MINGO MEETING HOSTESSES — Hostesses for the January meeting of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Mingo Junction were Joanne Gorney, left, and Kathy Maguschak, chairmen of the arts project committee that also includes Diana Taylor. -- Contributed

MINGO JUNCTION — The GFWC Woman’s Club of Mingo Junction members held their January opening meeting of 2019 at the Mingo Senior Citizens Center.

President Sharon Cole-Isner gave the welcome with opening ceremonies involving Roetta Lewis, the invocation; Kathy Maguschak, leading in the pledge of allegiance; and Cole-Isner, the club collect. Cheri Carpico gave a reading.

Maguschak introduced guest speaker Melissa Evick of Jarvis Law Firm, an elder law and life care planning firm where she serves as director of client and community relations, working out of its St. Clairsville office. It helps families protect themselves as they age from catastrophic life events. Evick said it is “never too late to take care of your later years.”

Evick discussed “payable on death,” “transfer on death” and “durable power of attorney” in addition to health care directives, living wills and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) releases. She also provided information on revocable trusts versus irrevocable trusts. Irrevocable trusts, she noted, can be used to protect assets from long-term expenses. One way to protect assets from long-term care costs, she noted, is to not own the assets. As opposed to using a trust, assets could be transferred outright to an individual’s child, for example; however, those assets would be subject to the child’s life, she continued. For instance, assets transferred outright to a child would be subject to the child’s death, divorce, disability and creditors. The assets in the irrevocable trust are not owned by the beneficiaries and therefore, are not subject to the beneficiaries’ life events, she noted, adding it is important to know that assets owned by a revocable trust are not protected from long-term care expenses.

Evick spoke on long-term care and why to plan ahead. “If you are 65 now, when you are 85, the average annual cost of long-term care in Ohio would be more than $158,000 per year for long-term nursing community care, more than $78,000 for assisted living care and more than $82,000 per year for in-home care,” she noted.

Planning ahead means many things, according to Evick, including:

¯ Learning about the different long-term care options and considering which of those options for receiving the care would be preferred.

¯ Considering the impact that long-term care costs can have on lifestyle and quality of life, as well as the impact that it can have on a spouse, children and retirement and financial goals.

¯ Investigating how the risk of long-term care can be shifted from savings to another source of payment — Medicare and Medicaid, Veterans Administration, health insurance or long-term care insurance.

¯ Meeting with a trust adviser or team of advisers and establishing a comprehensive estate plan that is customized to meet long-term care goals, including legal tools that will help achieve them.

¯ Carrying out an estate plan and then reviewing it on a periodic basis with an attorney and other trust advisers.

She cited the top five reasons for planning ahead are to “protect you and your family from financial devastation; preserve the right to choose the type of care you want and in what setting you want it; reduce the stress on you and your family when a medical crisis occurs; give yourself peace of mind now and in the future; and allow for dignity and the quality of life you deserve.”

When it comes to planning, the do-nothing approach, she noted, “fails miserably if a medical crisis occurs, and there is no plan or even no thought of what the plan should be.”

She also spoke on the VA pension and noted there will be a presentation from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 13 at the Prime Time Center, 300 Lovers Lane, Steubenville. It is open to the public.

Evick’s presentation included a question and answer session and the distribution of informational packets.

Reports were given by Lewis, recording secretary, and Maguschak, treasurer.

Bernie Carpico read correspondence for Mary Jane Tiberio.

Special committee reports are due by the February meeting, it was announced. Special meetings on reporting will be held in January.

Reports were given on the Christmas party, lottery wreath drawing and the Sees candy fundraiser.

With respect to the Seven Grand Initiatives of the 2018-20 Administration GFWC International President Mary Ellen Brock, Stephanie Rouse spoke on Dr. Seuss. It was voted to donate Dr. Seuss books to Hills School. Seuss’ birthday will be celebrated on March 2.

It was announced that honorary life member Darlene Hoff’s birthday is on Jan. 25. She will be 100. Everyone was encouraged to send her a card.

Rouse announced that the club will be sponsoring a blood drive on March 22 at Harmony United Methodist Church in Mingo.

Discussion was held on upcoming fundraisers. The club will conduct a spring basket drawing.

A letter was received from Boatsies Boxes, with representatives noting they will be discontinuing their work as there are other ways to help the troops.

Bernie Carpico won the door prize.

Hostesses for the evening were Maguschak and Joanne Gorney, Arts Project Chairmen. Also on the committee is Diana Taylor.

The next regular meeting will be held Feb. 14 with the Public Issues Committee as hostesses. Committee chairmen are Clara Sue Milewsky and Stella Finnegan. The speaker will be the Rev. Ashley Steele, executive director of Urban Mission Ministries.