Archive for the 'Leisure and Lifestyle' Category

Seniors and Energy Drinks

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Erin

Typically, energy drinks have been marketed to the younger crowd – shown as a way to stay up for all night study sessions or all night dance parties.  But in 2012, the demographic these companies are targeting appears to be shifting to senior citizens!

According to the consumer research group, The Values Institute at DGWB in California, the trend is shifting to seniors, mostly due to the previously untapped market.  5 Hour Energy, a popular energy drink brand, has even nabbed Cliff Clavin (actor John Ratzenberger) from Cheers as a spokesman!  But are they safe?  The drinks main ingredient typically leans towards high amounts of caffeine and many drinkers of the product report a jittery feeling after consuming the drinks.  That may explain why many of the companies are now pumping the drinks with vitamins and touting the drinks as a healthy way for seniors to maintain an active lifestyle.

Will you respond to the marketing and start chugging energy drinks?

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Expanding Your Retirement Horizons

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Erin

With the economy the way it’s been and the cost of living being so high for so many people, the thought of retirement is something that is simply a dream for many.  But that thought just isn’t acceptable for some people and they’ve taken the matter into their own hands.  They’re up and moving out of the country to get their retirement dream!

In a study done by Internationalliving.com, it was found that Ecuador is one of the most popular places for retirees to retire.  Expenses here can be as little as one fifth of what they are in the U.S.  In many cases, people can retire up to 10 years earlier than they would have been able to in the U.S. and they can also afford luxuries like maid services and weekly massages (how does $25 for an hour long massage sound?!).  There are many places to explore around the world that could make your retirement a reality and could create something you may have never even dreamed of!

Can you afford to retire?  Do you know when you will run out of money?  Get answers by using for retirement calculator.

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Oldest Yoga Teacher

Posted on December 22, 2011 by Erin

No more excuses!  Recently, the Guinness Book of World Records crowned their newest, oldest yoga teacher.  This may make you feel bad, but Bernice Bates is an astounding 91 years old.  She began teaching yoga 50 years ago and has continued ever since.

According to John Muir Health, one in three adults falls and injures themselves every year.  The older you are when you take a slip, the more life threatening the injury can be and the more expensive it can be to take care of.  Yoga is a wonderful way for seniors to protect themselves by loosening up their muscles, bettering their balance and helping to maintain bone density.  In a 2005 study by the National Institute on Aging, it was found that yoga can help increase hip extension and stride length in seniors.  Yoga also benefits the mind just as much as the body.  As Bernice said, “It gives you a good outlook. It involves your mind … We build energy in our body, we don’t take it out.”   (You can read the full article, here).  If you’re physically capable and your doctor gives you the go ahead, try some yoga!  It’s a wonderful exercise that can help you physically and mentally.

Are you prepared for the costs associated with unplanned medical expenses such as a fall?  Make sure you’re covered by using our retirement calculator.

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Preparing Yourself for a Disaster

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Erin

Recently, there seem to have been a lot of natural disasters – earthquakes, fires and hurricanes have been the top headlines for the past few weeks.  If you were to find yourself in one of these situations, would you be prepared?  72 hours is the amount of time that officials say it may take for services to be restored, so being prepared is vital.  Here are some tips:

The biggest thing to do is make sure that you have set up a personal support network.  Make sure that someone will check in on you if an emergency occurs.  Also, designate a meeting place in your community that is not your home, so friends and family will know where to find you.  Always make sure that you are carrying an emergency health care card with you that will inform someone of any allergies you may have or medications you are on.  In your home, have a bag that consists of a first aid kit, batteries, a flashlight and water (You’ll have to remember to check the expiration date on any food that you put in your kit and change them when the time comes).  It’s also smart to purchase a thermal blanket or a poncho to put in your kit.  And of course, know the best escape routes from your house.  Have one route for each section of your home.  Here is a great website that lists more great ways to plan for almost any disaster you could imagine!

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Social Media Use Growing for Adults

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Erin

Are you social media savvy? A new report shows that half of all American adults are on social networks such as Facebook or Twitter.  And use among baby boomers is continuing to grow.  In fact, 32 percent of boomers say they use social networking sites every day.  That’s 20 percent more than a just a year ago!

The rise in social media among older folks probably has a lot to do with parents and grandparents wanting to stay close to their loved ones.  Sites such as Skype allow people to video conference so families can talk and see each other’s faces – many times for no cost to the consumer.  With so many people relocating and not staying in place for too long, it’s no wonder why social networking is taking off in the adult community.

Make sure to “like” us on facebook!

And don’t forget to sign up for one or more of our informational retirement newsletters.

Baby Boomers Change Retirement

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Erin

Baby Boomers are changing the face of retirement.  Just ten years ago, the age at which most people hoped to retire was 64.  Now in 2011, that age has increased to 69 according to a survey done by Harris Interactive.  Some of it has to do with the current economic picture – people are trying to gain back what they lost in the markets.  Surprisingly though, many people are postponing retirement because they are not ready to give up the satisfaction they receive from their work.  That is definitely not to say that everyone wants to work a full time job for the rest of their lives, but it may mean working a part time job a few days a week or even volunteering their time.  Many people just aren’t ready to live a life of pure leisure.

