I Am Healthy: Why Do I Need a Power of Attorney?

Phillip G. Gubler and Thomas J. Bayles, Attorneys at Law

As healthy adults we can usually manage our financial and medical affairs; however, life-changing events can occur which make that impossible. Have you considered who will manage your affairs if you have a stroke, an accident, end up in a coma, develop a debilitating illness or dementia, or even take a trip out of the country?  If you cannot take care of your financial or medical needs, someone will need to act for you to pay your bills, deal with your bank, make financial and/or medical decisions, or complete other tasks.

A durable power of attorney allows you to name someone to make financial decisions for you if you are not able to make those decisions yourself.  The durable power of attorney will remain in effect after you become incapacitated.  Powers of attorney can be created to become effective when they are created (an "immediate" power of attorney) or they can take effect only if you become incapacitated (a "springing" power of attorney).  You will need to consider your circumstances to determine which power of attorney would be the correct one for you. 

A properly drafted and executed general power of attorney allows your agent to do anything you can do with your assets. It is important you appoint an agent you can trust to act on your behalf.  In addition to the general powers, you can elect to allow your agent to transfer assets into your revocable trust (to avoid probate at your death), and to make small gifts (up to the annual gift tax exclusion amount per recipient per year) on your behalf to your relatives or others.

A Utah Advanced Health Care Directive is a medical power of attorney in which you can name an agent to make health care decisions on your behalf if you become incapacitated. You will know best who could make those decisions for you, and your wishes regarding medical treatment and life-sustaining measures should be made known.  You can indicate your specific wishes regarding treatment, organ donation following death, or any circumstances in which you might want life-sustaining treatment withheld. 

A Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) is part of the Provider Order for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) which is a physician's order directing medical personnel not to start any cardiopulmonary efforts.  This form must be signed by you and the physician and must be included as part of your medical chart. This is done only in cases where your medical condition is terminal and death is expected to occur in a reasonably short period of time.

JensenBayles, LLP provides a broad spectrum of legal services.  Thomas J. Bayles has been actively providing advice in the areas of trusts, wills, probate and tax planning in the St. George area for over 15 years. Please visit our web site www.jensenbayles.com or call 435-674-9718 and ask for Thomas J. Bayles. The information in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as tax or legal advice.

Cochlear Implants…Are You A Candidate?

 by Jacob Burrows, Au.D, FAAA

When a crucial part of your inner ear isn’t working properly, you may need more than a hearing aid, especially if you have a severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. Many people suffer with hearing loss because their hair cells in the inner ear (or cochlea) are damaged. This type of hearing loss can make speech much more difficult to understand, especially in noisy situations. In many cases, you may have trouble hearing sounds, such as children’s voices, your spouse and sounds of nature.

Hearing aids are wonderful devices that bring clarity and understanding to those with hearing loss, but they have their limitations with some types of severe-to-profound hearing loss. A cochlear implant becomes a solution when hearing aids are no longer an appropriate option. A cochlear implant is designed to not only make sounds louder, but also clearer. The cochlear implant enables the sound to be transferred to your hearing nerves and enables you to hear. This is why a cochlear implant can really seem like a hearing miracle. And, most importantly, cochlear implants help to bring back the sounds you’re missing. With cochlear implants, you may once again enjoy conversations with friends and family, talk on the phone, hear the sounds of nature or see your child’s face light up as they hear your voice for the very first time. Please note that cochlear implants are often covered by most insurance plans.

Advanced Hearing & Balance Specialists is the only cochlear implant provider in the region. We have provided the area’s most trusted hearing and balance services for many years. With offices in 9 communities throughout Southern Utah and Nevada, we make it convenient for you to receive the highest levels of care. We support research and development of the newest hearing technologies and treatment for hearing loss and balance disorders.  We always put our patient’s concerns first, matching each individual’s needs with the treatments and tools which fit their lifestyle.  For an appointment with a Doctor of Audiology at any one of our 9 locations, call 435-688-8866 or 800-548-0356. http://www.hearingaiddoctor.com/

Dr. Jacob Burrows

Dixie Foundation Hosts Fire and Ice Gala. Proceeds Benefit Needs-Based Scholarships

St. George, UT, February 2016 - This new year, get ready to party for a good cause. The Dixie Foundation will be holding their annual Fire and Ice fundraising Gala on February 26, 2016 at SunRiver St. George. This black-tie event raises funds used exclusively for need-based scholarships for Dixie State University students. One hundred percent of the contributions donated to the Fire and Ice Gala allow students, who, because of financial constraints, may not otherwise be able to complete or pursue their college education. The annual Fire and Ice Gala brings together a variety of benefactors for a silent auction, dinner and live auction as part of the foundations fundraising efforts. 

