.

>> Good evening and welcome to PBS Fort Wayne and to our show LIFE Ahead.

If you've not watched this before, I'll tell you a little bit about it often you need some advice or some information or education.

You have to make choices for your LIFE Ahead and that's what we do here.

We have different topics every week and we try to give you again that information and education to help you out with some of those decisions tonight .

>> It's a combination of law and physical fitness.

We are going to be talking with elder attorney Heidi Adair who's been with us many, many times.

>> And then also we're going to talk some exercise with Aaron Long who's a corrective exercise specialist.

We'll find out what that is here in a moment.

>> This is Heidi.

You probably recognize her if you watch us regularly.

Welcome back.

>> Sandy and Aaron .

You were here with Heidi.

We were trying to decide whether it was two years ago or something like that and something like about, you know, getting back in shape and you went to Aaron for a while.

>> Yeah, that's I got to know Aaron because she was my trainer.

So tough tough trainer.

>> She is a tough trainer.

All right.

To be prepared for that.

Yeah.

OK, well now Aaron has a lot of clients as I recall that are elderly or have had some disabilities that make it difficult for exercise.

>> Yeah, I work with a wide range of clients anywhere from teenagers to people in their 60s, 70s, 80s.

I've even worked with a gentleman in his 90s before.

>> Wow.

Wow.

Makes me feel guilty that you know OK and so I guess what we're saying here is that we're going to give you some advice no matter what age you are, what your physical condition is to maybe get more physically fit that will help you with your life .

>> And if you have any questions, whether it's physical fitness or elder law, Heidi, they can call and answer your question.

>> Right.

Right, right.

OK. Ninety nine twenty seven twenty is our our number there and if you're out of the two six zero area code don't worry about it put in 866 front of that and it'll be toll free.

>> OK, I'm going to start asking questions but again give us a call if you have something you'd like for us to discuss.

Let's talk Heidi about well, first of all, this topic of physical fitness or preretirement health assessments.

>> Why are we talking about that now?

So I called it preretirement health assessment and thinking you need to assess the health of your legal matters, your financial matters and as important as that is assessing your health and getting a plan for staying healthy is really even more important than making sure your legal affairs are in order.

>> Yeah, if your legal affairs are not or are all in order but your body's not you've got a problem.

>> Yeah.

Right.

OK, how do you assess somebody's legal health ?

>> We'll look at that side first.

Yeah.

So the best way to do that is to pull out any documents that you've done in the past and look through those and see what they are and see if the people who are named in them are still people that you want.

Another key thing is to come up with a listing of all of your assets.

>> Every single thing that you own and put it down on a piece of paper is is the first step.

That's the first step.

Now if you need the help kind of sorting things out and you want to go to an elder law, what kind of document should you take on a first visit?

>> Well, you should bring all those legal past legal documents that you've done that you've done through your closet and found yeah.

Bring those and and bring your listing of all of your assets, all your bank accounts, all your life insurance policies, all your real estate and all your passwords.

>> Now that I always think of Heidi to when we talk about this and she is something she mentioned probably two or three years ago Heidi, as everything in an orange folder but I do.

>> Yeah.

And your family all knows that a good idea though to do something like that to make sure that your family knows where all those documents are, whether it's Orange or Frager or whether it's in in the upstairs bedroom or if it's in the office or the kitchen drawer or whatever but to keep the family involved.

>> OK, let's talk about physical fitness, Aaron .

When does someone know that they should be coming to see someone like you or somebody to help them with physical fitness?

>> Well, I think physical fitness starts at any age at any time.

So you know, sometimes you have to be in the right mindset in order to start that journey.

Yeah, if you're not really your heart's not into it or anything, it's kind of harder to start.

But if you make that decision, you know something that I need to do maybe for myself for my family to live a bit a little bit longer and more comfortable by taking care of yourself.

We were talking in the break room right before the show about some physical problems like and a lot of people have physical problems that maybe have been thanks to modern medicine repaired or hip replacement or a knee replacement or whatever.

And a lot of people that have had those types of situations need some kind of physical therapy or physical fitness.

Are there any limitations or things that you would say, you know, let's not work on a physical regime quite yet?

>> You know, after someone's had a hip replacement or any replacement usually they do a physical therapy and after they've graduated from that program some people want to continue to work and getting physically healthier but aren't really sure what to do.

Going to a bigger facility sometimes can be scary.

So definitely looking out and reaching out to someone local that knows what they're doing and has worked with that specific clientele before is very important.

>> Well, no, you know what?

When you see this on TV and you know sitcoms or movies or whatever, you always see a big group of like twenty five or 30 people doing Zumba or whatever they're doing.

>> But I think you told me before sometimes they're just small groups that have something in common that you're working with.

