FREE OCTOBER 22 AVON PROGRAMS EXPLORES PRE-PLANNING FUNERALS, ELDERCARE AND ESTATE ISSUES

A growing number of people are seeking information about a variety of eldercare and estate planning issues related to aging. With record numbers of older Americans – including the Baby Boomer generation – topics such as long term care, family support, and legal concerns and options are of significant interest to many. In addition, approximately 1 million people, in the last year alone, planned for their own final arrangements and many paid in advance as well.

That’s why family-owned Carmon Community Funeral Homes will host two free programs in Suffield on Tuesday, October 22 at Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center at 301 Country Club Rd. in Avon. The identical programs at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. will provide information about pre-planning of final arrangements, how to pay for these services, and how to protect one’s assets if Title 19 and Medicaid are ever needed. On Thursday, October 17 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., similar programs will be held at Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home at 443 East St. North.

Included at each event will be an overview of information about eldercare, financial and legal strategies, and requirements for effective estate planning and asset protection, including accessing Medicaid and Veterans’ funding benefits. Attendees at every session will learn how to protect themselves and their estates and will receive a free planning guide.

Speaking at all of the programs will be Nicole I. Paquette, CFSP, CPC – a licensed Funeral Director and Certified Pre-Planning Consultant with Carmon Community Funeral Homes. The Immediate Past President of the Connecticut Funeral Directors Association, Ms. Paquette will explain the three different types of cremation services and the benefits of planning ahead for one’s own funeral or cremation. She will explain why many people do this to relieve much of the emotional and financial burden from their families who otherwise must make many decisions in the difficult days following their death. She also will tell how others plan ahead to be sure that all of their own funeral or cremation details are in place –exactly how they want them.

On October 22 in Avon, John F. “Jay” Kearns, a Certified Elder Law Attorney of Kearns & Kearns, PC in West Hartford, will speak. Atty. Kearns has served as a director of the National Elder Law Foundation and as a director of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, where he was honored as a Fellow of the Academy for his commitment to the service of older persons. He was Connecticut’s first board-certified elder law specialist.

To reserve a seat for either of the Tuesday, October 22 programs in Avon, call Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center at (860) 673-8610.

On October 17 in Suffield, Victoria Spellman, a partner with Spellman & Kelly, LLC in Suffield, will join Ms. Paquette. Atty. Spellman’s practice includes real estate, probate, wills, trusts, estate planning, estate and trust taxation, contracts, business and finance. She has received a Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating of "Distinguished Attorney", which means she was deemed by her peers to have very high professional ethics and very high legal ability.

To reserve a seat for the Thursday, October 17 programs in Suffield, call Nicholson & Carmon Funeral Home at (860) 668-7324.

To register on line, visit www.carmonfuneralhome.com, then go to Resources, then Community events.