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Personal Observation about Seniors and their Pets
I have been working with Seniors for the past 21 years, in the mortgage field, and two things I have found out about most of them is, first, they expect to live forever, and be healthy until they pass. Secondly, they feel their families will take care of them forever, and, also take care of all their belongings and their pets.
Both of these statements are inherently false. Why? Because as we age, we will all experience a deterioration of our bodies and our capabilities. Also we will most likely have health issues as we grow older. This is a fact of aging. And unless you have found the Fountain of Youth, you will also experience this road in life.
Another issue many of us seniors expect is that we will have all the money in the world to care for ourselves as we get older. That money, investments, pensions, and Social Security will be enough to take care of the lifestyle we have today and are accustomed to.
Well, that is also a fallacy! No matter how much money and savings you have today, you do not know how much you will need in the future. How will inflation and price increases affect your savings?
Will your money dictate how you will live in the future? What will you have to give up in order to live within your means? Will your lifestyle change?
I have seen a lot of seniors in my career that had grand expectations and eventually lived a different life dictated by the money they had each month.
Many seniors with a nice nest egg, and a good financial planner will tell you that they have enough to care for everything they want to do in retirement. However, what they do not know is when their money will run out. Why, because the one factor no one knows is when we will all die. If you live a short life, enjoy your money and your plans. But if you live a long life, will you have enough to keep you doing what you are accustomed to?
In addition to this chapter, I must address your pets. Your pets are like your family. In dealing with many seniors, they expect their families to care for their animals as they would care for them themselves. Again, this is a fallacy in some cases. Fact: a senior's pets are older in age, have more medical issues, and are accustomed to their owners. Your "children" whom you think will care for your pets, have their own families, their own pets, and to introduce your older pets into their homes, just won't be easy. In many cases I have found the "children" although they say they will care for your pets, they do not want to, and in many cases, they turn them over to a shelter. And we know in a shelter, they are likely to be euthanized after a while. Is this what you want for your lifelong pet after you are gone?
However, what we do and how we prepare today is the key to a fantastic aging lifestyle for both you and your pet.