A recent recipient of a Fire and Ice Scholarship was Kody Smith. Six years ago he had a spinal cord stroke that left significant paralysis, and he was unable to walk. He has worked through therapy until his motor skills are back with the exception that he has no feeling on the left side of his body. As the first in his family to attend college, he is studying business finance and has plans to attend grad school.

Kody Smith

According to Kody, “I have had to overcome some serious health issues in order to further my college experience and to achieve a career. This experience has motivated me to never quit and it has taught me to not make any excuses. I am more likely to achieve my goals because I know that anything is possible once you set your mind to something.”

Randy Wilkinson, Dixie Foundation president, said, "We've had the opportunity, over the past 11 years, to raise $1,800,000.00 for need-based scholarships. These scholarships make it possible for recipients to continue their education and open opportunities in their lives. This is only possible where we live in a community with such generous citizens, both individual and corporate."

The 12th Annual Fire and Ice Gala is open to everyone, however, advance tickets are required.  Tickets are $150 each and are available by calling Marilyn Lamoreaux at 435-652-7502. To learn more about the gala or the Dixie Foundation or to make a donation, contact foundation secretary Kalynn Larson at 435-652-7535 or larson@dixie.edu or visit www.dixiefoundation.org.

2016 Boy Scout EXPO Eagle Recognition Breakfast is Open to All

St. George, UT, February 2016 – The 2016 Boy Scouts of America Dixie Expo is being held at the Dixie Center on February 20 and kicks off with an Eagle Scout recognition breakfast featuring keynote speaker Elder Steven E. Snow of the First Quorum of Seventy and Church Historian and Recorder, as well as executive director of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Also in attendance will be St. George Mayor Jon Pike, the Dixie State ROTC, and former BYU Football players Adam Hine and Nate Carter, who got their football start here in southern Utah Region 9. The breakfast will be held in the Dixie Center Ballroom and starts at 7:00 a.m.

Community members are welcome to attend the Eagle Recognition Breakfast and listen to Elder Snow speak. Tickets for the Eagle Recognition Breakfast are $6.00 and can be secured online at www.utahscouts.org/event/1870692 or by calling the Scout office at 435-628-5180. Eagles Scouts who earned their award during 2015 can attend for free.

Those in attendance at the breakfast will be invited to participate in the EXPO Parade from the Ballroom to the Convention Hall, following the breakfast, to get the Dixie Scout Expo started.

Paul Tilkasky, BSA Executive stated, “We are excited to invite the public at large to the Eagle Recognition Breakfast to help recognize the wonderful advancements and accomplishments these dedicated scouts have accomplished in earning the rank of Eagle. This event is highlighted by Elder Steven Snow, who is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.”

For information contact the Scout Office at 435-628-5180.

INN ON THE CLIFF NAMED WINNER IN 2016 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS’ CHOICE AWARDS FOR HOTELS

St. George, UT, February 2016 – Inn on the Cliff today announced it has been recognized as a winner in the Hotel Best Service category of the 2016 TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice™ awards for Hotels, ranking 21st out of the Top 25 Hotels in the United States. For the 14^th year, TripAdvisor has highlighted the world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travelers around the globe. Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Bargain, B&Bs and Inns, Luxury, Service and Small Hotels. The hallmarks of Travelers’ Choice winners are remarkable service, quality and value.

Tom and Dorothy Heers, owners of Inn on the Cliff said, “It's amazing to think that we have a small 27-room hotel with a base rate of only $139.00 and we are receiving national recognition. Our Booking.com representative told us we are one of bookings top 100 hotels in the world. And to add to that we are one of the Top 1% of TripAdviser hotels is nothing we ever dreamed would be possible. We love to provide a fun, unique experience that keeps people coming back. That means we provide our guests with a remarkable setting, service and the special touches to celebrate special occasions.”

“We congratulate the properties that have won Travelers’ Choice Hotel awards,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “As travelers consider where to book their next trip, they should be sure to check out these award-winners that have already delighted millions of members of the TripAdvisor community.”

To see TripAdvisor traveler reviews and opinions of Inn on the Cliff go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g57119-d6154451-Reviews-Inn_on_the_Cliff-St_George_Utah.html.

For all of the 2016 Travelers’ Choice winners, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-Hotels.

Travelers can also follow the conversation on Twitter at #travelerschoice.

