Saturday, September 29th at the Wilson County Expo Center promises to be a night filled with great music, food and dancing, and you don’t want to miss it! Now going into its 6th year, the 2018 Notes for Nurses, will be celebrating the five-year impact the event has had on the Cumberland University Nursing Program. With more than 2000 plus attendees, 300 community and student volunteers, and over $300,000.00 in cash, pledges and sponsorships supporting nursing simulation equipment and scholarships, the impact on the
Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions has been tremendous.

Honorary Chair, Beth McCall, a nurse herself, was the first chair of the event in 2013 and is overwhelmed by the community support. She
notes that “I’m thrilled to see the enthusiasm the event has brought to the nursing program. It has been exciting to see the growth over the last few years and I love seeing the new members and all the energy and ideas that have continued to make the night a success. The money we have raised has allowed the University to purchase a mother-birthing simulator, a child simulator, make technical upgrades to other mannequins and purchase simulation related equipment and software to create training scenarios, all of which are a great benefit to the education of student nurses. We’ve also been able to award over $25,000 in scholarships to 10 deserving students. That is something we are very proud of.” Beth, along with several volunteers created the event and have helped grow it to one of the most popular fundraising showcases in Wilson County.

This year, Pam McAteer will step into the Event Chair shoes and she is off to a fantastic start, already working tirelessly with her committee
to ensure a fantastic evening. Pam knows the importance of a strong, local nursing program and is happy to support such an impactful
fundraiser. Pam states that “seeing the outpouring of support from the community, with record attendance the past five years, has been
heartwarming. The event would not be possible without all the wonderful volunteers on the Notes for Nurses committee and nursing student volunteers. We are excited to have this year’s event at the beautiful Wilson County Expo Center and want to encourage our local businesses to get involved, as this is a cause that truly impacts all of us. We’ve got a wonderful nursing school in this community, turning out compassionate, knowledgeable nurses who will be providing care for all of us and our families, so it’s important that we help them succeed.”

The 2018 Notes for Nurses will feature dinner by Sammy B’s, entertainment by the Jimmy Church Band, silent and live auctions, a cash bar, music and dancing. The main event will start at 6:30 p.m., with a VIP reception for sponsors and special guests starting at 5:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.notesfornurses.com and clicking the “Tickets” tab or contacting Cheryl Bockstruck at 615-547-1245 to reserve
seating. General Admission is $75.00 and Alumni General Admission is $50.00.

Table sponsorships for the event are available and include a table for eight guests and recognition in the printed program and social media, while a VIP table sponsorship also includes tickets for two guests to the pre-event meet and greet VIP reception with the featured artists. Sponsorships are a great opportunity to show your support and also enjoy a fun evening. This year’s Presenting Sponsor will be Frank and Cindy Rudy and the Champion of Nursing Sponsor is Tennova Healthcare.

Interim Dean Dr. Joy Kimbrell, another strong advocate of the school and it’s students, notes that “the Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions is helping meet the growing demand for nurses. There are more job opportunities for registered nurses, in a variety of settings than ever before in my forty-two years as a registered nurse. CU nursing graduates have a reputation as strong clinicians and are sought after to hire upon graduation by many of the leaders in the healthcare industry in middle Tennessee. Our nursing professors are all experienced, dedicated nurse educators who care deeply about the quality of instruction they provide our students. They work tirelessly to think of new creative ways to bring relevant clinical learning situations to the classroom, labs and clinical sites. They are engaged with our students on a day-to-day basis to ensure their success and promote deep learning.”

Her sentiments are reflected in that this year alone, Cumberland University Nursing Program, will graduate 116 nursing school graduates. In the past 25 years, there have been over 1,525 alumni to graduate, with CU nursing graduates employed in more than 20 different hospitals and other health agencies in middle Tennessee.

2018 promises to be a big year for CU’s Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions, with its future looking brighter than ever. In March of 2018, Cumberland University announced that Dr. Mary Bess Griffith had been hired as the new dean of the Rudy School of Nursing and Health Professions and will be taking over her new post in mid-summer. Dr. Griffith holds a doctorate in nursing from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences at Memphis. She is a certified nurse educator, a certificate holder in simulation and a certificated nurse practitioner.
Dr. Bill Mckee, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cumberland University remarked that “we are pleased to welcome
Dr. Griffith to the Cumberland University family. She comes to us with a wealth of experience in teaching future nurses. Cumberland
students will continue to enjoy a nursing program of the highest quality.”

Cumberland University, with one of the longest and richest histories of any higher education institution in the state, no doubt continues to flourish today as is evident by the caliber of students, instructors, and community leaders who work tirelessly to support the local University. And this year, you can be part of it as well. So save the date, purchase your tickets and let’s get ready for a fun evening of fundraising and fellowship!

Let’s be honest, who wants to take the time to plan for death? It’s a downer. No wonder most of us wait and wait and wait until one day, we are forced to make decisions quickly never knowing if we are signing the right forms or if we’re considering our loved one’s wishes. Death is an uncomfortable subject that most prefer not to explore, but it is an unfortunate fact of life, and eventually, requires some planning.

According to the Social Security Administration each day 10,000 people from the baby boomer generation become eligible for Social Security benefits. So ready or not, many of you reading this article need to start thinking about your own or your parent’s wishes
when it comes to how they would like to be taken care of in the case that they become too ill to manage living alone.

