There are few constants in life, but as sure as death and taxes, we are all getting older. We transition through many stages in our lives. From child to student. From student to young professional. From a career to retirement. And throughout our lives we are told we need to have a plan.
But why does our planning end with retirement? We have a lot of living to do past retirement, with the average Canadian life expectancy now beyond 80 years. And yet, few people have even thought about a plan for how they want to spend those silver years. We work so hard to be smart about business or smart about financial planning but what about being smart about the last half of our lives? It’s as if we start thinking about the next act in the play and get “age fright”.
Living longer means we will probably have to cope with chronic conditions and later in life, changing physical and mental capacity and perhaps the death of a partner. In previous generations, families were often nearby to help but that is often not the case today. So many families are struggling with long distance caregiving while trying to focus on their careers and juggle their own busy households.
Enter Silver Sherpa – a life transitions company for seniors and their families providing independent and personalized advice on smart ageing. Through Silver Sherpa’s Personalized Living Plan™, as well as access to an extensive network of pre-qualified and screened partners, clients and their families can maximize the return on their silver years and live them stress free.
Lead by international healthcare change expert and entrepreneur Susan Hyatt, Silver Sherpa was born out of first-hand experience in family crisis. Susan knows that as people age, crises arise and life can change in the blink of an eye. During these times, immediate access to key professionals, a structured and pre-determined crisis plan, and personal assistance to manage doctor’s visits, home-care providers, moving professionals and more, can make the difference in getting through a difficult situation.
Silver Sherpa delivers pragmatic smart ageing solutions in three easy steps – Plan, Navigate and Connect.
Plan – Using our unique assessment tools which scan 9 healthy ageing factors, we help our clients develop their Personalized Living Plan™. We help you figure out future scenarios that you want then we determine goals and steps on how to get you there.
Navigate – Once your goals are defined, we work with you to achieve those goals. Often our clients are trying to figure out how to work through the maze of health care services and they get overwhelmed in the process. We understand the complexities of health care and can guide you through the maze and advocate for you.
Connect – We think you should have independent advice and if you need a professional such as a lawyer or a real estate specialist or an accountant, we have a seasoned group of pre-qualified professionals standing by, who give our clients priority status. We also make sure that you connect the right information at the right time to the right service provider to get the best quality service you deserve. There are a myriad of questions and issues needing to be addressed as we age later in life. Do you have your power of attorneys and will up to date? Are you in need of more care? Have you reviewed the costs? Are you lonely and disengaged since your partner passed away? There are people who can help. The first step, is to reach out. Don’t hesitate. The sooner you reach out, the sooner you will ease your mind.