Retirement As You Want It

Japan's Women's Baseball Team Runs Again After 50 Years

The Osaka Silver Sisters, (see video) who were stars of pro baseball in their teens and twenties, are now in their 70s. Fifty years later, eleven of them decided to resurrect their team and challenge a young men's team in a Saturday game after practicing for an hour on Fridays. "The ladies often ask me to pitch faster," says the captain of the men's team, in awe of the women's spunk and stamina. Khosaka, the 75 year-old captain of the Silver Sisters, insists they'll play till they're 80. She likes to catch behind her back, like major League Baseball star Ichiro Suzuki.

Despite some health problems the women are overjoyed to be back on the diamond, competitive as ever, feeling great when they get a hit and run fast enough to make it to first base on time. Khosaka schools her children to send her off in her baseball uniform when she dies.

What an inspirational story. See the whole article here. What do you do to keep your body moving and challenge yourself in your later years?

Money is Topic for TV Documentary Series Called "Life (Part 2)"

Are you following the TV series called Life (Part 2)? This week’s episode tackles the issue of MONEY! Why does money seem to send a message of love or not enough love? Who pays expenses when the kids want to move back in? How do adult kids, who may be struggling themselves, help their parents when they need daily  care? Who gets what after parents die? Tune in to the panel that is discussing these perplexing questions this week.

 - Social psychologist Jane Adams, author of When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us,

- Ross Levin, a financial planner and columnist for The Minneapolis Star Tribune

- Public radio "personal finance guru" Chris Farrell explains that the "Boomer generation does not want to appear greedy." 

In addition, host Robert Lipsyte sits down with Dr. Marianne Legato, author of Why Men Die First, to explore the different ways that women and men age. Dr. Legato tells Boomers what they need to know about the facts of life for the second half, including who loses their sex drive first and when the sexes start looking alike.

Money is Love – www.pbs.org/lifepart2  and http://www.pbs.org/lifepart2/watch/money-love

The corresponding YouTube video featuring Jane Adams is located here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmX-YavBO3c

 

 

PBS Documentary Highlights Boomers' Challenges & Possibilities

A new 20-part public TV series called "Life (Part 2)," hosted by award-winning journalist  Robert Lipsyte and supported by the MetLife Foundation, launches on September 16th. The shows feature roundtables of famous boomers who are facing their later years and answer the question, "What does age got to do with it?" The trailers look intriguing and provocative; they highlight the radically different way that boomers are approaching aging - with aplomb, as usual. They want to grow old with style; they're redefining the aging process, as they've done with everything else, yet they recognize that there are limitations and challenges that they're facing.

The shows cover such topics as:

*How can boomers make marriages work for decades and feel vibrant and in love?
* How does the generation gap affect boomers in interviewing for jobs and in dealing with ones' adult children?
* How can boomers provide care for their elderly relatives and still maintain their own quality of life?
* How do boomers cope with body changes, when they have prided themselves on looking and acting youthful?
* How can they keep their brains in peak condition so they can continue to contribute to their communities and families?

Executive producer, Naomi S. Boak, described the series in Paul Briand's article in Baby Boomer Examiner: "The show is designed to inspire boomers' own self-exploration of how they can make a fresh start at any age ... of how they can live 20-30 more years of vigor, engagement and impact, defying ageist stereotypes while still having a clear-eyed view of the challenges that come with this new territory."

Aging in Place Initiatives Gain Recognition With Small Grants

"Aging in Place" has become a recognizable term since the 1st Boomers reached age 60 in 2006 and will be 65 in 2011. That means there will be twice as many of us, 1 in every 5 Americans in 2030. Wow! There are a lot of us.

Whether you're a Boomer with aging parents who want to stay in their own "place," or you yourself recognize the merits of doing that, you might have an idea of how to make that more feasible. Perhaps you can get a small grant to make it happen in your community.

