many years of premium would have to be paid to add up to that one year of
cost. Finally, ask yourself what the emotional and financial cost will
ultimately be based on your education, available time, and home situation.
In addition, in many circumstances, a portion of the premium may be tax
deductible as it is based on age.

Working with a financial professional to compare the costs and benefits is
the best course of action. Everyone over the age of 55 should at least
spend the time to investigate how long-term care insurance works, compare
prices, and create a plan to protect your hard-earned savings. Purchasing
long-term care insurance isn’t for everyone. But it is not possible to
make an educated decision without reviewing all of the facts.

Kids will accept the responsibility of taking care of a loved one. Most of
the time, however, it is because they don’t feel they really have a
choice. Wouldn’t it be comforting to know that funds are available to pay
someone else to handle these uncomfortable situations? Plus, wouldn’t you
rather have your hard-earned money that took many years of savings and
hard work transfer to the ones you love rather than quickly go down the
drain paying for health care?