Rock Your Retirement Show

Henry interviewed George Young. George needed to fix up his own house, and so he developed a lifelong interest in woodworking. This interest didn't stop and now he's woodworking in retirement.

Henry talked to George about his life in Scotland and England.  George had a carefully planned emigration to Australia that fit in with his retirement plans.

After he moved to Australia, he quickly established his love of woodworking in retirement by joining a local woodworkers club.  He became enmeshed in its culture and community.

The Berwick Woodworkers Club is open to all men and women who agree to abide by the rules.  You don't need to have skills at first, but you must wish to learn skills.  Members help newcomers, and George is very proud that a young man they taught and supported went on to become ‘apprentice of the year' in Victoria.

George speaks deliberately and quite slowly, but always from the heart.

If you have an interest in woodworking in retirement, you will probably find a club reasonably close by searching the internet.  Henry put ‘woodworking club and his suburb' into Google and found a couple.  The more modern equivalent to these clubs seems to be the current spread of ‘Men's Sheds', but I do not know whether they allow women members.  Henry says it's a pity if they don't.

If you are interested in learning how to woodwork, check out:

17 awesome woodworking projects ANYONE can do.

50 Small, Simple, & Easy Beginner Woodworking Projects

 

One of the things that we need to consider in our retirement lifestyle planning is how we are going to deal with illness and dying.  And, when the time comes, hospice care can be an excellent way of preparing ourselves for the inevitable.

I knew that Jennifer was a hospice expert, but I didn't know that in 2006 she got her Master's Degree.  She worked with

children at the time and went to school to get her Master's Degree.  She credits her professor with saving her life when he suggested that she work with hospice.  There are only two schools that offer courses on death and dying in San Diego.

Jennifer Marsh is a community education and outreach specialist for Hospice of the North Coast. She has over ten years of creating, marketing and sustaining thriving educational programs to the general community about serious illness, care-giving and grief and loss issues.

Jennifer has been published in the Touching Lives magazine (2009), and featured on KOCT-TV and Eldercare Talk Radio providing insight and resources to those coping with a serious illness, caring for a loved one and grieving. Jennifer is an expert on hospice and mortality and has been interviewed on the SevenPonds Blog.

She has expertise in creating and implementing community outreach and fundraising events, including Breathe Deep San Diego.

In 2013, she was named as a Finalist for the San Diego Women Who Mean Business Awards through the San Diego Business Journal.

Everyone I know who works in hospice care is a caring person.  That field seems to attract loving and patient people.  Jennifer's mom had cancer, and even though she had already been working in her chosen field when this happened, she instantly became “the daughter”.  She knows what its like to have a loved one who has been diagnosed with a deadly disease.

There are a lot of misconceptions about hospice and that's why I asked Jennifer to be on the show.  She shared with us the important truth about hospice:

* Recommended reading is “Being Mortal“.  You can watch the documentary on Front Line.

* National Hospice has a FAQ that answers common questions such as:   

* When is the right time to ask about hospice?

* How does care begin?

* Will I be the only hospice patient that the staff serves?

* Is care available after hours?

* How does it work to keep the patient comfortable?

* What role does the volunteer serve?

* If I reside in a nursing facility or other type of long-term care facility can I elect hospice care?

* What happens if I cannot stay at home due to my increasing care need and require a different place to stay during my final phase of life?

* Do state and federal reviewers inspect and evaluate hospices?

* How can I be sure that quality care is provided?

To get the answers, just go to their website HERE.

Henry interviewed the Honorable Caroline Hogg, MLC. She talked about her life and responsibilities as a Victorian Government Minister. She also shared her current retirement lifestyle.

What is her Life after Politics like and what is she doing now?

There are good times and bad times in government no matter what country you live in.  She had personal triumphs.  But there were disappointments too. Whether you are in the USA, Australia, or another part of the world you will be able to relate. Caroline tells us a couple of stories which graphically demonstrate the pressure and responsibility which politicians take on our behalf.

Caroline explained the discipline that was necessary to deal with the workload of parliament and how that translated into her private life after she resigned.

She was looking forward to enjoying a relaxed country life after politics, but that's not what happened because her friends and colleagues heaped more responsibilities on her.

You will be fascinated to learn about politics from the inside. Caroline represents the values and ideals of the best of them … no matter what party they represent. And…no matter what party you are in, remember, there is life after politics.

