Greene County Council on Aging February 2020

Most of us, at some time in our lives, will find ourselves in the role of caregiver. And just as we are different from one another, so are our caregiving experiences. Some caregiving experiences are the result of an unexpected illness or accident, while other caregiving experiences develop gradually. In addition, the caregiving role comes naturally to some and for others, caregiving is challenging at best.

Caregiving, no matter how much we love the person, tests our patience, impacts our sleep, changes our regular schedule, stirs up a plethora of emotions, and causes us to question our abilities on many fronts. Caregiving can also trigger or exacerbate our own health challenges, create stress in relationships, impact employment productivity and attendance, and make a dent in our checkbooks.

On the flipside, caregiving can be one of the most rewarding experiences in our lives. Caregiving may force us to be more efficient with our time, learn more about our loved one with the additional time we are now spending with him or her, and appreciate the caregivers who came before us like a parent caring for their parent or other loved one.

In Greene County, and beyond, the majority of caregivers providing support and care to older adults are family, but many are friends, neighbors, and other community members. Your Council is fortunate to work with hundreds of these individuals, but there are many others to whom we have no connection.

We hear from and talk with caregivers every day and much of our time with caregivers is spent listening and offering words of encouragement. Many caregivers, much to the surprise of others, feel inadequate and question the care they are providing. Some of these caregivers feel unsupported and judged by their families and others, which of course adds negatively to their caregiving role.

Your Council and several other organizations offer caregiver support groups, which a small portion of Greene County caregivers attend. Those who participate benefit from the opportunity to share, ask questions, and learn from other caregivers. We invite all to attend, but support groups are not for everyone and for many, the commitment does not fit their overflowing schedules.

Some caregivers benefit from respite care, whether through the Council, other programs, or paying privately for services. This is not easy for many caregivers, as ‘sharing the care’ may feel like shirking their responsibility or not worth the potential disapproval by their loved one. Our experience, however, is even the occasional respite makes a world of difference.

The most important takeaway is that ALL caregivers benefit from education and connection. We encourage you to take advantage of opportunities and support to learn about your loved one’s health challenges, strategies for providing care, available resources, and taking care of yourself. Make your first stop Your Council!

In 2019 Congress passed, and the President signed, the ‘SECURE Act’ which changed a few aspects of retirement planning for most Americans. One of the more relevant provisions in the new law is a change to how Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from your retirement accounts are handled.

The SECURE Act changes the date you are required to start taking RMDs from your traditional IRA or 401(k) accounts. In the past, the mandatory date for most retired individuals to begin taking RMDs from retirement accounts was age 70 1/2. If you were not age 70 1/2 by the end of 2019, your new required beginning date for RMDs will now be age 72. However, if you were already age 70 1/2 at the end of 2019, your required beginning date stays at 70 1/2, and the SECURE Act does not give you a bump up to age 72. The idea behind this change is that people are living longer, and may need their retirement accounts to last a little longer. The accounts will now have 1.5 more years to grow tax-free, and you will have a reprieve from paying taxes on those withdrawals if you delay to age 72.

Another RMD change in the Act is how your retirement accounts are handled if you die before spending your IRA or 401(k) funds. Previously, your heirs could set up a withdrawal schedule based upon their own age at time of inheritance. Young beneficiaries could withdraw funds over an entire lifetime if they wanted to do so. Now, the law requires all assets to be withdrawn from an inherited account within 10 years. There are no RMDs within those 10 years (you can take out as much or little as you want during the 10 years), but the entire balance must be distributed after the 10th year. Exempted from the 10-year withdrawal provisions are surviving spouses, minor children up until the age of majority, individuals within 10 years of age of the deceased, the chronically ill, and the disabled. This change can be problematic for some beneficiaries, especially if they are in their 40s and 50s and at the peak of their earning years. Limiting the time frame in which someone can distribute money from an inherited account means potentially boosting the tax burden those distributions will cause. Bottom line: Many beneficiaries will now see higher taxes and a shorter distribution period for inherited retirement accounts with this change.

What about Roth IRAs? Inherited Roth IRAs are subject to the same 10-year payout rule as Traditional IRAs, except that the distributions will generally be tax-free. Your heirs won’t be able to indefinitely grow their inheritance in the Roth account, but they won’t have to worry about paying taxes when they withdraw the funds.

