Sep. 1—The Logansport Cass County Chamber of Commerce brought together local business experts to discuss sensitive end of life issues during their monthly Lunch & Learn event Wednesday afternoon in the Ivy Tech Community Room.

"As a former banker I know this is stuff people don't like to talk about: trusts, wills, estates, funeral planning, financial planning," said Bill Cupp, Chamber of Commerce president and president of the Cass Logansport Economic Development Organization. "A lot of people might think it's for the older people or the rich people. We are trying to eliminate some misconceptions about that today."

Five fifteen minute panel discussions were held with a short question and answer session following each segment.

The discussions opened with Andrew Stephenson, representing Michael & Stephenson, and Security Federal Savings Bank's Heather Winters discussing wills, trusts and estate planning.

"A trust and a will are similar," said Winters. "They are a set of instructions explaining how you want your things dealt with. The main difference is a will only says 'these are my instructions when I pass away.' A trust, on the other hand, can have a set of instructions stretched out over a long period of time. So you can say 'while I'm living, this is how I want my assets taken care of and when I pass away what I want done.'"

Stephens warned that many people assume when there is no will the spouse will inherit the estate. He said that isn't always the case, especially in blended marriages and that can cause issues.

They also suggested considering dynamics such as possible addiction in the family, the risk of future divorce, keeping small businesses or farmland intact and mental health when planning a trust or will.

When it comes to considering home care for ageing and sick family, Caden Zeck of Comfort Keepers stressed that people should be aware of what services are provided by a chosen business.

Zeck said at Comfort Keepers they can provide some light housekeeping, cook meals and assist others with care. However, they cannot take care of issues such as changing bandages, checking vitals or administering medications. There are also assumptions that the business is a transportation service, he said.

Maria Rogers, of Guardian Angel Hospice, said there was a lot of confusion between home care and hospice. Hospice, she said, was about providing comfort to patients during end of life situations. When entering hospice care some may live for a matter of days or for many months.

"We don't speed up or slow down the dying process," Rogers said. "We are here to give them comfort and dignity in the face of death. A lot of people thinking if you select hospice you are losing the battle. That's not true. We are switching gears. We are helping you manage and finish those life goals that you have, helping you mend those fences."

The stigma of nursing homes was a topic of discussion and Cortney Hanson said that she deals with it from everyone who walks into WoodBridge Health Campus.

"Nobody wants to come into a nursing home," said Brandy Wiles of Chase Center Rehabilitation & Nursing Services. "I wouldn't want to put my family in a nursing home. You want your family to be at home. But I know from experience of working in longterm care for over 20 years, the CNAs and the nurses who work in nursing homes treat the residents like they are family. With a lot of my residents I feel like 'that's my grandma and grandpa.' There is a stigma, but we just try to ease their fears."

Longterm care might include someone who doesn't have a family to care for them or be an option for a caregiver who works all day and are unable to provide the care their loved one needs. Short term care can be used for physical rehab or even if a caregiver needs a small break to recharge while caring for their loved one.

"It takes a toll on people to take care of their loved one and maybe they need breaks," Wiles said.

Vonda Hand of Miller's Merry Manor said that adult day care could also be an option, though the service has been suspended during COVID-19. She said it provides caregivers the opportunity to drop off a loved one during work hours or maybe just for a couple of hours a week to allow for grocery shopping.

Dawn and Jacob Fisher of Fisher Funeral Chapel were in attendance to discuss funeral planning. Kroeger Funeral Home and Harrison-Metzger & Rans Funeral Home were invited but unable to attend.

"One thing I want to make clear is that it costs absolutely nothing to pre-plan your funeral," said Dawn Fisher. "You don't have to pre-pay it. You can come in and make your wishes known. You can come in and designate a pre-planning appointee."

To close out the event, Lisa Raderstorf of Wealth Management Solutions and Charles Vergara, Security Federal Investment Services, discussed financial planning. They encouraged those who were just getting started with investing to bring in as many of their personal financial statements as possible. They said the more information provided to them allows them to be more helpful.

They also encouraged investors not to panic when there is a volatile market. They said the best thing to do is wait out the chaos and to do the opposite of what their heart and mind is telling them to do.

The event was sponsored by the United Way of Cass County and lunch was provided by WoodBridge.