Boomer Banter, Caregiving, Purpose, Connection

Brad and Josselyn Majors made the move to the Azores when they retired 3 years ago. In this episode they share with us the discussion about financial readiness to move overseas. We talk about finding everything you need, from groceries to wine to internet service and cell phone service.

Healthcare was a big topic of discussion, both access to the healthcare provided by the government and private healthcare. Finding activities that were fulfilling was important to Brad and Josselyn and they share with us what they are doing.

Contact with friends and family, both in the Azores and back home in the US was an important consideration and you will be delighted to learn how that is turning out.

- Find out more about Wendy's 6-week "What's Next Transition" Coaching workshop

- To contact Brad, email him at b[email protected]

Episode Takeaways:

1. Lifestyle on the Azores has proven to be a very healthy lifestyle
2. Transitioning to retirement takes time, finding your balance and meaning and fulfillment. 
3. The socialized healthcare offered in Portugal has been excellent
4. Many common items, like food and wine and cell phones are much less expensive than in the States
5. Don't wait! If you are thinking about retirement overseas, begin exploring now. They wish they had made this move sooner. 

Thanks so much for listening.

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You can email me with questions or comments at [email protected]

The sights, sounds, smells and rhythm of a place can be found by going off the beaten path and experiencing your destination like a local. 

In this episode, Talek Nantes, Travels with Talek, shares what you can gain from having a fully immersive travel experience. She is also a great resource and shared travel sites that will be so useful when you are planning your trip.

We talked about how some people feel solo travel and there were so many ideas Talek had to help you ease into the idea and gain confidence and comfort. We talked about the "explorere gene," the gene that gives you a sense of awe and wonder and curiosity about new locations, people, food, customs and culture. 

1. Take small group tours

2. Join Facebook groups about travel

3. Try house-sitting

4. Try volunteer travel

5. Consider teaching English overseas

https://travelswithtalek.com/ 

Talek's Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Over50womentravelerscommunity 

Discover how to get anywhere: https://www.rome2rio.com/ 

Travel Insurance: https://www.squaremouth.com/ or https://www.insuremytrip.com/ 

Find cheaper flights: https://www.momondo.com/ or https://www.google.com/flights or https://www.skyscanner.com/ 

Hey, Boomer website: https://heyboomer.biz/ 

Thanks so much for listening.

Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher , Google Podcast. or Spotify

Follow up on Facebook and Instagram

You can email me with questions or comments at [email protected]

Francine Hachem has reinvented herself a few times, but through it all she was drawn to the theater. When she graduated from high school she had a desire to go to New York City or Hollywood and pursue a career in acting. Her father had other ideas. They lived in Detroit, he was a union man, and he told Francine she needed to work for one of the Big 3 Automakers and make some money before pursing an acting career. She stayed with Chrysler until she retired at 48, but she never gave up the theater.

She shares her joy and successes and some of her challenges and road blocks in this refreshing, personal story of reinvention. 

 - Find out more about Wendy's 6-week "What's Next Transition" Coaching workshop

 - To contact Francine, email her at [email protected] 

Episode Takeaways:

1. Never give up what you love

2. Friends are so important

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help

4. Find joy, even when things are rough.

Thanks so much for listening.

Subscribe on Apple Podcast, Stitcher , Google Podcast. or Spotify 

Follow up on Facebook and Instagram 

You can email me with questions or comments at [email protected] 

Dr. Anne Basting has been trying to bring meaning making into care facilities for over 30 years. In her work with people with profound dementia, Anne has found that individuals were able to respond to improvisation and creative engagement.

In this episode, Anne shares amazing stories of how her organization, TimeSlips.org has been using various tools and techniques to build connection and meaning with people in various stages of dementia. Her book, Creative Care, offers many more inspiring stories. As part of this episode (which is recorded live), I show a picture of a dog wearing a feather boa. I asked Anne what types of "Beautiful Questions" she might use to help someone with dementia begin to talk about the picture.

Her work, her vision is to reorient care facilities from directing activities to inviting discovery. She believes that care facilities can be transformed from stigmatized centers into cultural centers by opening up meaning making.

We talk about her own experience after her mother was diagnosed with dementia and the struggle to grieve and at the same time use creativity to continue to connect. It is hard, and the time you have is precious.

Take-aways:

As a caregiver or care partner, you need a team. You cannot do this alone.

People are afraid that working with people with dementia or in care settings will be depressing. Anne says they are wrong. It is a nourishing, powerful experience that can give meaning to you and to the person with dementia.