3 organizations have collaborated to award small grants to innovative projects around the country. MetLife Foundation (see photo), Partners for Livable Communities, and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging have recognized these creative projects:

 - San Diego's La Mesa Park & Rec Dept sponsor an all-age drumming project to underscore the benefits of rhythm and movement and a healthy lifestyle

 - Kansas City's TJ Brown Foundation recruited home repair and lawn maintenance pros to help older adults stay in their homes

 - Arizona's Pinal-Gila Council organized Chambers of Commerce to create age-appropriate jobs for older people

If you have a burning desire to implement some little project that you know will improve the well-being and "stayability" of your parents or yourself in their own homes, you might get in touch with the sponsoring organizations to see how you can partner with a community project in your neighborhood to get a "JumpStart the Conversation" grant in place.

What ideas do you have to make it feasible, comfortable, and safe for older people to stay in their homes?

 

Critical Error for Employers to Dump Seasoned Workforce

Alaina Love wrote on Business Week online, "in the talent hemorrhage pouring from the arteries of U.S. companies are employees who hold significant institutional wisdom and knowledge -- the kind that cannot be easily replaced." 

Ms. Love, of Purpose Linked Consulting, urges corporations not to make a disastrous mistake in responding to the economic downturn by letting go of more seasoned employees. US companies must compete with China and Japan, which have a long history of using their "older" experienced staff as wisdom resources and as people who can train and mentor younger people most effectively.

Love has researched seasoned employees whom, she wrote "have a firm sense of who they are, what their purpose is, and how they can make a difference." Their willingness to share their expertise is invaluable to organizations in these times when staff development budgets have shrunk.

She recommends to corporate leaders:

• When planning cutbacks in the employee pool, keep in mind the valuable wisdom of mature workers. It is often through their expertise that future strategic growth will occur. It is short-sighted to trim the workforce by eliminating those who carry years of experience and a sense of purpose about their role.
• Train leaders of all generations to learn from the wisdom of Baby boomers and older employees.
• Create a "corporate wisdom team" composed of people who've been around to experience the organization's changes, through through good times and not so good.

Love reminds us that many famous people achieved much in their ripe years:

Rachel Carson who wrote The Silent Spring at 55 

Clara Barton founded the Red Cross at 59

Albert Einstein worked on his theory of relativity at 59

Benjamin Franklin drafted the Declaration of Independence at 70.

See www.WorkForce50.com for more information about seasoned wise people looking for meaningful work.

Can You Re-Define "Youth?"

Here is a piece offered by friend, Meg Newhouse of Passion and Purpose: Third Age Life Crafting. The author is "Anonymous."

Youth is not a time of life -- it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is a freshness of the deep springs of life.

Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man over fifty more than in a man of twenty.

Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt and self distrust, fear and despair -- these are the long, long years that bow the head and turn the spirit back to dust.

Whether 70 or 16, there is in every being's heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars and starlike things and thought, the undaunted change of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for what next, and the joy of the game of life.

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

In the central part of your heart there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, cheer, courage, grandeur and power from the earth, from men and the Infinite, so long are you young.

When the wires are all down and all the central place of your heart is covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then are you grown old indeed and may God have mercy on your soul.

Are there images that resonate for you in this piece, (obviously written by a man before the age of sensitivity to gender!)?

I find that I am "younger" now than I was decades ago. Is that because of my new found "courage over timidity, appetite for adventure over the love of ease?" Or the "appetite for what next, and the joy of the game of life?"

What do you find in this piece that you'd like to pass on as a legacy to those younger than you in years? What pieces do you struggle with? Write to me at Karma@LifeSpringCoaching.com or click the comment button below this post.

 

Age as Factor in Election

Those opposed to McCain's candidacy cite his age as being a deterrant. How can he be quick and agile about decision-making with a 72 year old brain? And he even has had a serious medical condition, to boot.

At risk of sounding like a political blog, which this is not, I want to suggest that it is not Mr. McCain's age that is a problem to me. His mind appears as sound as ever. It's many of his beliefs, which he held when he was much younger, that frighten me to think we'll have more of the same leadership that we've had for the past 8 years.

That said, what about the age factor? What do the experts tell us about the mental soundness of a 72 year old person? Can we trust that someone of this age has the energy, resourcefulness, and concentration to lead, to inspire?

