A recent news article presents some interesting information about where Baby Boomers are choosing to live in retirement. Baby Boomers were born between 1946 and 1964, during the post World War II era. Some of them are now choosing to retire; many have decided to continue working in a satisfying career that isn’t over on an emotional level. BBs have, in a sense, redefined many traditional cultural values in the United States, and challenged long-standing traditions. They’ve had a clear effect on the course of history in America.

Seventy-six million babies were born in the Baby Boomer years. As they retire, the senior citizen population will grow exponentially. The need for good medical care will explode, retirement centers will pop up in cities and small towns alike, and retired BBs will be studied endlessly to determine

An annoying issue in the political-media can actually turn in to dangerous and intimidating manipulation. We’re referring to fear-mongering assaults that are primarily directed toward the burgeoning senior citizen retired population, although younger generations can also be affected.

Wikipedia defines fear-mongering thus:

Fear mongering (or scaremongering) is the use of fear to influence the opinions and actions of others towards some specific end. The feared object or subject is sometimes exaggerated, and the pattern of fear mongering is usually one of repetition, in order to continuously

Projecting just how one or two will get by in the continuing downturn requires designing a disciplined course. Among the givens in most budgeting are these:

Groceries, (includes eating out)
Household expenses
Auto expenses and insurance for both
Health and Medical Insurance
Family related expenses and gifts
Property Tax
other taxes
Charitable contributions
Medical expense.

Deciding to identify and then to practice living by a set of standards is an undertaking which feeds one’s conscience, ethical commitment, and contributes for being an all around wholesome human being. Living for over 55 years or more should earn something in the way of coming to that time when self identity includes having rounded out oneself as a wholesome person, clear and clean thinker. Growing into the maturity of a person who has chosen to examine the qualities of adulthood that he/she wishes to be known by is no small task.

Respectability is defined more by who you are and how you behave than what neighborhood you live in. When meeting a person for the first time, do you examine what they have on first or how they come across in behavior, presence, and decorum? If it is the latter, then you are on the right track. Finding ways to be a person of integrity means that you have

Just around the corner, not far from Labor Day, the seasonal holidays which create traditional opportunities for getting together will be here. The need for all the typical preparations will be upon us and the best plans will need to be in place to avoid disappointment and forgotten details.

Start now planning your seasonal holidays to avoid the disappointment of things not coming together. Choose dates for getting together with family. Nail down commitments for all family members who have the discretion to travel. Look for flights and other travel accommodations which will enable early bookings at a savings. Anticipate weather related issues. Plan to gather where it will allow for the maximum amount of access and comfort for all attending. Decide on meal arrangements. Whoever is hosting should be assured of mutual family participation so as not to put the expense burden on one person or family. Account for the difficulties of travel on the part of the older members of the family. Be

*NOTE: Senior Moments is written today by Dr Sharon Shaw Elrod, MSW, EdD, Senior Editor of Senior Citizen Journal. Please read the SCJ DISCLAIMER.

On Saturday, August 14, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of President Roosevelt’s signing the Social Security Act. Seventy-five years ago, the legislation was a social insurance program aimed at providing financial assistance to the elderly, disabled and people in poverty. The OASDI Act, date of enactment, signing are emblazoned in the minds of social workers the country over. It’s a program we have primary responsibility for administering. It is dear to us, not because it pays our salaries, but because it has provided assistance for millions of citizens to live with better food and housing, have most medical needs addressed, and not have to worry if there will be a place to live and food on the table tomorrow. The Social Security program is simply morally right.

In 20 years I will have reached the threshold of the 90’s, assuming I survive the time between now and then. I will be in the category where my mother and father in law now reside. They are both in their 90’s and dealing with all the progressive satisfactions which have kept them going and quite adequately at their advanced ages. What will the world be like for me/us then? How will the dynamics of health issues affect those of us presumbably fortunate enough to be around? What will be required of us to keep our own health habits working in our behalf? How will the medical field have advanced? What will be the take on cancer, heart problems, and other of the more serious maladies that strike us as we age?

Beyond that what will the social and cultural fabric of the times be like? Will we have made choices that help to create a more livable climate? Will the economy be such that it contributes to more persons being gainfully employed? Will the wars that continue to pump their costs into our body politic have been resolved? How will education for the young encourage more and better solutions for the vast issues we

There are several unchallenged rules to live by which equip our bodies for living well and productively. It is the easiest thing in the world to ignore and avoid those rules. It is the best choice to decide to adopt the disciplines that contribute to good health, favorable conditions for living, adequate and appropriate diet, persistent exercise, and a wholesome frame of mind. These, after all, are the pieces of equipment that need to be readily kept in good condition. Check ups will ascertain how well we do. Shopping habits at the grocery store or farmer’s market will indicate our diet. Adequate patterns of rest and then exercise will contribute to our day to day vitality. Looking at these from the perspective of how much better our existence is, will help us keep up the practices of equipping our bodies.

It comes down to a variety of very simple, but poignant questions. Considerations include taking care of yourself, considering the impact your own life and behaviors have on others, living with choices of tranquility make for a better day to day environment for keeping our equipment working smoothly. When we

The economy has shaken every facet of modern American life. Charitable institutions, with every kind of program and cause, are among those groups experiencing a downturn in their much needed income. Food Banks, homeless shelters, foster children needing care, temporary housing, generic operations such as Red Cross and Salvation Army and other sectarian groups all are facing unprecedented demands upon their assistance. Lines are long, need is desperate, numbers are overwhelming.

It ain’t a pretty picture. But it is a picture that both illustrates the need and the situation facing such volunteer aid efforts. Disasters, natural and daily in every hometown, continue to strike. More and more persons are being laid off. More and more children are experiencing hunger and the embarrassment of not having sufficient basic needs.

If you are a list maker, then this column may have some appeal for you. One of the conditions we face, as we mature, is to procrastinate at those things which don’t seem to have such immediacy. We manage our day to day routines fairly well, but when it comes to the issues lying in wait, we have a tendency to put them off. That is both natural and normal. However, it creates situations in which, eventually, the items that we avoid or ignore come to the top of the list. So, today let’s see if we can identify some lists we need to make or come up with a Mother list which spawns minor lists of things to do and concerns to address.

*Review the legal tasks that require a trust, will, and other matters of disposition of an estate. Be aware of the need to update this list periodically .

*Ascertain the need for and completion of instructions for a memorial service upon my death. This, of course, presumes the choice of having a service.