>> Yeah that's kind of what we do at our facility is that we work with the individual whether it's in kind of a larger class which is maybe five to 10 people or more of a private or semiprivate facility where we're specifically working with that individual with what they're trying to accomplish.

>> So we specialize and we program their workouts and their journey to do you do spin classes and we actually do have spin bikes.

>> We have currently looking for an instructor so but we do really.

>> Yeah.

My son in law teaches some spin classes at one of the guys here in Fort Wayne and he just you know, his class they're just so excited about it and that's a wonderful thing and they're all ages so cool thing.

>> OK where you might have to try that.

Yeah yeah.

Don't don't ask me to meet you there OK. >> Yeah OK if somebody has knee or back issues Erin what should they start with.

>> What kind of an exercise.

Well first they always want to consult their doctor to make sure that they're able to do exercise see if there's any limitations or anything that need to be doing OK and then you if they're not really sure what to do, find a facility that can work with them more individualized and give that you know, start with something very small sometimes maybe only 30 minutes is enough to get you started and give them exercise that they know will help with whatever they're dealing with and progress from there.

>> OK. All right.

>> Do doctors often give you a plan or they they just tell you what your limitations are?

>> I don't really know of many doctors that give them a plan of just being like you know, maybe not do this or maybe not do that other then maybe to a physical therapist to start.

Yeah.

And then once they've graduated from that like we've said like they go out and try to find something else that they can continue to do and that they enjoy that's one of the biggest part is finding something to do with it.

>> Yeah yeah.

If it's something that you look forward to going to OK Heidi let's get back to some legal stuff here.

>> When should you think about appointing a health representative since we're talking about your body here and in health and I know that you always have told us that you need to have a power of attorney and a health representative.

>> When should you think about that and what should you look for ?

I mean really I think once you turn 18 years old you should appoint a health care representative.

You never know when an accident is going to happen that you might not be able to be in charge of your own health care decisions.

So it's important to name somebody.

And as far as thinking about who to name, you want to name somebody that you can trust and think that they have good judgment and they may be making very important, you know, life and death decisions for yeah.

And so you want to have a conversation with that person about what your view what what you want the end of your life to look like and trust that they're going to do what you want them to do.

>> So are there any checks and balances on that?

>> What if they don't abide by what you've told them you want?

Well, so you can set up a document to have some checks and balances built OK where I might name you know, either one of my two kids to make a decision for me.

Yeah.

Hoping that you know, one of them will stand up to the other one.

You know what I want to be done done.

Sometimes people require the agreement of two people before any decision can be made.

I usually really try to talk people out of doing that because it becomes very administratively burdensome if you mean if you name like two people power of attorney if I require both my kids to agree on, you know, and be present to make every single decision that can be just administrative stuff.

But there are some families that absolutely that's how they want to structure their documents because they want that forced agreement.

I see I see where it just gets complicated no matter how you look at it.

>> You know, it can be I think it's wonderful that we are at an age where we're aware of those sort of things and we talk about it all the time here on LIFE Ahead about making sure that you have your your legal documents all lined up.

What's the term ducks in a row.

Ducks in a row?

Yeah.

No wonder that started after Google that tonight where that began.

>> But anyway, making sure you have your ducks in a row or whatever.

>> OK, Aaron , do you do you and other physical trainers, physical trainers the right thing to call you physical trainers, personal trainer.

>> OK, do you require any kind of document from a doctor or somebody when somebody comes to you and wants a training program, do you have to verify they're medically able?

>> I'm not sure if you're actually required to do that but we definitely at my facility we make sure that we have in contact with the doctor.

We get a release from them and make sure that they're able to do the care.

Just I don't want anyone to come in and not be ready or or anything like that.

So I want to make sure that they're Yeah.

>> Signed off to be able to work out again.

OK, all right.

Heidi, let's go back to the legal part but I know you have four children and I know you have some grandchildren.

Lucky you.

Yeah it's wonderful and one on the way.

Yeah OK. >> The next time you see her she'll be a grandmother of two OK all right.

>> Well that requires a little bit of stamina.

Yeah.

Physical fitness to be able to watch the grandchildren here.

>> What are some of the requirements legally if they're already four for say someone like you to watch your grandchildren or or do you have to be in a certain physical condition?

>> Oh no I don't think so.

as far as just watching your grandchildren on a day to day dropping in kind of thing, there's nothing with that but something that young parents need to be thinking about is who will take care of their kids permanently if something would happen to them and that means they have to have what a guardian named in their will form a guardian named in their will or is that a document you can do separately say they don't have a will?

>> There is I think there is some sort of document just for a short term that you can nominate someone as the child's guardian.

