Retirement Workshop

If anybody's interested let me Know

Retirement Workshop Opening Presentation

    

1)  Emotional and Psychological adjustment    

      a. Lifestyle planning        

      b. Emotional and Logical challenges        

2) Why lifestyle planning is important

      a.  Increasing life expectancy (current figures)

              i.         Males               84 years +

             ii.          Females           86 years +

     

      b. Three questions:  After Retirement:

               I.     What will I look like?

              ii.      What will I be?

             iii.      What will I feel like?

      c. If negative, what would you need to change to                                           it to positive?

 

3)  Stereotypes about retirement:   

    

 a)  Positive: Make a note if you agree

     ___ Most people over 65 are ‘Very friendly and warm.”

     ___ Greater years of experience bring greater wisdom

      ___ Elder people are more dependable.

    ___ The aged are well off financially

     ___ The political power of seniors makes them a                 political force

     ___ Most elders are free to do what they want, when they    want, any way they want.

 b)   Negative: make a note if you agree

      ____ Most seniors no longer have sexual acivity or sexual desire.

      ____ Most old people are ugly.

      ____ You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

      ____ Most older persons are “senile”. Mental illness is         common.

      ____Older people are incapable of working effectively and          those who continue are unproductive.

     _____Most elders are poor

     _____Most older people are “grouchy”, “touchy,” “cranky”         and  “feel sorry for themselves”

4)  Realities

      a) Most retired persons are as busy as they were before          retirement

       b) Life satisfaction continues to increase if you have modest             finances, reasonable health and contacts with others.

       c) A positive view of aging can create a positive self-fulfilling     prophecy.

5) Leisure Time Factors:

       a) Is there a conflict with your work ethic?

       b) Learning new interests and finding old ways of    pursuing old favorites is an important way of keeping an    active mind and imagination.

       c) Planning for future leisure

       d) Practical limitations health, age, transportation, finances

       e) Needs for beauty solitude, companionship, helping others,              recognition, physical exercise, leadership & learning.

Leisure Inventory: How are These Needs being met?

6) Needs we seek to satisfy

      Self esteem____

      Socializing____

      Creative expression____

      Mental stimulation____

 7)  Activity

        While still working  _______

        Retirement Activity _______

To Move or Not to Move

   8) New versus known area _____________

        1. Factors to be considered:      

               Spouse’s health ___________

               Social connections __________

               Talking to other retirees in the area  ________

    9) Housing Inventory:

a.What past housing have you liked best  _______

b.What did different houses have in common? _______

         c.Housing factors you prefer____

   10) How well do your preferences match those of your spouse

Relationship with Spouse

    11)  Spending time together _______

    12)  Both Employed?  ______

    13)  If so have you coordinated retirement schedules____

Stress Management

Changing from being outer directed toward family, job, organization and community, to making own plans, an schedules to being inner directed.  Being accepted for yourself rather than a title or place in an organization. Stress may arise by unfamiliarity of the new game.

   14) How do you fight stress:

     Exercise_____

     Relaxation techniques ______

     Good Nutrition _____

Post Retirement Goals

      

       A major point is that our sense of well-being depends on how we experience and evaluate our lives as we develop.        

Development works in both positive and negative ways. As we will have both gains (growth) and losses (decline) in areas of how we function.

       One of the key factors for for maintaining health and well being is how much control we have over our lives and the opportunities we have for social engagement, community participation and social support

       As we grow older we can slow down the process of mental decline by engaging in cognitively demanding activities that exercise the mind. Here are some suggestions:

       1. Examine your personal goals for your life and arrange        them goals in order of importance

       2. Be prepared to reorganize your goals to some degree        during retirement.

       3. Being active in a reorganizing your life-style will help you        looked forward to retirement, and increase your satisfaction       

         4. You will also need to establish a new set of community          activities criteria. For example, do you feel that retired          persons have a responsibility to improve our          neighborhood? Much of our success in postretirement          volunteering is connected with how we see ourselves and          what we feel we can contribute:

·      What can you bring to the table after years of work

·      Experience?

