It is said that you can tell everything about a civilization by how it treats its elders. My goal for Shelby Township is to ensure that we remain a premier community for Seniors to feel active, safe, and secure with their investment in our Township. As an attorney with years of experience helping Seniors plan their retirements and enjoy the fruits of their labors, I know first-hand both the issues facing Seniors today, and the resources available in our Community to help.
We all know it is hard to plan for our own mortality. It's human nature to make plans and live our lives as if we are going to live forever. It is equally difficult to admit that we may live longer, but with failing health. It is not an easy conversation to discuss retirement planning or the possibility for debilitating illness. Careful planning is necessary, and can not only help by setting up appropriate Trusts to protect assets, but also in choosing the correct Community to spend your twilight years. After a decade of these conversations and preparing for retirement with my Clients, I am uniquely suited to lead the Shelby Township Board of Trustees as an expert on looking after our Seniors.
A few years ago, I was helping a family caring for a loved one, and their anguish and heartbreak has stuck with me ever since. The family member I was representing was the Patriarch of the family, in every sense of the word. He had been a CEO of a large corporation, with a “go get’em” Type A personality. He was a man of action; if he said something, he could back it up. He built himself a beautiful home and raised his children with his wife. His kids were all off being incredibly successful, and he was about at that age when we all want to take a breath, look around, and enjoy the friends and family we’ve built. Instead, his mind was failing him, and during my meetings, you could tell he was in the process of forgetting his whole life.
His wife and children now took turns keeping a watchful eye, but sometimes he would go for a walk or (worse) go for a drive and get turned around. He started to misplace items, including an expensive watch, that he had saved up for, to splurge on himself to celebrate his retirement. Thankfully, his neighbors stepped up and watched out for him and made sure he was always safe. He had always made it home.
While it broke my heart to work with families that were going through these issues, it also gave me immense pride. I was proud to see that we as Americans do our best to take care of our Seniors and we look out for them. You can see it when strangers help folks get through their day. And I especially see it here, in Shelby Township, where we take care of our Friends and Neighbors because it’s the right thing to do. But sometimes we don’t know where to turn, who has the best resources to tackle a certain issue, or how we can best help our loved ones. And we’ve found that Seniors are vulnerable to folks that want to take advantage of them, by tricking and scaring them into phone or Internet scams. The Greatest Generation especially, and increasingly more Baby Boomers, are at that time in their lives where they deserve to take a breath, look around, and enjoy the lives and the Community they’ve built. While they relax, I will fight to help protect them.
Further, as someone who owns Commercial and Residential real estate in Shelby Township, I know firsthand how important it is to our Community to maintain real estate values. When I am structuring plans for my Clients, many of whom have a significant chunk of their net worth attached to their homes, my number one goal is to both protect that nest egg with an eye towards growth. I vow to ensure that our Township remains the premier community in Macomb County to Live, Work, and Play. By ensuring that our Community is attractive to Seniors and Young Families alike, we can continue to make our Community attractive with broad appeal to all. Rest assured, our home values will continue to climb.
As an attorney, I take my role seriously in cases involving adult and senior issues. I am especially sensitive to the vulnerability of these individuals. I have the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to navigate the public and private resources that are available to our Seniors and their Families. As a Trustee, I would work to advertise and educate the public about programs geared toward helping seniors and their families seek out assistance. With these resources, together we can make the lives of our Seniors as stress-free as possible.
Lucia
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