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Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 1976 Page Two State Has Will For Those Who Do Not Write One A Success Story (continued from page 1) cognitive and physical decline. Moreover, the expectation to move appeared to be fatal for some elderly persons. research Drs. Bourestom and Pastalans project on transfer trauma, which began in 1972, was to the Social spurred on by an amendment (PL Security Act. The amendment gave the federal government greater control over environmental and medical aspects of nursing homes and other facilities for the elderly. Subsequently, in 1973, the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare stressed stricter enforcement of the Life Safety Code, particularly the fire code, and issued regulations which resulted in the decertification of some nursing homes. Thus, federal policies, promulgated in the name of humaneness and safety, led to the forced relocation of many elderly persons. Many states and federal agencies were suddenly faced with difficult relocation problems. In Pennsylvania an estimated 2,000 to 6,000 elderly persons would have to be moved. According to Bourestom and Pastalan, a transfer of 2,000 persons could increase the normal death rate for this population by 250 to 450 people. By contrast, only 16 institutionalized elderly, were known to have died in nursing home fires in Pennsylvania in 1972. The University of Michigan gerontologists responded to this critical situation and developed preparation programs, based on their findings, to attenuate the. fatal effects of transfer trauma. The programs involved slowly familiarizing the patients with their new environment during the months peceding the scheduled move. Preparation programs, which have contributed to reducing fatalities resulting from forced relocation of the elderly, have been or are being developed in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Pending federal legislation would require all states to establish such programs. Curiously, as the Newsletter article . notes, the Michigan research findings were being used by the public policy sectpr before information about the study was published. The policy community found out about the transfer trauma research through informal channels such as presentations at professional meetings, a chance meeting between a U.S. Senate committee staff person and the researchers, and the appointment of a former student of Dr. Pastalan to the Commissioner for the Aging post in Pennsylvania. Many factors contributed to the rapid application of the fortuitous timing of the the research findings research which happened to coincide with the passage of PL and other federal initiatives, and the fact that the results of the study could be easily understood by the public which could readily identify the correspondence between specific research findings and specific programmatic alternatives. The authors of the Newsletter article underscore the point that the researchers were sensitive to the needs of the institutionalized elderly and to the imminent threat of forced relocation. In other words, they sensed and responded to an impending national need. 3-ye- ar 92-60- 62-60- 3) 3 Indian Cabinet minister Karan Singh, when asked about the importance of preserving Indian wildlife, Did you know that you have a will whether you have made one or not? Sam Smith, in order to provide amply for his wife after he died, put all of his property in her name. He felt this would also save on inheritance taxes. Unfortunately she died first. She had no will directing how her estate should be distributed, and thus it was dis- tributed according to the state laws of intestacy. That is, the will" a state legislates for citizens who die without a will. The result was that Sam had to share his property, which was once his own, with her closest relative, a nephew neither of them had seen for years, This is only one instance where a wife as well as her husband should have had a will. Although it is usually the husband who dies first, a common disaster could bring about dire results affecting the lives of surviving loved ones. Once a widower with small children married a second time and named his new wife the beneficiary of his estate, knowing that she would take care of his children. Later they both were involved in an automobile accident in which she survived him for a few hours, and thus inherited his estate. When she died without a will, her estate according to the state law of went to her relatives, intestacy His children received nothing. Thus we see that legislative enactments alone may cause severe problems in seemingly ordinary situations. It does not take into account or provide for the special needs of any person, no matter how needy or handicapped. If a person does not leave a valid will, the law, which is general in its nature, is calculated to serve the average property owners needs as to the disposition of his property at his death and very seldom exactly fits particular desires or needs. There are three main reasons for a person to have a will: To direct the disposition of his property according to his wishes, To designate a qualified executor for the estate and an appropriate guardian for minor children. To conserve the estate and minimize taxes. The Law: The law gives every property owner the privilege of disposing of -- -- LEASED his property by will in the way he thinks will be for the best interests of everyone concerned. Without a will