·      What kinds of unique experiences can you share with the          wider community?

·      How can we help make things better?

        

There are many opportunities listed on the Internet for

successful adjustment to Retirement is connected with:

ü   Good health

ü   A successful marriage

ü   Solid social network

ü   Good Coping skills  and yes while it’s not just about the money

ü   Level of income and

ü   Occupational status

In summary, Our ability to successfully age is determined to a great extent by our attitudes toward aging and growing old. These attitudes both negative and positive will be a result of how effectively we are able to adapt to the physical, psychological and social changes that take place throughout adulthood.

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A Transportation Problem

Carl, an 82-year-old, retired company manager is slowly recovering from a fall that left his hip badly bruised. He finds it difficult to walk without the aid of a “walker”. In addition, he has problems with mid stage prostate cancer.  Recently, while driving, he hit the curb and flattened one of his rear tires. He drove home with a flat tire because he wanted to hide the accident.  Next month he must take a drivers test to see if you can still drive properly.  He is determined to drive as long as he can and feels that it is part of his role as man of the family.

At home he as several times fallen off the couch and not been able to get up without help from his 76-year-old wife Helen.   Helen can’t drive and is dependent on Carl to drive her to do house needs such as shopping.  While she is frightened about Carl’s driving, she can’t see any other options.  She has come to you for advice.  What would you advise?

The Inner Me

The Inner Me[1]

First of all, I strongly recommend other seniors to get this book. It is very useful in helping us understand our life in latter years which she says is important,”.. If only partially correct, for it is the image that sustains us through the years of possible indignity and  non-caring. Incidentally Naomi is just over 80 years old. Now what is the chapter all about?

We have two options we either live or die.  “Aging cannot be avoided. You will become, whether you like it or not, pushed to the end of the crowd. Unless we have a lot of money we are not considered very important.  However, “ if you inner image is still running along with you, as your shadow accompanies you on your outer edge, you will float through it all assured that you still have value.”   This post so far is a very small section of the book.

Some of my self-ideas are:  “It is what it is”, “I am who I am.” And the most important time is “The here and Now.  As I have indicated in an earlier post.  One of the key factors that help me stay this way is my continued exploration of meditation.  Also inside me with my tinnitus I can listen to my own heart beat.   “Me is we” is another piece of my inner me.  This helps me accept my various selves without being attached to any particular one.

Some times devilish thoughts arise and I look at them. This leads to my understanding of my personality as expressed by Sigmund Freud. He understood our personality to have three factors the Id Ego and Super Ego.  The Id represents the animal part of our brain that does not give a damn what anybody ought to do. The Super Ego encourages us to do what’s right and the ego is basically what gets us though the day.

Finally, I have people from all over the world who visit my blog. I would be interesting to know what you think.

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[1] Naomi Beth Wakend, The Roller-Coaster Ride: Thoughts on Aging  ISBN 978-894987-64-6

Successful and Creative Aging

Successful and Creative Aging

As I have retired and moved on I have investigated research that will help me to enjoy life until the end.

I have found some information that tells us that creativity is important to successful aging

For example the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project: Santa Fe New Mexico tells us that  “...even in the late stages of the disease reciting poetry helps spark people’s memories, remembering words and lines from poems and stories of their youth.” I have found ways to explore my creative side with painting and poetry.  You might be interested to go to my other blog Art with Wrinkles.

I enjoy painting and poem creativity even if I'm not Pablo Pacasso.

Look For New Board Members for Senior's Organization

Eleven Creative Ways to look for new board members for your Seniors Organization (I have been a board member for the local Seniors Center for the past 10 years)

1. Post your board openings on volunteer web sites. 


2. Post your board openings on your organization's web site.

3. Talk to ex-board members and ask them to suggest candidates.


4. Put an ad in the newspaper - or in your newsletter. 


5. Create a continuous pool of board candidates from your volunteers and committee members who are not already on your board. These two groups can become your feeder team for new board members.

