Long Term Living Association (LTLA)
The purpose of the Long Term Living Association (LTLA) is to assist employers, employees, individuals and families who are seeking professional expert guidance to address the issues associated with long term living.
We are focused on those who are prudently planning for the future as well as those who are currently in crisis mode, struggling to navigate the multiple professional disciplines available to them.
People rely upon the LTLA, regardless of their geographical location, to be the single primary point of contact to help them unravel the complexities of their personal needs.
We believe that a coordinated effort that matches an individual’s needs with the most relevant professional resources available is the best method. By simplifying the process, the LTLA saves people substantial amounts of time and alleviates the stress, financial burdens, and emotional strain that long term living typically places upon a family.
Aging and Longevity Services
Our expansive network includes the Long Term Living Association (LTLA) and its team of longevity advisors who can provide you with services and support on longevity issues that are important to you.
It’s fair to say that most everyone living life in the second half shares a common goal: to live life with purpose, dignity and meaning. Our LTLA longevity advisors get that. As a team of professionals, they provide comprehensive longevity solutions—financial, cognitive and physical—designed to help seniors and their families live life with purpose, dignity and meaning and on their own terms.
Conversations focused on a loved one’s health, and well-being can be uncomfortable. That’s why people often delay planning for their later years. As a result, they find themselves unprepared to deal with changing life events and end up in crisis mode. Unsure of where to turn for trusted advice or unaware of available options, they may be forced to make decisions quickly and left to settle for solutions that satisfy an immediate need but do not fulfill their preferences or effectively accommodate their long-term goals.
The LTLA is committed to changing that. Our goal is to educate individuals to make them aware of the important matters they must consider and the services and solutions available to them, so they have a plan in place prior to any issue developing. Central to our process is our Life Resource Plan, a guide customized to your needs to help you prioritize your next steps and plan for the future.
Indeed, navigating the complexities of aging for yourself or while acting as a caregiver for a loved one can be difficult. What’s more, choosing the right services and partners is one of the most important decisions you’ll have to make. The LTLA is here to offer you and your family a helping hand, to reassure you that you are in good hands and to change the paradigm in the way you view and plan for aging and longevity.
Let the LTLA help you unravel the complexities you may face as you experience longevity.
It's Your Life and Now You're in the Second Half
“When people meet with us, it’s as if they join us on a chairlift that takes them to the top up of the mountain and view their village from a vantage point that gives them clarity.”
At The LTC Partnership, we get the total picture which is why we see ourselves as story planners. That story includes any number of exciting possibilities:
- Foundation and Growth
- Relationships
- Community and Charity
- Health and Fitness
- Leisure and Recreation
- Financial
- Faith and Spirituality
- Home
- Career and Meaningful Work
- Long-term Care and Caregiving
- Travel and Leisure
We listen carefully when you speak to us about your hopes and dreams, then take you through a guided process in which you clarify your goals, identify your challenges and determine the steps you must take to meet those challenges and live out your story. This story planning is a guided and collaborative process which goes beyond financial and retirement income investment planners to attorneys, coaches, counselors and other professionals, and The LTC Partnership collaborates with a consortium of experts who work with us to help you execute and bring your story to life.
Exploring Your Story
Longevity is a gift, but as we’ve said, it’s complicated.
Life in the second half is more about you than ever before—or it should be. But you’re in uncharted waters and undoubtedly filled with a host of questions about what your life should be like and how you should proceed.
Increased time and flexibility provide the opportunity for you to take on new roles, experience new things or fulfill your lifelong bucket list. On the other hand, you may still be saddled with responsibilities such as assisting adult children and their families or caring for them, caring for aging parents or facing health challenges yourself.
Indeed, the second half of your life brings new and distinct opportunities as well as changes and challenges that require careful and specific planning. The LTC Partnership collaborates with life planning professionals who can help you navigate through the opportunities and challenges of this period. Working with these professionals, you can explore the values, passions, gifts and dreams that will inform your second life stage as well as the sound planning strategies that will enable you to experience fulfillment during your life in the second half.
Our mission at The LTC Partnership is to ensure that you experience periods of newfound excitement, manage the challenges that befall you with dignity, and remain in charge of your life.
Consider the plethora of opportunities that await you:
The world has exploded with incredible innovations and powerful technologies that have provided all of us with resources to seek new interests. Activities and classes, workshops and online courses provide us with the opportunity to become lifelong learners—even pursue a new certification or additional degree. This may reenergize you, recharge you and give you a sense of new growth.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What have you always wanted to do and to learn?
- What can you do to expand your mind to keep yourself sharp, current and in step with the rest of the world?
- Would you like to take classes, art or music lessons, attend a workshop, enroll in an online certificate program or a life-long learning program at a local college?
- Would you like to start a book, art or discussion group and recharge from your association with like-minded people?
- Do you spend enough time reading, and should you set aside some time for journaling?
Maintaining close relationships with your immediate family and close friends and seeing them regularly is part of a necessary framework for good emotional, psychological and physical health in the second half of your life. If work has caused your adult children to move out of state, you may now decide that you’d like to make a move to live closer to them and share more time with them and their families. Moving or immersing yourself in new activities can also create new friendships which will provide joy and fulfillment during this time of your life.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do you want to leave your familiar home place to live closer to your children?
- Are you spending enough time with grandchildren, instilling them with your values and serving as a role model for them by living your legacy to your full potential?
