Keep Boomers chained to the Grindstone!

Ineresting post from Boomer Death Watch, it was first posted  in 2008, so as we move into the Labour Day weekend I thought it would give us some time to reflect

This piece, from the Calgary Herald, starts its argument on this frightening economic fact, already known to boomer-watchers everywhere:

Proceeding to the assumption that over-65s who keep working live longer (a leap of faith based on a University of Maryland study), it makes simple economic sense to scrap mandatory retirement just so that boomers can keep contributing to the economy, and not looting it by drawing on savings and the CPP until their (medically delayed) demise:

"Mandatory retirement has to go. Boomers tend to be well-educated. In the workforce, they're productive, and with Canada's demographics, losing skilled labour is going to hurt in about 10 years. Finally, it would be doing the next generation a favour. As well as educated, boomers tend to be healthy and will live a long time. Out of the workforce, they'll be expensive to keep."

One problem though. Many of us poor Xers have been waiting our whole lives for the boomers to retire, so that we can get a shot at the jobs they've been hogging their whole lives, if only for a few years until we retire, bitter and spent from years of nursing our grudges. Calling for an end to mandatory retirement is what will separate the true believers in conservative economic practice ("the economy is paramount; all else follows") from those who are willing to suffer the decade of "losing skilled labour" for a kick at the can. For those people, "doing the next generation a favour" has little appeal - they're the boomers' kids, and they've been squeezing us from the other side for almost as long. So screw 'em.

I hope, at the very least, that this leads to an interesting thread in the comments section.

Baby boomers fret about the rising cost of aging

Posted by Jennifer C. Kerr, Associated Press at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/126466793.html

WASHINGTON - The "golden years" may lose some luster for many baby boomers worried about the financial pressures that come with age. Many of the nation's 77 million boomers are worried about being able to pay their medical bills as they get older, a new poll finds. The concern is so deep that it outpaces worries about facing a major illness or disease, dying, or losing the ability to do favorite activities.
Another major concern among the boomers: losing their financial independence.
The struggling economy, longer life expectancy, increasing health-care costs, and challenges facing Social Security are putting added pressure on boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964.
According to the Associated Press-LifeGoesStrong.com poll, 43 percent of boomers who responded said they were "very" or "extremely" worried about being able to pay for their medical costs, including long-term care. Almost the same number, 41 percent, said losing their financial independence was a big concern.
"I always say I am going to work until I'm in the ground," said Ellie Krall of Manalapan, N.J., one of the boomers polled. "I don't see myself being able to fully retire like people were able to do years ago."
Krall, 50, manager of an orthopedic office and mother of an 18-year-old son in college, said she's worried about paying for health-care costs down the road and isn't banking on Social Security.
The oldest boomers turn 65 this year, but it's the younger ones like Krall who might be feeling more apprehension.
"Boomers are not all created equal," says Olivia Mitchell, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and executive director of the Pension Research Council.
Many older boomers still have a defined-benefit pension plan, probably some decent retiree medical insurance, and Social Security, said Mitchell, a boomer who has studied pensions and retirement extensively.
"The youngest boomers - the people who were born in the '60s - face more uncertainty about their pensions, their Social Security, their housing, and their medical care," Mitchell said.
Her advice: "Push your retirement back two or three or five years if you can. As long as you are still working, then you're not drawing down on your nest egg," Mitchell said in an AP interview.
The AP-LifeGoesStrong.com poll was conducted June 3-12 by Knowledge Networks of Palo Alto, Calif., and involved online interviews with 1,416 adults, including 1,078 baby boomers. The margin of sampling error for results from the full sample was plus or minus 4.4 percentage points; for the boomers, it was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Welcome Back

As the economic crises unfolds in the US, Europe and in Canada, there is much talk of the winners and the losers and the nashing of teeth and the wringing of hands over what will become of us. During thie time I did not hear much about the losses incurred by those of us who have worked hard to contribute to our society and so I read the following post by  Diane Gilman in the Huffngton Post on August 23

