This posting is not about real estate. This is a consumer alert to a really nifty idea. Several years ago I took a Designation Course called Senior Real Estate Specialist. As the population ages the needs of the community in Westchester and elsewhere will shift and change. While not training us to be professional planners or CPA's the course gave us a general idea of Reverse Mortgages, tax issues related to selling a property, some of the pitfalls of aging and buying and selling real estate. The Team Concept is stressed with elder-care Attorney's, CPA's, insurance professionals, occupational counselers and financial advisors.So since I took this course I now get a Monthly Newsletter with some really interesting things in it and several months ago there was a column on the Vial of Life which I had never heard of.
Emergency medical technicians throughout the United States are trained or being trained to look for the "vial" in a patient's refrigerator. The "vial" can contain things like details on the prescription medicine taken, living wills and do-not-resuscitate orders. You can use an old prescription bottle and place it in the refrigerator. A magnet on the door of the fridge indicating you have placed the "vial" inside helps.
You can also go to Senior Safety Project and register to receive a complete information kit at no charge. This isn't really about real estate but I thought this to be a really good idea. I have often wondered where people would look for these documents if someone was unconscious and couldn't tell them.