June Kronholz of The Wall Street Journal Online writes that Dr. Neil Resnick, chief of geriatric medicine at University of Pittsburgh says that a "45-year-old and a 75-year-old absolutely have the same mental capacity...Energy is a function of health rather than aging."

Kronholz writes that people begin to lose about 1% of their organ function each year by the time they reach somewhere between ages 18-30. But, organs have 4-6 times more capacity than they need, so losing 1% each year is negligible in terms of their functioning.

What matters more than age is our genetic heritage. Dr. John Rowe, head of the MacArthur Foundation research program on aging, said that 30% of longevity and 1/2 of age-related changes in the brain are accounted for by our genes.

Yes, as we age it takes longer to retrieve certain information, but life experience and wisdom more than compensate for the seconds' lag in remembering facts and figures. People in certain professions ...diplomats, orchestra conductors, poets, writers...peak in their 60's or 70s, suggests Dr. David Reuben, head of geriatric medicine at UCLA.

So, should age be a factor in deciding whether to vote for someone? Apparently not, if you just consider the capacity of the aging brain. More on target for your voting preference is the views of the candidate on major issues you care deeply about. 

North Americans Respect Elders More Than Asians Do!

According to a new Harris Interactive survey, North Americans see their elders in a more positive light than Asians do. This certainly goes against the stereotype we've known for generations about the veneration of Japanese and other Asians for their aging relatives.

Humphrey Taylor, guest blogger on The Boomer Blog, wrote that the survey of 4000 Americans admired people over age 64. International studies indicate that Americans stigmatize their aging population less than 20 other countries they studied, including Latin Americans and Eastern Europeans.

How do we account for this discrepancy in our perceptions? Is there so much discrimination against aging people in the US? People who lose their jobs in their 50s and 60s still find it more difficult than 30-somethings to get re-employed. But, it's good news to hear that times are a-changing.

Studies of aging cited by gerontologist Dr. Gene Cohen demonstrate the ways that the aging brain compensates and even gets better! See my previous blog posts from December 2007. Especially so for educated people who continue to use their brains for creative tasks, such as learning new things, they seem to create more dendrites and neural connections that keep the mind fresh and vital.

Since so many older baby boomers have gotten smitten with self-care through exercise and continuing to participate in athletic activity, they look and feel younger.

So, no wonder that 4000 Americans admire their elders these days. Their elders are getting younger in mind, body, and spirit. See my post about neoteny last month.

What attitudes do you hear from younger people about "60 is the new 40?"

  

Are You an Internet-Savvy 60+?

How many of your friends do not use the Internet? How does this affect your relationship with them? For me, I'm less apt to get in touch, because it's so much harder to call, leave a message, wait until the person calls back....So much easier to drop an email message when the mood strikes. Also, my Internet-less friends don't get to read my blog, or receive my inspirational email messages that go out to my whole mailing list...and on and on. They are less a part of my life and I'm less a part of theirs.

Journalist Jane Glenn Haas wrote in her article "Internet domination changing generations" that 73% of American adults and 35% of those over 65 use the Internet.

New York Times columnist Mark Leibovich said "Computers have become something of a cultural marker -- in politics and the real world...Proficiency with them suggests a basic familiarity with the day-to-day experience of most Americans - just as ignorance to them can suggest someone is 'out of touch' or 'old.' " What do you think of that? Do you agree or not?

Third Agers are using the 'net for social networking, news, and playing games, shopping, buying airline and amusement tickets, researching what to buy through Consumer Reports, the weather, stock market quotes, and on and on. It's no longer the dominion of 30-somethings.

(Probably Not) George Carlin Rants About Aging

This comes to us via Joanne Hadlock to the Life Planning Network, a dedicated group of people who provides a range of life planning services for people entering their "bonus years." Enjoy and share with your aging loved ones.

This is attributed to George Carlin, but he denies having said it.

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" " I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life . . You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony . YOU BECOME 21 YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30 ; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!"
May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them."

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop" And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love , whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge .

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them , at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER :
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.