About Inn on the Cliff

Inn on the Cliff is a 2016 Travelers' Choice winner. This award is based on reviews and opinions of the global travel community, and is the highest honor given by TripAdvisor. Inn on the Cliff is an exciting new experience in hotel accommodations in southern Utah. With a view you won't want to leave your room for, the new Inn on The Cliff Hotel offers a 24-hour, breathtaking panorama of some of the regions most picturesque tourist attractions. Built uniquely on a cliff’s-edge, within view are the colorful sandstone formations of Snow Canyon, the snow-capped peaks of Pine Mountain, and the crown, distant horizon of Zion's Canyon. Having spent more than 30 years in building construction, Tom Heers knows something about how to create quality, comfortable living conditions. When he and his wife Dorothy decided to go venture into the hotel industry, she made room for two things she loves most: creative expression and cause for celebration. A recent online article from Trivago.com named Inn on the Cliff as one of the “must add to your bucket list” of hotels to stay at during your travels. Tom and Dorothy are parents to five children and 16 grandchildren.

Inn on the Cliff royalty-free high resolution photos available at http://www.visitstgeorge.com/galleries/Cliffside/index.html

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 290 million reviews and opinions covering 5.3 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 47 countries worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, July 2015

**Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique users, Q3 2015

For more information contact Tom Heers at tom@innonthecliff.com. To make your next hotel booking at Inn on the Cliff, go to http://www.innonthecliff.com.

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January 2016 Students of the Month Honored by St. George Exchange Club

St. George, Utah, January 2016 — The November Students of the Month recipients were recently honored by the St. George Exchange Club.  The St. George Exchange Club sponsors the Student of the Month Program, which honors one student from the area high schools each month. This program recognizes the students’ accomplishments in academics, service and leadership in their respective schools. Dixie State University has partnered with the St. George Exchange Club and will provide a one-year, full-tuition scholarship to the Student of the Year from each high school at the end of the school year as selected by the St. George Exchange Club’s Student of the Month Committee. The Exchange Club is honored to work with Dixie State University in recognizing and supporting the outstanding high school students of our community.

In addition, two students from the area high schools who have been honored as Student of the Year will have the opportunity to go on to the Rocky Mountain Exchange Club District competition where they could win a $1,000 scholarship; and then if they win district, they can go on to national competition and win a $10,000 scholarship. The 2013 Student of the Year, EmRee Moody from St. George, was selected as the National Student of the Month and received a $10,000 scholarship from the National Exchange Club.

The St. George Exchange Club meets Thursday mornings at 7:30AM at George’s in Ancestor Square. For more information about the St. George Exchange Club, contact James McFadden at 435-632-7978.  We congratulate the St George Exchange Club 2016 January Students of the Month.

Photo
James McFadden (Exchange Club President Elect); MaKayla Stewart (Tuacahn High School); Hyrum Smith (Dixie High School); Jamie Brown (Snow Canyon High School)

SOUTHERN UTAH PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL TO HOLD ITS ANNUAL AWARDS NIGHT CELEBRATION AT TUACAHN - APRIL 12TH, 2016

 St. George, Utah, February 2016 — Approximately 5000 local student singers, dancers, and musicians are poised to participate in the 27th annual Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, which will commence Tuesday, February 9th and continue throughout the next eight weeks, according to Brett Labrum, program committee chairman.

The Southern Utah Performing Arts Festival, or SUPAF, is the creation of the St. George Exchange Club, a local service organization.  Since its inception, the Exchange Club has organized, produced, and hosted the Festival, providing a forum for talented artists from all over Southern Utah to perform before professional adjudicators who critique and mentor them.  Participants in each category vie for Superior ratings as well as top honors. Adjudicators select performers for first, second and third place who will be recognized at the awards ceremony in April. Some of the top participants will be invited to perform at the ceremony which makes this year’s location, Tuacahn “especially exciting”, stated James McFadden, current president of the St. George Exchange Club.

“We are pleased and excited to announce that Tuacahn Center for the Arts Amphitheater in Ivins is the location for this year’s Awards Ceremony and winning performances”, McFadden continued. “It’s a distinct honor and privilege. We sincerely hope to make Tuacahn an integral part of this amazing Festival for years to come. The generosity and support that Tuacahn and its managers have extended to our club is unprecedented and we can’t wait to watch our students perform on their stage!”

Dixie State University has been a great supporter of SUPAF for several years, hosting the most popular event, piano, and providing oversight as well as personnel. However, this year, the School of Visual and Performing Arts has decided to make DSU a title sponsor of the event. “With the backing of Dixie State University,” said Labrum, “our already wonderful event will just get better and better.”