Baby Boomers: A New Life-Construct -- From "Invisible to Invincible!" with interest. Diane says:

I never once heard any of the "authorities" mention Baby Boomers. Wait a second... I did hear an echo of inevitable lowered benefits for the disabled and elderly. Yup! That's us: the elderly grouped with the disabled. And another mention of us as an "ageing population who will put a terrible strain on the government's finances." For those of us who contributed to Social Security, Medicare and dutifully paid our taxes all our adult lives, that is truly insulting

So I ask you, what about US? We're watching every second-half life construct we grew up believing and expecting -- crumbling, disappearing and evaporating. Is anyone out there wondering, like me, who's building a new Life-Model for us? Isn't it time we start to defend and champion ourselves rather than be labeled as a liability?

Honestly, I think as a generation Baby Boomers have developed amnesia! Once we were the biggest, loudest, clearest voice in America. Then we grew up and went silent. We need to remember who we are, or rather what we were, and bring the essence of US back to the present tense again!

We must revise our Life-GPS to address our new reality. We are working well into our 70's and living well into our 80's. As we age, what are our opportunities for employment? What industries will be best suited for a mature workforce? And, what direction should we take as we watch Social Security and Medicare fade away? Bottom line -- what do we do as we see our savings shrinking while our life span extends? At this moment I may not have the answers -- though, I am posing the questions that I know we as a community are asking ourselves.

And let me be the first to say, when we do take to the streets, the Capitol, the airwaves and the Internet, I expect our boomer flag to be just as individual as we are. Give me a flag comprised of strawberry fields and purple haze. Let's paint it black with a whiter shade of pale! We need to reconnect and revive! Step out alone, you're invisible. Go further together. We become invincible!

Dementia Risk May be Reduced by Moderate Drinking

Says Study Posted by Kristeen Moore on August 21, 2011 10:42 AM in Boomer Health and Lifestyle, what you need to know

 Dementia patients are too often frustrated by caregivers who fail to understand what is important to those who suffer

Dementia does not have a cure, but scientists are looking into everyday habits that can reduce the chances of developing such brain disorders. According to the Los Angeles Times, a collection of studies by Loyola University Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine show that moderate drinkers are 23 percent less likely to develop dementia and cognitive damage.

At the same time, heavy drinkers are more likely to develop dementia, reports the Los Angeles Times. Low and moderate amounts of drinking can reduce inflammation in the body, while large quantities can increase it.

Another theory is that moderate drinking can increase high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol in the body. HDL has the propensity to increase blood flow within the brain, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Despite the promising evidence, non-drinkers should not drink in an attempt to fight off dementia.

"Alcohol is a double-edge sword,” said Professor Michael Collins, the study's co-author. “For many people it is a dangerous problem worldwide and one of the major causes of mortality. But there is this side that should be taken into consideration."

 Moderate drinking is considered by the Mayo Clinic to equate to two drinks per day for men, and one drink a day for women. 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine and l.5 ounces of spirits are all equal to one drink.

Red wine is touted for its health benefits when consumed in moderation. When it comes to the effects of red wine over other types of alcohol in relation to a reduced dementia risk, the Los Angeles Times reports that no significant differences were found.

Dementia is classified by a number of brain disorders, and is it misconceived as one disease. Symptoms can include memory loss and the inability to perform everyday functions. Stroke and Alzheimer’s disease can both lead to dementia, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Medications are available to help treat the symptoms of dementia, but there is no cure.

The Election and Boomers

I was reading Excited Delirum one of the Progressive Bloggers I follow after the Vancouver Canucks won their 7th game. I was interested in the following idea posted on April 26 entitled MayDay 2011: New Seat Projection and I thought as a boomer I should respond with my ideas:

The Boomers are a totally different gang of voters that many haven’t really spent enough time analyzing. This is the year that MANY Boomers will hit the age of 65 and would like to start retiring. However, 
(I agree that  many of my generation will not start retiring yet, and that we have been overlooked by the media as a force, not only in this election but in the reshaping  of what Canada will look like over the next few years.)