- Are you spending sufficient time engaging in stimulating conversation with friends and acquaintances who are like-minded or who will share ideas and insights that differ from your own?
- Do you socialize enough? Do you need to spend more time in activities outside of your house?
- Are you initiating fun activities like dinners, movie dates or walks on nice days with family and friends?
During the second half of life, you will likely have more time to spend on activities of your choice. This may become a stimulus for you to contribute to causes and organizations that are important to you. To accomplish this, you may be motivated to explore civic, cultural and service organizations or become more active in your house of worship. Pursuits such as these will enable you to use your time and talents wisely to contribute to society and leave your imprint on future generations.
Here are some questions to consider:
- How can you best give back to others and your community and be a force for good in the world?
- What special talents and strengths do you have to benefit others and make a positive impact in your community and the world?
- Do you have passions that you can turn into powerful action?
- Do you want to leave a legacy through a personal contribution of your time and or money?
- Would community service offer the purpose and fulfillment that has sometimes been lacking in your life during your work years?
During the first half of our lives, we’re busy with work and family, often so busy that there’s little time to pursue leisure time activities or to travel. But retirement and this second half of life gives us the time to do those other things we’ve cared about.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What past-times and hobbies can you pursue for fun and fulfillment?
- What activities will enable you to push the envelope, step out of your comfort zone and give you the stretch that will add new dimensions to your life?
- What interests, talents and hobbies have you left by the wayside that you now have time to pursue?
- Do you want to travel and, if so, where?
- Are you having enough fun?
Though retirement is not just about money, a sound financial position becomes the enabler for fulfilling your vision for your retirement years. As a result, it’s all about maintaining sustainable income in your retirement years and changing your mindset to focus on income is imperative.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What is the lifestyle that you want to maintain in retirement and what income do you need to sustain it?
- What are the best investment vehicles to maintain that income?
- Do you have a clear picture and understanding of all your assets and holdings?
- Are you aware of the protections you need to protect you against the challenges of long-term care?
- Are you willing to discuss strategies that involve a mindset change that prioritizes income and moves away from the investment approaches you employed in the first half of your life?
Like it or not, aging can bring about changes in our body fitness and health and make us more susceptible than in the past to certain diseases and chronic conditions. As a result, we must be diligent in maintaining healthy behaviors and protocols and vigilant in our preventive care.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Are you taking good care of yourself including adequate rest, proper diet and sufficient relaxation?
- Do you exercise regularly to increase your strength, flexibility and physical capacity as well as your cardiovascular fitness?
- Do you want to join the gym, an exercise class or participate in another sport and physical activity?
- Should you adopt a healthier diet?
- Do you see your physician regularly for preventive care and visit your physician right away when you present with symptoms suggesting something is wrong?
- Do you suffer from issues such as sleep disturbance, memory issues, physical symptoms, and or substance abuse? If so, have you reached out to professionals for treatment and care?
With more free time, you will have the opportunity for more extended periods of introspection and meditation, and deeper involvement in church, temple or mosque. This more spiritual, contemplative life can result in increased feelings of peace and gratitude and a sense of living a more fulfilling life.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Are you doing enough to nurture your spiritual life?
- Have you set aside time for contemplation, meditation or journal writing?
- Are you paying attention to your emotional health?
- Do you need to achieve more balance in your life?
- Are there steps you can take to bring more inspirational experiences into your life?
- Would you benefit from participation in a self-help group, work with a therapist or counselor or a retreat?
You may be one of the many individuals and couples who rethink their housing and lifestyle needs. You may discover that your long-time home is too big, too costly, or lacks the amenities you need to accommodate your new physical requirements. While many people choose to age in place, others want to relocate to more urban settings, to the country where they can enjoy more open spaces, to locales with lower taxes and a lesser cost of living, or to places closer to their families.
Here are some questions to consider:
- What is your emotional attachment to your current home?
- Is that attachment enough validation to influence your decision to age in place?
- Are there features or limitations in your home environment that could require you to move?
- If you downsize or relocate, what characteristics are you looking for in your new home and the area/environment in which that home is located?
- What is the geographical distance between you and your immediate family members?
If you’re like some folks, you’re ending your career upon retirement. On the other hand, you may have a hobby and want to turn it into a money-making opportunity. Sometimes, it’s just a question of flexibility. You may want to keep working but want a more flexible schedule, or to be your own boss and work as an entrepreneur or consultant.
Here are some questions to consider:
- Do you want to continue to pursue a career or be a part of the paid workforce?
- Can you negotiate flex-time or a phased retirement plan from your current employer?
- If you’re already in your own business, have you engaged in succession planning so your business continues to flourish?
- Is it time to become an entrepreneur and start your own business, perhaps in a field you’ve always admired?
- Would volunteerism offer a more fulfilling alternative than your current job does?
- Would you like to leave a legacy by contributing your time to a volunteer or religious organization?
The second half of life often comes with the challenge of illness or chronic conditions that require long-term care for yourself or a loved one. The act of care-giving and or needing care can produce conflicting emotions of gratitude and anger. It also causes fatigue and stress.
Here are some questions to consider:
- If you become ill, do you want to stay at home or relocate to a facility where you can receive care?
- Do you have the financial resources to receive care at home from licensed professionals?
- Can you realistically depend on your family to care for you?
- Do you have the financial resources or friends who can assist with transportation and companionship responsibilities?
- If your spouse is ill, what is your physical capacity to appropriately and adequately care for your loved one and can you give up employment income to provide this care?