Performances will be held at two new locations this year, the Electric Theatre (vocal) and Hurricane High School (choir).  Other events are slated for Dixie State University (piano), Dixie High School (strings & orchestra), Snow Canyon High School (dance), & Pine View High School (brass, woodwind & percussion). A complete schedule of events, performance times, and locations can be found at http://supaf.org.

Additional sponsors for this year’s Festival include State Bank of Southern Utah, Boulevard Home Furniture, The Shonie Insurance Group, TCS Advertising and Main Street Insurance, to name a few.

If you would like more information on ways you can sponsor, support or volunteer at this year’s festival, you can visit the SUPAF website at http://supaf.org.

About the St. George Exchange Club

The St. George Exchange Club has actively served Southern Utah for over 40 years with members who are local business owners, community leaders and volunteer citizens. Complementing the club is the St. George Exchange Club Foundation. Each year, club members are elected to preside over the Foundation Board, which is currently led by Jinks Dabney. The St. George Exchange Club Foundation is a registered 501(c) 3 and manages all funds donated or raised by the club. Funds raised are returned to the community through various programs the St. George Exchange Club sponsors.  In addition to SUPAF, The St. George Exchange Club also sponsors and hosts "The St. George Mayors Walk", "Iron Kids Fun Run", "Student of the Month Recognition", "Freedom Shrine installations and dedications", the "Give Me Liberty" program, serving area 5th graders, and "Give a Kid a Flag to Wave" at the annual Veterans Day Parade in Washington City. The St. George Exchange Club, in cooperation with Dixie State University, also awards each area high school’s top graduating senior with First Year Tuition Grants and in 2015 the club contributed over $100,000 to help the City of St. George build the "All Abilities Park" which is slated for dedication this coming spring.

Contact Info

James McFadden


Exchange Club of St. George President

435-632-7978

james@requisitemarketing.com

Brett Labrum

SUPAF Committee Chairman

435-674-2221

brett@msiagency.com

Mindy Suttner

Public Relations Committee Chairman

435-256-5550

SAINT GEORGE’S INN ON THE CLIFF RECEIVES NATIONAL VOTE OF APPROVAL

To read the # 7 ranking for Inn on the Cliff article, 18 Spectacular Hotels You Must Add To Your Bucket List per Trivago.com by travel writer Sara Borzatta, go to  http://checkin.trivago.com/spectacular-hotels-you-must-add-to-your-bucket-list/ .

St. George, UT, February 2016 — A recent online article from Trivago.com named Inn on the Cliff as one of the “must add to your bucket list” of hotels to stay at during your travels. Since the 2014 opening, Inn on the Cliff owners Tom and Dorothy Heers have received local, regional and national recognition for their property and the service they offer. The unsolicited Trivago article is icing on the cake.

According to travel writer Sara Borzatta, “Utah’s Inn On The Cliff is not for the faint of heart. Literally ‘on a cliff’ overlooking the small town of St. George in southern Utah, the Inn is a gateway to desert staples like Snow Canyon, Pine Mountain and Zion Canyon. The Inn is the ultimate place to relax for the adventurer. The rooms are decorated with soothing earth tones and desert plants illuminated by oversized windows overlooking the peaceful canyon below. Explore the nearby Johnson Dinosaur Tracks Museum in the morning, hike the canyon in the afternoon, and make it back to the Inn’s delicious Cliffside Restaurant for a home-cooked, American-style meal with a side of breathtaking vistas.”

Inn on the Cliff offers a 24-hour, breathtaking, panoramic view of some of southern Utah’s most picturesque tourist attractions. Designed in a warm, contemporary style, Inn on the Cliff rooms are “simply luxurious,” Dorothy Heers says. “Room décor is patterned to integrate with natural surroundings while giving guests the feeling of clean lines, contemporary design and comfort at every level. We wanted to enhance rather than distract from the view,” she says.

“At Inn on the Cliff, we want you to come for the view, enjoy the experience, and stay for the rest,” Dorothy Heers says. “We love providing a perfect place for families to recharge after their day’s adventures, or for couples to celebrate honeymoons, anniversaries and the chance to just get away. It’s our service that keeps our guests coming back.”

Inn on the Cliff is located at 511 South Airport Road overlooking St. George town proper. For more information, call (435) 216-5864, or go to innonthecliff.com.

About Trivago

Trivago is a travel metasearch engine focusing on hotels. The site compares prices for over 730,700 hotels from more than 200 booking sites, such as Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com and Priceline.com. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, the website receives about 45 million users per month on its 47 international platforms.