Senior Older and Wiser By June Michel

WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT? This is going to be a fun, good news column. There is so much bad news these days, over 200,000 U.S. pandemic deaths, the Taylor decision, news from D.C., losses from the fires. But the Seahawks are outstanding, the Storms are incredible and COVID-19 deaths are edging down in King County.

As a short recap, because I covered estate planning in past columns, I feel fairly confident that you know the documentation required and that you can get free estate planning information in the free online workshop offered by People's Memorial Association at https://peoplesmemorial.org/education-and-advocacy/

NOW HERE'S THE GOOD NEWS, today we are no longer limited to two options, direct burial or cremation. We have several new choices, one is called Recompose. We also have a new housing choice, Silvernest

1. RECOMPOSE is a new alternative technology that turns a human remain into, wait for it, potting soil. That's right, potting soil. As a Master Gardener I find this alternative delightful. The process is not dissimilar from the process used on dairy farms for years but through new technology, they have been able to speed it up and it uses a fraction of the energy required for cremation.

You can learn about Recompose through a TED Talk by its founder Katrina Spade at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PRsopS7yTG8. Or at the Recompose website https://recompose.life

2. SILVERNEST is a new company that is seeking to match up seniors with extra housing space to seniors looking for rent shared housing. This could benefit both the home owner and the renting senior. According to the latest statistics the average Social Security check is about $1,500. So sharing the mortgage or rent could keep everyone afloat. This service is just getting started, here is the website https://www.silvernest.com/room-for-rent?utf8=✓&clat=47.6062095&clng=-122.3320708&zoom=9