It's just a single document.

>> I think we've talked about that perhaps you know, with one of your coworkers that a lot of young people will do that if they're going to go on a trip, especially if it's out of the country.

Right.

Then they feel like oh boy, I better have something lined up so they'll do like a temporary guardianship or something.

Yeah, yeah.

It gets you by far in the short a short time.

>> OK OK Aaron what questions should you ask yourself if you're thinking about starting a program let's say Heidi's going to start next week you notice I didn't say I was going yeah.

>> What should I ask myself to know whether or not I'm ready or prepared?

>> I'm not really sure if that's what you would ask yourself just making the conscious decision.

Sometimes it's easier if you just go and find something that you know you enjoy if you enjoy working out with others, finds something that you can do where you're going to work out with others if you don't really want to work with others, you want to work with just someone one on one find that kind of see like where you're at where your comfort level is to start.

You know, if you don't like working out in a group, don't just go work out in a group and be like oh my gosh, this wasn't for me and I don't want to do this anymore.

So kind of analyze where you are, where you're starting at and where you want to go and at what level.

>> I mean I remember this was years ago I decided OK, I'm going to get really physical fit and I joined a gym and and signed up for I don't think it was Zumba.

>> What's kind of like that?

I don't know step aerobics.

>> Oh yeah some kind of yeah exactly.

Kind of rubiks and I thought oh this is going to be great.

>> Well fortunately I got in the back row on purpose I could not keep with them at all and later to find out that most of the class had been doing that for like two years you know and they knew people like me.

>> I mean there was no way you could see I didn't stay with it because I just didn't feel comfortable.

>> That's that's that's one of the main reasons why I wanted someone like Aaron to join me today is because you don't have to be ready to join the class to go to your first class.

You can go get something arranged with a trainer which I mean may feel like an expense or a splurge but it's it's really a gift you're giving yourself and they will help you start from the smallest little I mean you don't have to be able to do hardly anything and just build up from there.

>> So I just I think it's important as we age to try to stay healthy and strong and you don't have to you can find somebody like this to help you do that even if you are one hundred percent out of shape.

>> Well, and a lot of people are I mean in addition to a lot of other life changes, you know, in this world right now a lot of people are getting pretty comfortable with the TV and in the lazy way and as long as they've got the remote control, you know, but then maybe something happens to their body or or they get inspired to try to do something around what are some things we're all sitting right now but what what's something we could do at home to just get ourselves started?

>> That's a simple thing you can do from your chair or floor or whatever.

I mean you can sit and you can do Theresa's sitting in your chair just lift up on your toes .

You can do a leg extension where you're just gonna lift your leg up extended out in sitting and standing from a chair is as simple as it gets.

You know, how many times do you have people where you know you have to get ready or use your legs or use your arms to stand up but you know, just trying to sit and stand without having to pull or push yourself up, you know, little things like that get up and you know, walk around the house a few times, you know, during the day rather, you know, every commercial break get on you get up and walk around a little bit.

I mean we all know two or three minute commercial breaks are pretty prevalent and yeah, you watching your favorite show.

>> So just try little things like that to just get more movement throughout the day I saw something on it was morning network TV, some physical fitness trainer or whatever was recommending something like that.

>> She said if you just do fifteen minutes of exercise a day, you know that's better than nothing and that's not bad at all.

>> And she said the same thing you can do it in one or two in increments while there is a commercial or in between shows.

>> You know I don't think you have to work out you know thirty forty five minutes when you have been physically inactive.

Sometimes it is five or ten minutes a day for a few weeks and then go to ten or fifteen minutes.

You know I think some people get in the mind well I can't do thirty minutes I can't do forty five minutes but you know start small build yourself up and I think if we go too hard too fast that's where people get discouraged and they don't want to continue to do it right.

>> Right.

And it doesn't have to be all aerobic that's kind of what and that's really I know that's kind of wrong.

>> You don't lift weights and that's you know, that's really good for you and you can make something at home, you know that you could you soup cans you could use milk jugs, you could do anything.

>> I've seen people with brooms using a broom to reach over head you know, curl anything you can use household items if you don't have any weights they don't have to be super heavy.

It's just about getting more movement throughout your body.

>> Are there any legal situation, Tidey when somebody has had a surgery or whatever and then they finally get into an exercise regime but they do too much too soon and they end up with more problems if you will .

>> Can they go back to the trainer or I don't think facility and say it's your fault.

>> I know I'm in I doubt it and I'm really I'm sure most places when you go workout you're signing some papers and parts of those papers are that you're exercising at your own risk and waiving any problems.

So yeah, I wouldn't think on a normal basis that that would be something you could pursue.

>> Well then we won't worry about.