• Many can’t retire yet. I would suggest that while many cannot retire, many of us don't want to retire, if it means stopping work, We still want to contribute to society, and many of us see the only way to do this is through our work. We have not yet learned how to make the transition from work to other ways of contributing to society.
• Many don’t own businesses any more – mainly because they’ve sold off their businesses or never owned one in the first place – so they shouldn’t care about corporate tax rates. You are correct many have not owned or have sold off their businesses, but many of us care about corporate tax rates, we believe that corporations should pay their fair share and should not be given tax breaks without conditions. We also have seen the idea of Trickle Down Economics in our lifetime and we know it does not work. We will support the party that demands that corporations pay their fair share and contribute back to society.
• Many don’t have kids in school, so they probably don’t care about education. While we don't have kids in schools, we have grandchildren in schools and we worked hard for our own education, taking on heavy debts while doing so. As a result many of us see the advantages of having a good education system and are willing to pay for it at all levels and are willing to support the party that will help our grandchildren get a good education without going into the kind of debt we went into when we were young.
• Many may feel the need to re-awaken their political destiny that they embraced in the 1960s when they came of age, but neglected in the 1980s and onward as they turned inward to their own interests. I agree that many of us still believe in the concept of a 'juust society" and hate the narrow minded attitude of the current Prime Minister and his party.
• Many have lived their lives accumulating debt, so they’re not too worried about passing even more debt on to their heirs.  I have to disagree with you on this concept, many of my age group are working hard to get out of debt for two reasons, the first so we can enjoy our retirement and the second is that we really do not want to pass on huge debts to our children and grandchildren. We may not want to leave them any debts, but we also do not want to leave them too much money:-0
• Many are seeing their twilight years with the Harper-lead negotiation of the Health Act and they are scared shitless. Many of my generation do not like the idea that as Canadians we need to look out for only ourselves. We like the idea that as a society we can protect and help each other and remain a compassionate and just society. Stephen Harper believes that the individual must make their own way, with our help from the state, many of my generation disagree. With a Conservative majority, we are afraid we will become a less compassionate and more angry society. That is the fear.

As a result, my prediction is that many of the Boomers will vote for the party that they want to see negotiate the Health Act. My prediction – weak as it may sound – will be a mix of Liberal and NDP representatives.   Even though I disagree with some of your points above, I have to agree with your prediction on what we should happen on May 2 and I hope some of my readers will start to follow your blog

For all you Seniors out there

Thanks to Douglas for this
(Boomers been there, done that)

I thought about the 30 year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a Blackberry that played music, took videos, pictures and communicated with Facebook and Twitter.

I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grandkids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of every thing except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it's red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife as everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. Seems I have to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, "Re-calc-ul-ating". You would think that she could be nicer.. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-tur n at the next light. Then when I would make a right turn instead, it was not good.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven't figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.


The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden "Paper or Plastic?" every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, "Paper or Plastic?" I just say, "Doesn't matter to me. I am bi-sacksual." Then it's their turn to stare at me with a blank look.

I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, “No, but I do toot a lot."

One bucket list request too many

Ken and Edna 

Ken and his wife Edna went to the state fair every year,  and every year Ken would say, "Edna, I'd like to ride in that helicopter."

Edna always replied,  "I know Ken, but that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks."

One year Ken and Edna went to the fair,  and Ken said, "Edna, I'm 75 years old.  If I don't ride that helicopter, I might never get another  chance I want this as it is on my Bucket list"

Edna replied, "Ken that helicopter ride is fifty bucks, and fifty bucks is fifty bucks."

The pilot overheard the couple and said, "Folks, I'll make you a deal. I'll take the both of you for a ride. If you can stay quiet for the entire ride and don't say a word I won't charge you a penny!   But if you say one word it's fifty dollars."