Not everyone will be impacted by the SECURE Act, but if your estate plan envisioned leaving a lifetime income stream for your heirs, you will need to carefully review your existing retirement accounts and probably make some changes. Take a look at the beneficiary designations on all of your retirement accounts, and discuss with your financial advisor or tax preparer whether any changes need to be made. If you have a trust as part of your estate plan, you should review the trust language. Many trusts specify that beneficiaries only have access to RMDs each year, and under the new law there are no RMDs for inherited IRAs until the 10^th year, when ALL of the account must be emptied. This anomaly in trust language requires attention if you don’t want your heirs to have a very unpleasant surprise.

Some of the language in this law is complex, and not all of the law’s provisions are covered above. Plan to review existing retirement plans with your financial planner and/or tax professional regarding any tax implications you might have going forward, and whether the changes will impact RMDs for you or your heirs. As always, if you have questions about this subject you can contact your Council on Aging at 937-376-5486.

Mark Your Calendar for SeniorPalooza

The April/May newsletter will include the details… but please mark your calendar and plan to join us for all or part of SeniorPalooza 2020.

This fun-filled day is for those of us who are 50 and better. It is Tuesday, May 19th, 8:30am to 3pm at the Fairgrounds.

For the early risers, we start the day with a 5K walk/stroll, followed by a variety of activities from which to choose in the Assembly Building from 10am through the afternoon. This year’s theme is The Adventure Continues and our planning group is busy finalizing the details. There is no cost to participate, unless you purchase a box lunch. You may request to have the printed materials sent to you by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

Diana Atkins

Pat Beal

Phyllis Beck

Peggy Blankenhorn

Linda Bullock

Cindy Clark

Dave Cusack

Barb DeiDolori

Jerri DeVoe

Leah Donohue

Dorothy Douglas

Evelyn Ferguson

Dave Finster

L.B. & Gail Fred

Betty Gibson

Bob Hagler

Barb & Gary Hawk

Rika Hendrickson

Cecilia Hightower

John Hobson

Alforetta Hughes

Jim & Linda Jones

Letha Kimball

John & Beth Kinsel

George Knight

Anita Kuntz

Jean Lockwood

Jackie Markunes

Ed Martin

Sherry Matsel

Barbara McKown

Chris Middleton

Marian Miller

Paul Mullin

Nancy Mullins

Lauren Myers

Foy Neff

Sherry Newcomer

Ruby Norman

Roger Panton

Linda Parsons

Janine Phillips

Sandi Porter

Joe Radin

Mark Rath

Ken Richardson

Chuck Ryan

Joann Schroeder

Pam & Joe Sowder

Terri Toscani

Cindy Vance

Ginny Vikmanis

Sara Wallen

Lisa Weinstein

Barbara Werth

Polly Werth

Dee Willis

The Team at Synergy

Medicare 101 (offered every other month)

Wednesday, February 5th ~ 3:30pm—5:00pm

GCCOA Beavercreek Office, 1221 Meadow Bridge Dr, Suite C, Beavercreek

It’s My Money, My Stuff, My Life

Tuesdays, March 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st ~ 6:00-8:30pm

Xenia Community Center ~ 1265 W. Second St., Xenia

Greene County Senior Artisan Show

Sundays, March 1st, 8th, and 15th ~ 1:00pm – 3:30pm

Wednesday, March 18th ~ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm

Fairborn Art Association ~ Rear of Fairborn Senior Housing Apartments

Memory Loss, Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease

(offered every other month)

Wednesday, March 11th ~ 2:30pm—4:30pm

GCCOA Beavercreek Office, 1221 Meadow Bridge Dr, Suite C, Beavercreek

Senior Euchre Tournament

Wednesday, April 1st ~ 12:30pm—4:00pm

Xenia Community Center (next to GCCOA Office) 1265 W. Second St, Xenia

Music and the Brain

Thursday, April 23rd ~ 1:30pm to 4:30pm

Xenia Community Center (next to GCCOA Office) 1265 W. Second St, Xenia

For more information on any of the above events/meetings, please contact Council at 937-376-5486 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit our website (www.gccoa.org), or find us on Facebook.