the state intestacy laws, as seen above, take over and divide the estate according to a prearranged schedule. . Lack of a WHk Where there is no will the court is required to appoint an individual to settle the estate. This person may be a surviving wife, adult child, or some other person, wbeth-whic- h er properly qualified or not. There is no certainty whatever as to whom the court can or will appoint, A proper will allows a person to designate or appoint the executor who is usually better qualified. A will may also provide special provisions for payment of funeral expenses, claims against the estate, taxes, and other costs to property, as well as final distribution of the conproperty. Under present-da- y ditions the settlement of an estate is the work of a specialist, just as the practice of medicine or any other profession is the work of a specialist. Thus the selection of an executor should be an experienced individual, a bank, or a trust company. Estate Taxes: Federal estate taxes and state inheritance taxes now are so high that unless the property owner utilizes a will or a trust to plan his estate and take advantage of tax savings permitted by law, a large part of his estate may be consumed in taxes. If a persons taxable estate is over $60,000, the taxes on the excess range from 3 to 61 depending on the tax bracket for the excess. For example, if a man leaves his estate outright to his wife and then she leaves it outright to their children, there may be two taxes on the same property one at his death and another at hers. Whereas, if he leves his estate in trust for his wife, for life, the rest with the principal to go to their children at her death, there may be only one estate tax which is paid upon the husband's death. There are many legal methods for tax savings and estate planning through your will and through trusts. Consulting your bank trust officer or your attorney may be the best investment in time you could make. summed up the government attitude by saying, If a situation arises in any country where wildlife cannot exist, ultimately human beings will not be able to exist either. People need the same ecological support that is required by wildlife. Unless this is understood by everybody, our plans will not succeed. Wildlife is an indication of environmental quality. r A will has the power to do marvelous things. Like taking care of your family in absence. your And assuring that your estate won't be tied up lor months unnecessarily in probate court At First Security Bank, our Trust Department has the knowledge and experience to work with you and your attorney to set up and administer a practical estate. It's all part of being a fun service bank. For an details on how we can help you. lust call up and ask. Trim Department First Security Dank of Utah, NA 350-536- 1 fth- e- MmteFDIC GRAPEVINE Lake Powell should reach a election of about 3,679 feet above seas level, according to the Bureau of Reclamation, an e record for the reservoir. The federal agency said the lakes elevation was 3,668 feet June 1 and rising. The bureau said the projected rise of 11 feet would put Lake Powell five feet above the 1975 level and previous high. mid-summ- er all-tim- The Salt Lake Health Department warmed parents this week, there are probably no such things as safe and sane fireworks. Dr. Harry L. Gibbons, health director, urged parents to exercise caution and common sense over the 4th of July holiday to prevent injury from fireworks. Dr. Gibbons added, The Health Department would like to point out that even sparklers generate temperatures between 1,200 degrees and 2,000 degrees Farenheit". City-Coun- ty Residents of Page, Ariz., aren't terribly concerned about a s 60 Minreport on utes program about the now deCBS-TV- funct Kaiparowits project. All they, want is equal time to answer the networks portrayal of Page as a transient boom town. According to Charles W. Stoddard III, a private in attorney who practices wull-tim- e in on us did real a job Page, They just 54 seconds. They just took a cheap shot at the town because they wanted to make a point. In doing that, they misrepresented us." Since Jimmy Carter has apparently clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, the matter has become largely academic. As a result of mass meeting votes and delegate action at the Democratic state convention over the weekend, Carter will have four solid votes from Utah. Five are still assigned to Idaho Sen. Frank Church, although he has dropped out of the race and asked that his delegates vote for Carter. Utahs other nine delegates are uncommitted. Key Salt Lake County officials launched a study this week to stem the financial powers of County Auditor Gerald R. Hansen, who was charged with 13 theft and official midconduct counts. Gerais Kinghorn. assistant County Atty., said his office plans a series of meetings with key county administrators to .arrive at sensible, workable procedures to replace clearly unworkable methods giving the auditor too much power over finances. If convicted, the auditor of may face a maximum sentence five years in prison and A $5,000 fine on each of the counts. of According to Steven Gaither the of the Golden Spike Division American Red Cross, said Utahns so far had donated a total of $36,300 toward a $55,000 goal tf aid flood victims in Idaho. Nationally, Gaither said, a drive is under way to solicit $10 million in donations to assist in rebuilding the communities that suffered severe damage when the Teton Dam burst. |