Wednesday, October 18, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
16
Commentary...
Of a certain age...
By Sue Stafford
Columnist
“The greatest weapon
against stress is our ability
to choose one thought over
another.”
~ William James ~
My sister-in-law lives
in Santa Rosa. In the early
hours of Monday morning,
October 9, she lost her home
of 35 years to the Tubbs Fire
as it swept over the hill from
Calistoga with no warning.
With her house burned to
the ground and a lifetime of
memories inside, she was
lucky to escape with her life
after being trapped in her car
in her neighbor’s driveway
due to a tree across the road.
When I received the news
at 5 a.m. of her devastating
loss, my first thought was, “I
wonder if she will physically
and emotionally be able to
recoup after such a tragedy.”
Was I perhaps projecting
my own possible reaction to
such a loss? She is 10 years
my senior and has had a few
expected health issues. The
shock of such a loss defi-
nitely takes a toll on a person,
not to mention someone who
is 83 years old.
While grieving the mon-
umental losses, and most
likely still in a state of shock,
she now has to deal with all
the myriad details follow-
ing such a disaster: insur-
ance matters, replacing basic
necessities, finding housing
in an area where 2,800 struc-
tures were ravaged by fire,
arranging transportation, and
basically picking up the shat-
tered pieces of her life while
fires are still threatening the
area.
There will be ongoing
stress in her life for months,
at best. Stress can be deadly,
exacerbating existing health
problems or giving rise to
new ones.
We all live with a vari-
ety of stressors and, as we
age, the factors contributing
to stress are as varied as we
are as individuals, but there
are a few most of us share.
For those with healthy retire-
ment funds and sufficient
financial resources, money,
or the lack of it, is probably
not a stressor. But, for many
seniors, dwindling resources
is probably the number
one worry. And, as a single
woman, I am among those
worriers.
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Due to many years as a
stay-at-home mom not con-
tributing toward my Social
Security, for me now to rely
solely on a monthly check
from the government just
doesn’t cut it. Between early
withdrawals from my IRA
to go back to school to earn
my master’s degree and the
fickle stock market, my IRA
ran out before I have. I am
currently capable of supple-
menting my limited income
as a freelance writer, as long
as I retain my physical and
mental capacities, a concern
I visit occasionally.
Health and housing are
probably tied for second
place as far as stressful fac-
tors for those of a certain age.
In order to continue work-
ing, I need to remain healthy.
Some health factors I have
control over, others I don’t.
It’s up to me to eat right,
exercise, get adequate sleep,
see my doctors regularly, and
take necessary medications.
But as my machinery begins
to wear out, unexpected med-
ical problems arise and must
be addressed. As monetary
resources decrease, medical
and dental expenses seem
to increase. For some, hard
choices arise between eating
or paying rent and buying
medication.
I have planned ahead
and secured supplemen-
tal health insurance, which
takes a chunk out of my
Social Security every month,
and a long-term care policy.
However, the annual pre-
mium for the LTC policy,
which I can’t really afford
but which I can’t afford to
be without, is hefty and the
funds for that payment come
from a reverse mortgage,
which is slowly being con-
sumed by property taxes,
insurance premiums, and
other big-ticket items not cov-
ered by my monthly income.
I currently own my home,
for which I am extremely
grateful. I have been able
to tap the equity with the
reverse mortgage, but that
tapping must remain prudent
and infrequent if my dollars
and years are to keep pace
with each other.
If I stay in my 17-year-old
home, I am looking at usual
home maintenance expenses
like painting, deck repairs, a
new roof, repair and replace-
ment costs as appliances and
other items wear out. These
are all the things that run
through my mind in the mid-
dle of the night and create a
certain level of stress when I
let them.
What makes all of these
issues stressful is that they
are connected with money
as the common denominator.
An adjustment in one area
affects the others so it is easy
to become trapped by indeci-
sion and inaction, which then
perpetuates the stress.
Even such mundane
activities as cleaning out
my closets or lightening the
collection of “stuff” in my
garage gives rise to thoughts
like, “But I’ll never be able
to afford to replace it if need
be so I’d better hold onto it,”
whatever it is. The “what if”
dance can create temporary
craziness and again leads to
inaction.
The feeling of being stuck
is a stress inducer. How it
impacts me depends on my
current frame of mind, the
time of year (long sunny days
help keep it at bay), and my
physical well-being.
As the obituaries of people
younger than me increase, I
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