6. Post a sign in your lobby and give your Board Development Chairperson's contact information. 


7. Send out an e-mail to your members with the qualifications you are seeking.

8. Contact the Human Resources Department of local lawyer and accounting offices asking if any of their partners or employees have a particular interest in your clients or the programs you offer.


9. Contact a college or university department that is related to your organization's mission. Ask the department administrator to e-mail your request for new board members to members of the department or post it in department offices. 


10. Create a system to follow-up on every promising lead. 


11. Ask your major donors to attend a coffee or lunch meeting to brainstorm with you to create a list of possible board members who meet this year's search criteria.

Remember, not everyone is interested in being on a board. If your search turns up people who could become enthusiastic advocates of your organization but they don't want to join a board, perhaps they could join a board committee, be on an advisory board, or work on one of your events.

Memory Problems: What Can We Do?

Memory Problems What can we do?

        

         Over the last year or so I have become aware of some of my memory problems. Two major ways to think about is are recognition and recall.  Recognition is no problem for me; but recall is becoming more problematic.  I am currently consulting a neurologist in a local community.  As always I find myself searching through the literature. I  decided to share the ideas with visitors to my blog. The worst and scariest memory problems is  Alzheimer’s Disease

         Common Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease Each person with Alzheimer’s may experience different symptoms, and symptoms may change over the course of the disease. Some of the common ones are described below.

• Profound difficulty in recalling names, objects, places, times, and          dates

• Not recognizing family and friends, or not recalling their names

• Forgetting one’s own phone number or address

• Difficulty finding your way to or from a familiar place

• Tendency to wander from home or place where you work

• Forgetting to eat or maintain one’s hygiene

• Day/night disorientation with difficulty sleeping

• Noticeable language and intellectual decline

• Poor judgment, inability to follow simple instructions or stay focused          on a task

Progressive sense of distrust

• Dulled emotions or interest in activities

 • Depression

 • Unusual agitation and irritability

 • Hallucinations or delusions

Ways to Keep Your Memory Sharp

What may seem like a faltering memory may in fact be a decline in the rate at which we learn and store new information. Practice these memory skills to enhance learning and make remembering easier.

 RELAX: Tension and stress are associated with memory lapses, and managing stress improves memory.

 CONCENTRATE: Your teachers were right: if you want to recall something later, pay attention.

 FOCUS: Try to reduce distractions and minimize interferences.

 SLOW DOWN: If you’re rushing, you may not be focused or paying full attention.

 ORGANIZE: Keep important items in a designated place that is visible and easily accessed.

 WRITE IT DOWN: Carry a notepad and calendar, and write down important things.

 REPEAT IT: Repetition improves recall; use it when meeting new people and learning new things.

 VISUALIZE IT: Associating a visual image with something you want to remember can improve recall.

Source: The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives (Press Office)

Source: Alzheimer’s Association

Theories of Aging[i]

Theories of Aging[i]

Three theories are presented in the source shown at the bottom of this post. The first is Disengagement theory of aging which suggests “ In preparation for death elderly people gradually withdraw themselves from the people around them.”  I find this interesting because, for example, I have, over the past couple of years, gradually withdrawn from activity on the board of the LSRS ( Langley Seniors Resource Center) and TALK (Third Age Learning at Kwantlen). Interestingly, many people of my age and older are very active in these organizations.

The second is Activity theory of aging which holds that as we age we are  “-happiest when we stay active and involved in the community.”  This one is interesting because it seems counter to the theory mentioned above.   

Finally, Socioemotional selectivity theory of aging suggests that as we grow older we begin to recognize the our time is shortening and therefore we pay attention to enjoying the “here and now” and value strongly those with whom we have close emotional ties.  For myself, I go with this one.  My wife and I have been together for a long time.   And I have two sons, from my first marriage, whom I meet and walk with downtown  several times a month. And, oh yes, we have little pussycat named Ella who is an active member of our house.

What is your story?

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[i] This material was found in a recent purchase entitled THINK PSYCHOLOGY:Second Canadian Edition sold by Pearson Toronto ISBN 978-0-13-282590-0