Websites we mentioned:

https://www.timeslips.org 

https://www.anne-basting.com 

To email Dr. Anne Basting - [email protected]

To email Wendy Green - [email protected]

Helen Hirsh Spence left her 30 year career as an educator full of hope and anticipation for what was possible in her next act. She soon realized that she (as have all of us) had been brainwashed by the media and our culture into believing that aging meant being old. She had to confront her own internal ageist biases before she could move on.

Helen founded the Top Sixty over Sixty enterprise to celebrate the accomplishments of people in their 60's, 70's and beyond to help individuals and organizations embrace the skills of the older adults, and encourage people to reskill in areas of interest.

Take-aways:

• Develop awareness of ageism, both internal and external

Links mentioned in the show:[email protected] 

https://heyboomer.biz 

TopSixtyOverSixty 

Helen's LinkedIn profile 

We all have lots of questions surrounding what is next for us after we "retire" from our careers.    

• How do we define ourselves?

All of these questions were discussed by the panel in this episode of the podcast.

Some of the key take-aways:   

1. Have honest discussions with your financial advisor, attorney, insurance agent as your are preparing to retire.

2. Have honest discussions with your partner as their idea of retirement may be different from yours.

3. Your changing identity becomes who you are rather than what you do, and this can be challenging and takes time.

4. Move into this next adventure with your eyes and your heart wide open.

5. Embrace the process of letting go.

6. Change can be scary

Transition group coaching begins Feb. 22nd.   

For more information, email me at [email protected] 

Books mentioned in this podcast:   

The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul, by Connie Zweig 

Lastingness: The Art of Old Age, by Nicholas Delbanco 

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done , by Kendra Adachi

Aging with Finesse is the title of a 3-book series by Dr. Mary Flett and the basis of the discussion we had on the show today. What does it mean to age today, when we live longer and we still have so much to contribute? People are finding that they feel invisible, both as older workers and as retired individuals.

Dr. Mary has developed what she calls, The Five Pillars of Aging, much of which is based on an exchange of information she had with people in a senior living facility as part of an ongoing course. In our discussion she described the Five Pillars of Aging as:

1. A Legacy of Values

We laughed, we shared stories, we connected with each other and with the live audience. There is much to be learned in this conversation.

[email protected] 

centerforagingandvalues.org 

[email protected] 

Jill Korn had spent a career in Learning and Development. She always had a love for theater and drama, and took an acting course in her 50's. But with retirement approaching in her 60's she was dreading the potential of boredom without something to do. She went back to University and took a Creative Writing course. This endeavor has morphed into becoming a writer, director, producer and actor in audio dramas available on podcasts through Sound Escape Theatre.

I loved my discussion with Jill. Of course we talked about the audio dramas and even share a clip of one of the dramas called "The Escort." We also talked about the idea of creativity, and getting in touch with a sense of play. "Creating something is playing with it," she said. You don't have to know where it is going, just sit back and let yourself play.

We also talked about the idea that all we have learned in our lives, our work experiences and personal experiences are not wasted. We can use them to explore what we want to do next that will enhance our lives and possibly enhance the lives of others.

You can find Jill's website at https://jillkorn.com and the Sound Escape Theatre website at https://jillkorn.com/sound-escape-theatre 

Please subscribe to the Hey, Boomer website at https://heyboomer.biz 

And if you like what you are hearing, I would love a review.

This past year and a half have been challenging in many ways. The pandemic, social unrest, political discourse, economic challenges. Long before this, Nancy Neal and Ron Demonet had a dream for a place where people could go to unwind, to find harmony within themselves and in nature. They began putting together a business plan for a place a few years ago, and in 2019 they opened the Dawn Retreat Center.

Because of the pandemic they have not been able to fully open, but they have been providing programs and in this episode they share their journey and their insights. Nancy even guides us through a short centering and share a Ute prayer about Mother Earth.

You can find out more about the Dawn Retreat Center at 

dawnretreatcenter.org or by emailing [email protected] 

Contact Hey, Boomer at https://heyboomer.biz 

Catch us when we fall, written by Juliette Fay, is a story of alcoholism, recovery, hope and redemption. Juliette is a best-selling author of 6 books and we talked about how she got started with writing. She was a young mother of 4 children and was looking for something that was just hers. She would find moments when the children were distracted or sleeping to write down pieces of the stories that were in her head. Her first book was published in 2009.

A lot of our conversation was about the disease of alcoholism and the challenge of recovery on both the individual and the family. Juliette talks a lot about the importance of connection and community, so you don't feel alone. And we talked about finding a reason to get sober and stay sober. Are you worth your own recovery?