Yeah yeah about you know you mentioned that people should have well and and name guardians for their children if you're working with your finances what do you do about beneficiaries.

>> Well that's just another part of making sure your plan is what you want it to be because assets that go by a beneficiary designation which would be like your 401K or an IRA, a life insurance policy it does not matter what your will says.

It's the document the beneficiary designation form is going to say where that particular asset goes and then people it I'm just amazed it's something that I explain literally four or five times every day and when people come in and are you just revisiting their plans I say well what have you checked into your beneficiaries designations lately or a new client?

Oh I haven't looked in those in twenty five years so that's something that's important to make sure is up to date and what you want it to be because in today's financial world oftentimes most assets a person has our in their IRA or 401k.

>> Yeah I get that yeah.

What if you to make changes to those things though can you call the company and or go online and print a new form and fill it out and send it in and make sure you get a confirmation don't just send it off and and don't look for a confirmation keep it in your task list.

In your folder.

Yeah.

And then stick your confirmation in your org folder .

>> Let's say that you want to make a change in the person that you have decided upon to be guardian of your children or to be your power attorney and and take care of your finances.

>> Do you have to start all over?

Do you have a need you need a new well how do you make a change like that?

>> I mean honestly usually I just do a for power of attorney you just need to do a new document and wills I usually it is possible to do what's called a codicil where you just amending or changing one section at my general preferences you just do a whole new one.

It doesn't really it's not that much more it's really not any more work so it's not going to cost that much more.

And just having done this for so long when after someone's died and we're trying to figure out what their documents say when we've got this one and this one this one and this changed this it's just very confusing.

>> So to make things easy and simpler for families, it's just nice to have one document.

All right.

That makes sense.

That makes a lot of sense.

Aaron , back to you.

We talked about, you know, just getting in shape if you just gotten a little bit lazy.

But let's say you have had a more serious problem and that happens, you know, especially as people get older.

>> One of the biggest fears is falling because that's from what I've heard the number one reason why they end up with a serious health problem because they don't want any recommendations of what people should do to try to avoid that or if they do, what should they do?

>> I mean the biggest thing is as we age is to keep moving the second we sit down with second we don't use our muscles like we start to atrophy so we want to get up, get moving.

Lifting weights is so important.

I do think being strong and being doing strength training is so important.

I always call it the fountain of youth that we need to lift weights.

>> We need to have muscle so we can continue to do everyday activities for the rest of our lives that someone doesn't have to come in and help us, you know, in and out of a chair to take a shower that we want to continue and you can start at any age.

You know, I think people get a little nervous that like oh you know, I'm seventy five.

I can't do I can't start now.

>> I started with a gentleman at ninety one.

What do you do with somebody that's ninety one.

>> We do a lot of terrible exercises but I made him get up I made him walk around the house and I was right there you because he was a little nervous but he had his walker he walked around we did a few laps around the house we had him do some light weights.

I mean he was lifting five pounds, you know, doing some band work but he was doing something thirty minutes I think we worked three times a week for thirty minutes and he lived to be ninety seven.

>> Wow.

Yeah.

And continue to work with him until probably about two or three months before he passed.

>> That's amazing.

>> I have a friend whose father is ninety three and he lives at home alone but he has kept himself healthy enough that he's able to to do things you know physically or whatever I mentioned about falling I think the two big things that I hear people talking about or fearful of is in Indiana I falling on ice happens a lot or in the house it's throw rugs.

You know, people need to take inventory in their house and not have loose rugs laying around.

Well, actually I just had had a conversation with a gentleman who recently he was recovering already from another serious accident and he just stepped on a curb wrong just a matter of balance, stepped on a curb wrong and fell and broke a couple ribs.

How about that?

You know, that takes a while to recover from it again and again.

>> But if done the right way going to the rehab going doing the steps that you're supposed to do, you can build back some of that strength after an injury.

You know, I think a lot of people get in their head that they can't do those things.

They can't recover and they can.

I think our mind plays a lot into what we can and cannot do.

>> OK, all right, Heidi, you have thirty seconds to give recommendations to our viewers here from a legal point of view of what they should do to have a healthy preparation for retirement.

>> Yeah, I just would say, you know, as you start leading in to retirement, don't just let life happen to you.

Make sure that you are planning what you want your life , what you want your health , what you want your estate plan to look like.

Be assertive and and make your own plan.

>> Make your own plan.

You like that.

OK, well I have enjoyed of course are having Aaron and Heidi both with us tonight.

>> Thank you.

Thank you and to all of you for watching us here on LIFE Ahead.

And we'll be back next Wednesday night at seven thirty with a new topic, a new guest so I hope I'll see you then.

Meanwhile, stay safe and stay healthy tonight