More than once in my life, I wish I knew more about hospice care, which is a sustained focus on quality-of-life near the end of a journey. A deeper working knowledge would have made the closing days of several loved ones’ lives more comfortable.
Yet no doctor or adviser even suggested hospice care to my family as we grappled with the end stages of cancer. It was only later that I discovered how much hospice care has to offer — and how millions of families can benefit from its humane mode of care.
Retiree News photograph | click to enlarge
This December 2002 photograph show three members of the Military Personnel Flight – (L-R) Dahna Kikuyama, Carol Togami, and Peni Sabagala. The event was the then-154th Military Personnel Flight’s Christmas party at a local karaoke lounge. There was a lot of singing talent among unit members.
Dahna ad Carol retired from their full time positions several years ago. Peni retired earlier this year to take a Title 5 conversion position; she continues in the training section.
From the Air Force Times website
A faulty engine, serious maintenance lapses that failed to repair it, and a series of air crew mistakes before and during takeoff led to the horrific WC-130H crash May 2 that killed nine Puerto Rico Air National Guardsmen.
But the Air Force accident investigation board report, which Air Mobility Command posted online Friday night, also exposed troubling morale, manning and resource problems with the 156th Airlift Wing, and a possible “culture of complacency” that may have led maintainers to cut corners.
From the everyday Health website
Most people know that consuming too much alcohol is bad for your health. What you may not realize is that excessive drinking remains the third leading preventable cause of death in this country. It’s a disease that affects some 17 million U.S. adults, a staggering one-fifth of whom are “functionally dependent,” meaning they don’t fit stereotypical ideas about how an alcoholic looks or acts.
From the Iolani Palace Instagram page | click to enlarge
The Friends of Iolani Palace along with the Royal Guard of the Hawaii Air National Guard celebrated King Kalakaua’s 182nd birthday with a day of festivities. The Royal Guard has posted the guard at Iolani Palace annually on the King’s birthday since its organization in 1963. The Royal Guard are members of the Hawaii Air National Guard who are of Hawaiian ancestry.
Inspired by the styles and colors of the King’s Birthday Jubilee in 1886, the celebration featured live entertainment by the Royal Hawaiian Band, Monarchy era bunting and décor, and special birthday tributes.
See the photographs from this year’s ceremony held on Friday, November 16.
Earlier Retiree News posts about the annual posting of the guard at Iolani Palace
Reverse mortgages are a unique type of loan. Unique is a word that is thrown around a great deal, particularly when describing financial products. But it’s accurate when describing Home Equity Conversion Mortgages — another term for reverse mortgages.
Here are three reasons: You don’t have to make payments on these loans until you die or move, they are restricted to homeowners who are 62 or older, and reverse mortgages use two interest rates for every transaction: one to calculate your mortgage rate, and another to calculate your expected rate, which determines how much money you can borrow.
Hawaii Air National Guard photograph | click to enlarge
This photograph show then-SSgt Alan Yoneshige of the then-154th USAF Clinic. It was taken during the unit’s 1982 deployment to Clark AB, Philippines. The other Airmen in the photograph are Air Force members.
A Traditional Guardmember, Alan served his entire Guard career in the medical unit until his retirement in February 2011.
Alan continues his civilian career with Adventist Health Castle.
Alan is the organizer of the annual medical unit reunion luncheons. The luncheon is always a great reunion of retired unit members.
Retiree News uses “medical unit” in most posts because the unit has had several organizational names over its history. We are gathering information for a future post about the medical unit’s name history.
Anyone who has ever thought about retirement has surely asked themselves one basic question: How much do I need to have saved up? Unfortunately, the answer to this riddle is not simple nor one-size-fits-all. The amount depends on a variety of factors, and everyone’s calculation must be calibrated to their personal situation.
Many large financial companies have a hard time building an advertising campaign around a concept that is so complex and has so many moving parts. They’d rather just give you a target number that is probably big and scary. Why bother with the math equation part when it’s so much easier to say, “If you don’t have at least $2 million stashed away, you won’t be OK.”
Let’s call retirement what it really is: 20 to 30 years of unemployment. Fortunately, this type of unemployment can be planned for. Aimlessly accumulating savings in your retirement accounts to fund this goal is meaningless without directly basing it on your situation.
Understanding this, let’s take a deeper dive into the Nest-Egg formula:
Does the thought of being power of attorney (POA) for a parent or another loved one fill you with dread? Maybe Mom thinks you’d be the best choice to make business, financial or medical decisions for her if she becomes unable to do so on her own because you live in the same town, while your sister lives two states away. Designating you as POA just makes sense. Or does it?
Not everyone is cut out to be the power of attorney. In fact, there are many reasons that children and others may need to decline, says Cheryl David, a North Carolina elder law attorney.
“Becoming someone’s power of attorney is a monumental job,” says David. “It’s huge, and the task should not be entered into without great thought.”
From the Travel Channel website
Not sure where to place your order for Bloody Mary’s and mimosas this weekend? Here are the can’t miss brunch spots in every state, plus D.C.
A qualified veteran or surviving spouse who is 65 or older can get Aid & Attendance to help pay for care in an assisted living community, a nursing home, or at home. Recipients can use their benefit to pay an adult child who’s acting as their caregiver, but not a caregiving spouse.
Aid and Attendance is a benefit paid by Veterans Affairs (VA) to veterans, veteran spouses or surviving spouses. … The benefit may not be paid without eligibility to a VA basic pension. Aid and Attendance is for applicants who need financial help for in–home care, to pay for an assisted living facility or a nursing home.
At some point, you’ll buy your last car and refinance your last mortgage. Surely then you can stop worrying about your credit scores.
Well, not really, although there are situations when credit scores shouldn’t be anyone’s main concern.
In the past, the Hawaii National Guard traditionally honored outgoing governors with a military review or parade at the end of their gubernatorial service. This ceremony usually was held in the month of October or November on a UTA weekend. This was driven by the incoming governor’s inauguration ceremony which is held on the first Monday of December.
John David Waiheʻe III served as the fourth Governor of Hawaii from 1986 to 1994. He was the first American of Native Hawaiian descent to be elected as governor from any state. Governor Waiheʻe was a supporter of the Hawaii National Guard and the State Department of Defense. His biography in the link below lists some of his work supporting the Hawaii Guard.
The military review for Governor Waiheʻe was held on Sunday, October 16, 1994 in Diamond Head Crater.