One’s legacy is generally thought of in terms of money. Whether it be land, stocks, life insurance or personal belongings, an estate boils down to financial worth, and it is easy to become overwhelmed with the complexity of that aspect alone.

But what about the rest? Most tend to neglect the other aspects of what is left or not left when our life ends. Death leaves a huge void and often many unanswered questions that can haunt the living, yet it is these aspects that most often go ignored during estate planning.

Principal Attorney with Elder Law of Middle Tennessee J. Barry is an expert in the field of estate planning and says there are several ways that one can plan for the inevitable, but the first thing you must do is start the process. “People should start thinking about planning their estate before they are 45 years old.” Barry continues, “Unfortunately, a great many do not begin to think about it until they are 60 years or older. A lot of times, we don’t want to think about it. Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, after all.”

Estate planning isn’t just a souped-up term for having a will prepared. Estate planning involves a series of documents specifically written to make sure your loved one (or you!) is taken care of in the event of a major illness or death.

Barry says to make things manageable; there are several documents you should know about and know how they work.

• In estate planning, a Power of Attorney is a legal document that authorizes another person to act on behalf of the person who created the power of attorney if the principal cannot make decisions his or herself.

1. General Power of Attorney- gives broad authorizations to the agent. The agent may be able to make medical decisions, legal choices, or financial or business decisions.

2. Healthcare Power of Attorney- is a document in which you designate someone to be your representative, or agent, in the event you are unable to make or communicate decisions about all aspects of your healthcare. It’s important to note the differences in a medical and general POA. Barry explains, “Some people are better equipped to deal with numbers, and others are better equipped to be a medical advocate. In the most basic form, a health care power of attorney merely says, ‘I want this person to make decisions about my healthcare if I am unable to do so.’”

• Having a Power of Attorney doesn’t mean you’re finished. “A Power of Attorney doesn’t give the person you put in charge capability to create a trust without specific instructions. That’s one of the things we need especially when we are dealing with Tenn Care.” Barry adds, “We might need to create a special government trust where we can move some of the assets and start Tenn Care a little early. This gives them the capability to preserve some of their money and stretch it out and use it alongside government benefits instead of waiting until they only have $2,000 in the bank.”

• A Trust is another document that is becoming more important for estate planning because of the increased need for long-term care planning.

1. Revocable trusts are created during your lifetime and can be altered, changed, modified or revoked entirely. Although useful to avoid probate, a revocable trust is not an asset protection technique as assets transferred to the trust during your lifetime may remain available to creditors.

2. Irrevocable Trust is one which cannot be altered, changed, modified or revoked by the trustmaker of the trust. Normally, once a property is transferred to an irrevocable trust, the trustmaker, cannot take the property out of the trust. This type of trust is often used to protect assets for someone who has a disability.

3. Testamentary Trust-part of will or another trust that will go into effect when you pass away.

• A Will is a document many of us already have. If you don’t, Barry says you need to add it to the TOP of your to-do list. “If you don’t make out a will, the state will determine where your assets go.” Just like a Power of Attorney, there are several types of Wills.

1. Simple Wills-A simple will distributes property from the estate of a testator whose finances and desires for distribution are uncomplicated. A simple will should include the testator’s name, address and marital status; statements indicating which assets are to go to which beneficiaries; a section appointing an executor for the estate and a guardian for the testator’s minor children if the other parent is dead; and places for the testator and two or three witnesses (depending on which state you live in) to print and sign their names. There are very specific procedures for executing a will in Tennessee as well as an affidavit for the witnesses.

2. Testamentary Trust Wills (see: Testimentary Trust Will above)-A testamentary trust will is a will that puts at least some of your distributions into a trust. A trust distributes your assets to a beneficiary but is normally administered by a third person who controls when and how the property is distributed to the trust beneficiary. You might establish a spendthrift trust, for example, for the benefit of a financially irresponsible beneficiary. The trust administrator may distribute the trust assets gradually instead of presenting them to the beneficiary in a lump sum. Although the estate executor and the trust administrator may be the same person, they do not have to be. The format of a testamentary trust will be similar to that of a simple will.

3. Living Will- Unlike other types of wills, a living will does not distribute property after the death of the testator. Instead, it gives instructions on what type of medical treatment you wish to receive if you become too ill to communicate. For example, you might state that if you become terminally ill and unconscious, you don’t want to be hooked up to a feeding tube even if you would die without it. The formal requirements for a living will are more flexible than for a testamentary will, but in Tennessee, it should be notarized or witnessed in front of two people with specific rules as to who may witness the living will.

• These are straightforward things that can be done starting today. It’s as simple as making a call to the experts at Elder Law of Middle Tennessee. It will give you peace of mind when considering the inevitable and will provide your loved ones with answers and eliminate doubt if something should happen to you suddenly, and you are unable to express the things you need to. While you can never be replaced, money can be a lifesaver for your grieving family left behind.

TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT ESTATE PLANNING CONSULTATION Call 615-444-3568 Elder Law of Middle Tennessee 115 N Castle Heights Ave #101 Lebanon, TN 37087 www.elderlawofmiddletennessee.com

“This is not a substitute for legal counsel. It is very important that you work with an attorney with your specific situation and so that the attorney can ask you the right questions about your matter. The law changes from state to state and a slight fact pattern change will produce very different legal advice.”