Ken and Edna agreed and up they went.

The pilot did all kinds of fancy maneuvers, but not a word was heard.
He did his daredevil tricks over and over again, but still not a word...

When they landed, the pilot turned to Ken and said,  "By golly, I did everything I could to get you to yell out, but you didn't.  I'm impressed!"

Ken replied,  "Well, to tell you the truth,  I almost said something when Edna fell out, but you know... "Fifty bucks is fifty bucks!"

The Boomer Authority

There are a couple of sites you should check out if you consider yourself a Boomer or a Senior . The first is The Boomer Authority , the second is  FINDHELP4SENIORS . So if you consider yourself a senior or a sonic boomer who wants to help others, these two sites are worth a visit.

The following is from FindHelp4 seniors.ca

Welcome to  - the most comprehensive online directory for senior-friendly services across Canada. Seniors are active, vibrant, and the fastest growing component of the Canadian mosaic. We’re here to serve you.


FINDHELP4SENIORS is different from other portals. All of the services, products, and businesses listed here cater to seniors, but we go one step farther. We give you the real story with great user generated content. Read what real people have to say about their experiences.

What can you do on FINDHELP4SENIORS? Locate services for seniors; Identify businesses that cater to seniors;  Source products that are designed for seniors;  Read comments by real users; Write a comment of your own; Avail yourself of our excellent resource material; Read our blog for excellent tips on issues that effect seniors; Find assistance for snowbirds

The following is from the Boomer Authority  you are a Boomer, I would invite you to join.
 
There are 78 million Baby Boomers in the U.S. and well over 300 million worldwide. The challenges and choices they face are as vast and deep as is their numbers. But so are the resources Baby Boomers are using to find help.


In ever increasing numbers Baby Boomers are utilizing social media to communicate with family and friends, collaborate in teams and cooperate with anyone they choose anywhere, anytime.

The 46-64 Boomer Initiative™ is a global ecosystem of web destinations, social networking communities, and social tools to help Baby Boomers spark conversations, solve problems and discover new solutions.

Empowered and emboldened Baby Boomers want to discuss products and companies, write their own news, and find their own deals.

Social media in all its forms, is global, unstoppable and powerful.

The web destinations, networking communities, and social tools that are alliance partners in The 46-64 Boomer Initiative™ help to contribute to the way Baby Boomers work, live, play and learn.

Our Current Initiatives:

@BoomerAuthority

Boomer Authority™ [Book Store]

Baby Boomer [Knowledge Center]™

Knowledge [base]™

Boomer Authority™ [Publishers' Advertising Network]

Boomer Authority ™ [Career Center]

Certified JobsOver50-Boomer Authority™ Career Coach Program

Golf and other interesting pasttimes

Over the last eight years or so, I have embarked on  a summer golf journey with some of my friends. The core of the group has been doing the summer trip for 26 years, so I am a relative newcomer. I enjoy the time with the guys for a week of golf, fun and relaxation.

Over the years the size of the group and the membership of the group has varied from 12 to abut 18 guys, and the issues we discuss, debate and solve have changed over the years. None of the issues we discuss resolve around current politics, religion, or other pressing issues in the news.  We talk about old friends,  family, new friends, relationships, how our golf game went that day. The day to day politic of live is swept away in a river of  fun and friendship.

After the trip it takes a while to recover and to want to think about playing golf again, but that time is now, so tomorrow we are off to face the latest challenges on the course, on the course we can focus on being with good friends, trying to best oneself and enjoying the wind, sun and scenery.

Since returning from this years trip, I have been busy catching up on my reading--not the readings I have to do for the university courses or the school courses, but reading for pleasure. I have rediscovered my love of reading that I had as a teenager.

When I was a pre-teen and young teen, we came to town once a week to get groceries and other supplies but we always stopped at the regional library and I remember loading up with books, (Science Fiction and mysteries were my reading pleasure of the day) and I remember with excitement opening the book and staying up late to finish the latest chapter/or book.

