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    Kinghorn Heritage Law Group, PLC

    Tucson Estate Planning Attorneys

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    Home / General / Disaster Preparedness: What would you take?

    Disaster Preparedness: What would you take?

    October 3, 2017General

    disaster preparedness

    This summer brought a number of disasters from the Burro Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains east of Tucson to the Tonto National Forest wildfires, and most recently the devastating hurricanes in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico and earthquakes in Mexico. It’s made us take a step back and ask ourselves, “What would you take with you in case of disaster?” Many times evacuations take place in what feels like a moment’s notice – days, hours, or even minutes depending on how a fire or storm moves toward the neighborhood – and you’re forced to decide what is most important. Preparation before evacuation is key to getting you to safety and preserving what matters most to you.

    Family, Friends, and Pets

    When I think of what I would take from my home at a moment’s notice, it’s always my family, friends, and pets. The kids have backpacks from school or summer trips that are filled with a bottle of water, snacks, electronic devices, and maybe even a change of clothes. The dog sleeps in a kennel and his food and water are easy to reach and pack in the car. For the adults, we would grab each other, kids, pets, purses, wallets, and medication, and make our way to safety.

    Bug Out Bag

    With a bit more lead time you can pack what is called a Bug Out or Go Bag filled with essentials including dust mask, batteries, flashlights, drinking water, filtration system, snacks, pet kennel and food, shoes, socks, clothing, phone and device chargers, laptop, and sleeping bag.

    • Plan one gallon of water per person and/or pet.
    • Three days of easy to prepare foods like canned goods, granola and dried fruit, and protein bars.
    • First aid kit and medication.
    • Hygiene products including toothbrushes, toothpaste, and toilet paper.
    • Duct tape – it can solve a whole myriad of problems.

    For families with children, you can also have a lanyard prepared for each member of the family with a picture of the family, contact information of the parents, and the name and phone number of an out of state relative.  If family members get separated it is a way for others to help get them back together.

    Based on what we’ve heard about evacuations, we know our pets may not be able to stay with us but if they can, they likely need to be in a kennel and/or on a leash. Everyone is scared so if you can grab the kennel, it will be a familiar space for your nervous furry friend.

    If Disaster Strikes

    Many victims of these disasters have lost everything. Homes, cars, clothing, and paperwork can be replaced, but you and your family cannot. Get your family to safety first. If you have the presence of mind as you’re leaving your home, grab the big red binder and USB card of trust and estate documents from Kinghorn Heritage as well as your Docubank card so doctors can access healthcare documents if needed. If you can’t bring the whole binder with you, at least pull out the important documents (e.g., birth and marriage certificates, passports, social security cards) behind the Location Lists tab. While it’s not everything you would need to rebuild, it is a good start.

    It’s tough to say what we would take in case of disaster, which is why we recommend planning and preparing for the worst. It’s better to take too much and head for safety than be paralyzed by fear when you need to evacuate.

    • Author
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    Allison Manning
    Allison Manning
    Allison Manning
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    In this day and age it is very rewarding and comforting to make a major decision for the long-term security of your family. Over 14 years ago we decided upon the Kinghorn Heritage Family to create our family trust. Through the years it became very evident that this decision was a major and necessary step for a secure future in an ever-changing legal climate. The Kinghorn Family has been a close friend that has always been there to serve our family.

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    Tucson elder law lawyers work with many families that are touched by Alzheimer’s disease. Everyone has heard about this scourge on our nations elderly, but many people harbor misconceptions about it. They understand the fact that the disease can be devastating, but they are under the impression that a relatively small percentage of elders are impacted. Let’s look at the facts. There is a very useful tool on the Social Security Administration website that allows you to access your life expectancy based on your age at any given time. If you use this calculator, you will find that the life expectancy for a man that has just reached his 68th birthday is 85 years. The figure is 87 years for a woman. The United States Census Department conducts in-depth research with the data that they collect, looking at various different demographic trends. One of them is very relevant to this matter. Censuses are taken every 10 years, so the two most recent censuses were the 2000 version and the 2010 census. Between the last two censuses, the segment of the population that grew faster than any other was comprised of people between 85 and 94 years of age. As you can see, many people are living into their mid-80s and beyond, and if you expect to live into your mid-sixties, you will probably become an octogenarian. The Alzheimer’s Association does a great deal of extraordinary work educating the public about the disease. Their website is a veritable treasure trove of important information. According to research that they cite, about 13 percent of all senior citizens have Alzheimer’s disease. The likelihood of contracting it increases as you get older. They have found that 40 to 45 percent of individuals that are 85 years of age and older are Alzheimer’s sufferers. To put the ubiquity of Alzheimer’s into perspective, someone develops the disease every 66 seconds in our country. At the present time, more than 5 million Americans are struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, and experts say that it will get worse before it gets better. By 2050, the figure may reach 16 million. Alzheimer’s disease is the leading cause of dementia, and most people are aware of this, but it is also a deadly killer. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. This disease kills more people than prostate cancer and breast cancer combined. When you digest all these facts, you can see that we should all be concerned about the potential impact of this disease during the latter stages of our lives.

    Financial Implications

    The majority of senior citizens will need some type of assistance with their activities of daily living eventually, and in many cases, they can get help from family members and friends and remain in their homes. However, some people will move into assisted living facilities that provide environments that are ideal for those with mobility challenges that can still live independently in many ways. Of course, there are those that will require the care that only a nursing home can provide, and this would certainly apply to people that have middle to late stage Alzheimer’s disease. If you paid into the program sufficiently throughout your working life, you will qualify for Medicare when you reach the age of 65 under the current guidelines. This government health insurance program will help with many medical issues, but it does not cover custodial care, which is the type of assistance you would receive in a nursing home. It is not easy to get out a checkbook and pay for nursing home care out-of-pocket. Nursing homes are very expensive. Our elder law office is in Tucson, Arizona. According to the American Association of Retired People (AARP), you can expect to pay almost $91,000 a year for a private room in a nursing home in the state of Arizona. It is not uncommon for people to spend multiple years receiving this type of care, so these expenses could consume everything that you intended to leave to your loved ones after you pass away.

    Explore Solutions

    When it comes to coping with Alzheimer’s disease, you can tap into some valuable resources. As we have stated, the Alzheimer’s Association is quite active, and there is a Southern Arizona regional chapter. On the financial side of things, there are ways that you can brace yourself for potential nursing home costs. Medicaid does cover long-term care, but it takes careful planning to qualify. If you would like to discuss the details with a Tucson elder law attorney, give us a call at (520) 529-4000.  

    Chandler V. Client Review September 8, 2020

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    Estate Planning attorneys are sometimes criticized for offering needlessly complex, 'canned' solutions. This never has been the case with Kevin. The documents he created were comprehensive when appropriate and surprisingly simple when suitable. In every case, they were individually crafted to meet our unique needs.

    Rich D. Client Review September 8, 2020

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