Does this sound crazy to you?  Do you want to work part time in retirement or do you think you’ll be ready for a permanent vacation?

Read “Redefining Retirement Post Recession” the full survey from Harris Interactive.

What are the best jobs for retirees?  Find out here.

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Technology for Seniors

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Erin

Have you allowed a digital divide to keep you from enjoying the latest technology?  Just because you’re not 20 doesn’t meant you don’t have a need for them.  In fact, retirees are finding that learning how to use new tech products can not only help to keep their minds sharp, but also help them stay in touch with family members who live far away.  Ever heard of a program called Skype?  If you sign up for an account with them, have a computer and a web camera (typically these are sold for around $30 if one does not come already installed onto your computer), you can easily connect with anyone around the world for free!  And you have the added bonus of being able to see the faces of your loved ones.  Another great tool that seniors are discovering is the Apple iPad and similar tablet computers.  You can purchase books and newspapers directly to the tablet without having to leave your home, play games that keep your mind active and watch movies and tv shows whenever you want!  Plus, you can adjust the size of the font on tablets which is an added bonus.

Do you already use some of these products?  Was there a hurdle you experienced when trying to determine which products were for you and how to use them?  Any advice for others who may want to use these tools but don’t know where to begin?

Find other ways to use technology to stay in touch, here.

 

Stay Social!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Jason

A study from Rush University in Chicago compared seniors with low levels of social activity to those with high levels.  The people who had high levels of social activity were about twice as likely to remain free of disabilities than their more solitary counterparts.

Sometimes it takes a village to let seniors stay at home

Posted on February 25, 2011 by Jason

USA Today, February 21st, 2011

“Hell, no, we won’t go!”

That’s the answer I hear most often from seasoned
Baby Boomers when I ask if they’re getting ready to move to retirement
communities.

For starters, they don’t plan to
retire before 70. And most want no part of the elder islands where their
parents retreated from the hustle of city life into a largely
sedentary, age-segregated existence.

The
Village Movement is a popular alternative. The drivers of this movement
are feisty professional women in their 50s and 60s who are determined to
change the experience of aging by empowering and enabling adults to
remain in their own homes or apartments to the end of their lives.

The
movement, launched eight years ago in Boston with Beacon Hill Village,
has spread to Washington, Chicago, San Francisco and more than 50 other
cities. Hundreds more are in formation.

Boomers
now over 50 want to belong to communal families, networked into a
virtual village. It’s partly a resurgence of the commune spirit of the
1960s and a throwback to the villages of a pre-urbanized America, where
people looked out for one another through good times and bad.

Science
tells us today that anyone who hopes to enjoy a happy, healthy later
life needs to feel part of a larger group. Family members are not
enough.

We need to build new and diverse
friendships with people younger and older than ourselves — relationships
that are built on affection, not obligation.

Typically, the great majority of joiners in the Village Movement are women.

“It’s
the women who see the value of socialization,” says Bob Davis, the only
male board member of the 9-month-old Ashby Village in Berkeley, Calif.
“The men are happy in their workshops or reading or doing some solitary
activity.” Beneath this common divergence among couples is the fact that
the women anticipate becoming caregivers. The men expect to be cared
for by their wives.

Read more of this article.

Drivers on Call

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Jason

The New York Times, February 8th, 2011

Dottie Macdonald, 81, got to the annual crafts fair in Portland, Me.,
this winter the same way she always does: with six big bins of dolls and
quilts and artwork stacked in the back of a 2002 Dodge Caravan, the one
her husband, Bob, 86, always drives because Mrs. Macdonald never
learned how.

Actually, it wasn’t quite the same way: This time Mr. Macdonald was
in a passenger seat, too, and the driver was a stranger. The van didn’t
belong to them anymore. The Macdonalds may have found an answer to the
practical questions that follow the decision to stop driving: How are
Mom and Dad going to get around, and what do we do with the car?

The Macdonalds are members of the Portland affiliate of the Independent Transportation Network,
a national organization that provides both scheduled and on-demand
rides for nondrivers. For a $50 average annual membership fee,
passengers can schedule rides at any time, according to Katherine
Freund, the 60-year-old founder of the network. They pay a $3 or $4
pickup fee for each trip — every affiliate sets its own rate — and then,
in Portland, $1.50 per mile, a dime more than the national average.
That same mile in a Portland taxi costs $3.60.

The Macdonalds donated their van to the network in exchange for a
credit of just over $2,700. The money went into the Macdonalds’
“personal transportation account,” the ride equivalent of a Starbucks
card. As long as there is money in the account, you can order what you
want, and every order is deducted from the balance. Monthly statements
go to members, or adult caregivers, or both.

Drivers wear photo identification badges, and a small placard on the
dashboard identifies a vehicle in the network. No cash changes hands
during the ride; the dispatcher uses a computerized tracking system to
know who went how far.

“What they want,” said Ms. Freund of the network’s members, “is
exactly what they had,” the same level of mobility except for the actual
driving.

Her organization, which has 16 affiliates and one more in the works,
provides about 50,000 rides each year with a network of volunteer
drivers and paid staff, using a fleet of 275 cars. Ms. Freund hopes to
have affiliates in every state by 2016. Existing transportation
alternatives, she believes, are simply not safe enough.

Read more of this article.

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