Reading for pleasure was a highlight of my life for many years, but as I grew older and focused on work, I lost the pleasure that reading brought to me. I enjoy the break away from responsibility that being on the golf tour brings and the week after that allows me to catch up on my love of reading.

A comparison

In an earlier Blog I talked about some of the events which shaped the Boomers, one that I did not mention was the concept introduced or made popular by Pierre Elliot Trudeau, of the idea that Canada was a Just Society.  As I and my generation were growing up we came to accept multiculturalism, we came to believe in Canada as a Just Society. It was in 1968, that Pierre Trudeau campaigned saying Canadians wanted a just society. He asked for support for one nation, with two official languages.
For Trudeau, “…freedom [was] the most important value of a just society, and the exercise of freedom its principal characteristic.”...the value with the “highest priority in the pursuit of a Just Society had become equality.”This emphasis on equality of opportunity enveloped Trudeau’s entire platform during the 1968 elections, a platform that spoke to Canadians as his Liberal government won a majority in Parliament. He won, not only the election but the heart and soul of many of the Boomers. We believed, some of us took longer to understand the dream but  in the end the dream of a building a just society became what we saw ourselves doing (Both the right and the left believe in this concept, but have different ways of trying to achieve this ideal)

Many of the Boomers are now realizing that the dream under Mr. Harper is being destroyed.  Mr. Trudeau helped us believe in the good in people and to build on the good  and use that to create a just society. Mr. Harper uses fear to destroy our faith in people. Tapping into our fear first using the 911 attacks and then the recession,  the neo conservative religious right are consolidating power to move their religious agenda forward.

We are losing, our society is losing. Mr. Harper you are destroying the Canada that I grew up in and creating a society that is unpleasant and hurtful to the poor, the homeless, women, minorities, and the weak.

Judging how well minority rights are protected is one way to assess how democratic a society is in practice, . In two brilliant post "The Creative Revolution" shows that Mr. Harper, by creating his Canada as Jesusland  is destroying the dream that we as Boomers believed would be part of our legacy.

Boomers aging well?

In one of the Blogs I read Boomers--A trip into the heart of the Boomers, the author Brent Green, talks about a speech he gave in Florida to a Boomer conference geared to business men and women who want to learn to market to us. I was struck by the following statements:

Individual men may feel powerless against external forces of unemployment, layoffs, downsizing and chronic diseases. But when a generation of men known to challenge authority confronts this evolving life-stage, transformative beliefs and actions can emerge. A generation of men that embraced feminism and racial inclusiveness can create new constructs for male aging, conceptions that are engaging, uplifting and liberating.


I agree with his assertion but I also suggest that this view should include the Boomer women; men accepted and embraced feminism, but the women were leaders because they lead the way for us men to follow. In these times of uncertainty that the writer above discuss, women as well as men feel powerless and women will live longer than us males, so they will need to construct new conceptions of aging, which we men will adapt to and embrace.

Brent Green, the author of the blog, goes on to say:  "Author Cogswell identifies Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900) as the “soul of existentialism,” a thinker who has influenced contemporary psychology, literature, spirituality, art and music. Nietzsche wrote that “society everywhere is a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.” And it seems true today that millions of Boomer men, vital and engaged as many now are, must nevertheless consider how traditional habits in western society could conspire to strip them of their opportunities to thrive beyond 60 and into bonus years promised so many....As the great writers about existentialism would urge, Boomer men must not become standardized old men.

Society has advanced and women are engaged in every aspect of society, so the ideas that Nietzsche and others argued, need to be expanded to include women. Nietzsche is right, society forces are conspiring against the boomers, and I agree but would argue that it will be both men and women boomers, that will not allow society to strip us of the opportunity to thrive beyond 60. (I suspect it will be the women who will lead this battle, not the men). We will find a way not be become seniors and to remain boomers!