Care Partner
Life before retirement for care giver
Question for everyone. My wife is currently testing for the transplant list for a double lung. She is 4 years older than me and took disability last year and retired. Financially I could retire in a year and be ok but health insurance for her and I would be the issue. I still have 7 years to go until Medicare and when I look up rates I'm floored with the cost and the deductibles. My life must include work until she hits 65 in just over 3 years for the medical.
I want her and I to travel if and if she doesn't make the list. More so for her because we both sacrificed travel and such to raise a family and build for retirement. I know that if she makes the list that travel will have to be post transplant.
I'm really struggling here with this as I want her to have what we planned for our golden years as she deserves it as well as living the dream we planned and worked for. Has any care giver struggled with this? I'm sure there is but right now I'm at a loss on how to do it and frankly you mention it to people but they really don't understand the issues or the struggle with the known that time is limited. The transplant team talks about the life of a lung transplant being 7 to 10 years and that is a short time window if she gets the lung. Probably shorter if she doesn't as well as the struggles of traveling when her condition worsens.
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Hello Waterman,
Is your wife well enough to travel? You could take short trips. We're in a similar situation. I'm planning on retiring this year ( I am 16 months post Transplant) but my husband will be working another 5 years so we can maintain health insurance. I won't turn 65 for another 5 years as well.
Take smaller trips, plan a monthly outing, do what you can now. Is what I would suggest. And hopefully the transplant comes through sooner than later and you can take a more extensive trip when ready.
Whatcha think?
She is well enough to travel. We have been doing that with shorter trips. However, she is going to be on the transplant list now. Received notice this week!!! That will limit everything as well. Thanks.
I hope she gets the call soon so you two can really enjoy life to the fullest! Just a suggestion, your wife probably has financial coordinators at the transplant center. Maybe both of you can schedule an appointment with them and ask them some of these questions.
Thanks for the best wishes.
They do but they don't handle those type of questions. We have a fiscal consultant with the investment firm we use. I was 1 class from having an economics degree along with my engineering degree. Consultant always asks why they need me with the research I do for our retirement planning. I just tell him, you're the fact checker.
The one financial coordinator we talked with at the hospital was amazed at the planning we've done and how well I knew our insurance plan. When we finished, I asked how often they hit a person like me, as they said, "they don't".
My biggest issue is insurance. Wife is 4 years older than me and she's 62. I need to get her to 65 for medicare. I can figure it out from there for me.