SeniorTruth

I would like to share some thoughts as a result from participating in the AARP conference Work@50+ recently held at the Long Beach Convention Center. The attendance was exceptional  – 1,000 people with at least three quarters of them looking for work. It’s one thing to read the unemployment figures to be well informed. It’s [...]

Sometimes we become what we believe, particularly when it comes to aging. Studies have shown that older people who believe in negative stereotypes about aging tend to fulfill them. Dr. Walter Bortz, II, a noted Stanford geriatrician writes about aging as a self-fulfilling prophesy. As part of an initial assessment of his older patients, he [...]

Question: I am almost 80 and angry – angry at my body because it can’t do what it used to do.  At one time, I was able to climb up on the kitchen counter to reach a high shelf.  I don’t do that anymore.  And, I am tired — too tired to exercise.  By the [...]

Today, there are almost 2 million nonagenarians in the U.S. That number is expected to reach 2.6 million in 2020 and could reach 12 million in a couple of decades. We don’t know much about this age group.  In fact, we know more about frail older adults living in nursing homes than we do about [...]

Question: I am feeling guilty for not being productive in retirement.  Is this just part of the retirement process? Answer: Your question leads to a larger one.  And that is, what exactly are the expectations from someone in retirement, particularly if that someone is older?  Is this a new life stage?

Question. I was the executive director of a nonprofit organization and retired two years ago.   Since then, I have taken up photography and just love it. Yet, there are too many times when I feel guilty for not being productive.  Is this just part of the retirement process?  How do I let go of the [...]

Question. I am 59-years old and in the process of modifying my financial plan for retirement.  I have no idea how long I will live.  How do we go about making some best guesses?  Do I base my calculations on the age of my parents who both are in their 8os? Answer.  If we only [...]

Dear Readers: This week I would like to share an experience I had as the closing speaker at a 48-hour caregivers retreat.  It was sponsored by the Los Angeles Caregivers Resource Center and held at the Mary & Joseph Retreat Center in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Question: My sister, who is 64, has been taking care of her husband, a cancer patient, for several years while working 30 hours a week.  I fear she is stressed too far and nearing the end of her string and is showing it in bouts of anger followed by depression. She is aware of the [...]

Question: I recently moved to Southern California from a large city and am appalled the way people my age and even younger dress. I am retired and still feel it is important to dress well. It makes a statement to others. Furthermore, I find the manners, particularly of younger people, disturbing. I have a grandson [...]