A new "digital destination" for boomers called Next Avenue just launched and includes a refreshing blend of journalism by veteran reporters, information gleaned from trusted government leaders, nonprofit agencies, and commercial media outlets, and insights from a renowned private university and PBS stations around the country. The website aims to help boomers deal with the full range of concerns and interests that come into play during this next stage of life —“adult part 2.” Next Avenue invites readers to share their journeys and comment on articles and blog posts.
For almost a decade, Gretchen Johnson's popular column in The New York Times, PhysEd, has been focused on the science of health and fitness. Her book, "The First 20 Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer," a distillation of her work,will certainly surprise those who believe that people need to exercise strenuously to stay healthy. Johnson's research shows that just doing something, even standing for 20 minutes a day, will help you maintain good health and prolong life. For those who question how that can be true and what it means in terms of losing weight, keep reading. Just wish that the PhysEd teachers of the past had read the book!
As you enter your "encore" years, you might be considering a career change -- maybe leaving your present job and doing something completely different, even starting a business. You feel ready for change, but are unsure of what to do. Here are some helpful books to guide you. Some are practical, offering step-by-step basics, while others serve as motivation to just get out there and do it. Click here to see what interests you. And, speaking of next steps, check out this book review by Carolyn Walter, Professor Emeritus, Widener Univ.ersity, of Susan Abel Lieberman's "Getting Old is A Full Time Job: Moving on From a Life of Working Hard." There is a unique 12-task approach for dealing with "what's next."
For the person who is facing a move and needs to downsize or for anyone who has reached the point where there is just too much "stuff" in their lives, this article will speak to you...and provide tips on how to begin changing the way you live. A motivational speaker quoted in the article talks about expanding the definition of "tchotchkes," a Yiddish word for knicknacks, to mean "stuff that gets out of control" and can be anything, mental or physical, that is unneeded or unwanted (examples might be electronic equipment, people who are an emotional drain and don't bring joy.) An interesting outlook that may be worth considering.
Young is good, old is bad. That is the message that surrounds us in all kinds of media, conversations, at the workplace...even in our birthday cards! This article strongly offers some proactive ways of dealing with anti-aging messages that are destructive to boomers' psyches and can have dangerous social, political, and economic ramifications. Where to begin? Read the five flags outlined by the author and then gather a group who are determined to change the ageist mindset that surrounds us. Perhaps you will want to create a Fierce with Age Consciousness Group and start by proclaiming "old is good!"
NPR's Family Matters: The Money Squeeze series, that airs each Tuesday on Morning Edition, is about caregiving and multigenerational families. The latest story, the third in a series of eight, profiles the story of Yolanda Hunter's family in print and audio. For the Hunters, what started out as an act of love has become a difficult and costly decision that has no easy solution and brings up many questions of how caregiving impacts our society. Nearly 10 million people over the age of 50 are caring for their aging parents, and the number of caregivers has more than tripled over the past 15 years. Stayed tuned for the rest of these profiles...
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – starring Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkerson and Dev Patel (star of Slumdog Millionaire) – is about adventure, love and purpose in the encore years. If you love to laugh and travel – and are wondering what’s next in your life – you’re in for a treat. And you could be in for a prize, too… if you enter the Marigold Ideas for Good Contest. The contest is for people over 50 who have great ideas for doing something to improve the quality of life in their communities.Thirty people will win $5,000 each and six will win the trip of a lifetime. Find out more and enter here.
What should we call people age 65 and older? Are they “seniors,” "older adults," "the elderly?" The author of this article "unscientifically" interviewed professionals in the "aging" field to help clarify the word(s) to describe people of a certain age. Among those queried are Harry (Rick) Moody, 67, director of academic affairs for AARP, Jane Glen Haas, 74, nationally-syndicated newspaper columnist, and Dr. John Rowe, 67, chairman of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society. To weigh in on this touchy topic, check out the Philadelphia-based blog, Elder Chicks.
There is a way to travel, stay in interesting places, and not spend your money on housing. This Wall Street Journal article is written by a couple who spend five months a year in foreign countries by exchanging their two-bedroom condo in San Diego with people living in places throughout the world. Their extensive traveling began at age 65 when, on the recommendation of friends, they went online and found homeexchange.com and homelink.org. They particularly enjoy living among the locals...and have good tips to offer others who are interested.
For older adults living at home, the regular visits and help provided by Senior Companions can be what gets them up in the morning...and keeps them going. John Antsy, a 78-year-old, does his good deeds 20 hours a week as part of the federally-funded Senior Corps. Among Mr. Antsy's tasks are bringing one couple groceries and prescriptions, spending time with an isolated woman tethered to an oxygen tank, and providing respite for a caregiving wife. He is one of the 13,600 Senior Companions --all older than 55--who served nearly 61,000 clients nationally last year. More than 40 percent of the companions are over 74. To learn more about this stipended program, click here.