Here are links to some of the organizations mentioned :

* Beyond Blue : www.beyondblue.org.au   Australian Telephone : 1300 22 46 36

* Lifeline : www.lifeline.org.au   Australian Telephone : 13 11 14

* Emergency : Australian Telephone : 000

Henry's Notes for USA readers:  Much like the US, in Australia we have state governments.  In Australia they are comprised of an upper and lower house.  The Legislative Assembly is the lower house and the Legislative Council is the upper house.

Caroline was a member of the upper house in the state of Victoria for seventeen years, and she was a Minister for much of that time.  She held the positions of Education, Health, and Social Services.  These are all large areas of responsibility with monster budgets in the billions of dollars.

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track

* Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it

Dave Hughes is the founder of Retire Fabulously!  He originally thought it would be just for LGBT retirement lifestyle, but found that retirement lifestyle issues are largely the same for everyone.

Retire Fabulously is a website that provides the knowledge, tools and inspiration you need to plan your ideal retirement lifestyle. He is the author of “Design Your Dream Retirement,” which will enable you to envision, plan for, and enjoy the best retirement possible. Dave writes regularly for his blog, Retire Fabulously!, and U.S. News. His articles have appeared on Yahoo Finance, AOL Money, lgbtSr.org, Top Retirements, and Tiny Buddha.

About four years ago Dave was looking for information to prepare him for his own retirement, but all he could find was financial information.

He soaked up that information like a sponge, but it just wasn’t enough, so he started a blog, RetireFabulously.com

Dave is part of the LGBT community, and started his blog with the intention that he would discuss LGBT retirement lifestyle.

It turns out that retirement issues are the same for everyone, and now only about 40% of his audience are LGBT.

He told me about how we need to start preparing several years in advance to figure out what we are going to DO in retirement. We need to consider our retirement lifestyle, not just money. Dave and I are kindred spirits in that regard, and I’m glad that I’m not alone in my quest to spread the word on this issue.

Dave explained that the issues in retirement are about 95% the same for everyone, whether they are in the LGBT community or not. I asked about the other 5% and it turns out, it’s HOUSING and COMMUNITY.

I never thought about this before, but the LGBT retirement lifestyle is similar, but they have fewer options. Even though only 30% of retirees actually move after retirement, we all like to dream right? I don’t know about you, but I’ve dreamed about moving to Ecuador. Living on the equator and never being too cold or too hot really appeals to me.

Members of the LGBT community might have to worry about moving to a foreign country…OK…WE have things to worry about in foreign countries like slow internet and slow service and slow lifestyles that we aren’t used to, but LGBT community members have much bigger issues (like for example being killed or jailed). So they wouldn’t move to certain countries, or even certain U.S. states that aren’t “gay friendly”.

Whether you are LGBT or not, your housing needs to be appropriate to your lifestyle and you need community that supports you.

Imagine that you don’t eat gluten. You check out a retirement community and the only thing to eat is pizza, bread, beer, etc. That community wouldn’t be a very good place for you, no matter how nice it is. Weird example, I know… but it’s the same with the LGBT crowd. It would be very difficult for them to move into a community with no understanding or compassion for the way they live.

I actually learned a little about this several months ago when someone from GSDBA spoke to The Caregiver’s Coalition, a group that I’m part of. GSDBA is dealing with the LGBT Retirement Lifestyle issue, and they have a certification program for people who work with this community to help them show compassion and understanding, especially when we get into the nursing home question.

Mentions on the show:

* Design Your Dream Retirement

* FountainGroveLodge

* CCRC

Stan tells how his wife Jenny wanted to volunteer overseas to help others. He didn't care about volunteering in Mongolia so he didn't go….at first.

He missed his wife so finally after a few months he followed her to the orphanage where she was the health officer.  That's when his adventures began.

Now Stan has some very sound advice for people considering volunteering in Mongolia.

* Go with a reputable and recognized agency.

* Obtain as much information as you can about the agency and it's programs before you go.  Talk to people who have volunteered through that agency.  Get the fact of how it really plays out, not what the brochure promises.

* Be sure you understand the details.  This includes your accommodation, pay, food, insurance and so on.

* Also be sure to understand the procedure of what happens in case of an emergency.

* Be sure to understand your obligations to the agency and your host country, as well as their relationship to you.  Stan mentioned that some volunteers could not hack the simple living conditions on site, and were eager to go home.

* Perhaps the most important advice Stan and Jenny give prospective volunteers concerns your attitude.  Do NOT go overseas believing that you are going to “save the world”, and expect to be honored by a grateful community.

Go to provide what help you can.  Try to fit in with the local customs, laws and reality of the situation.  You are going to eat what the locals eat, drink what the locals drink, and dance when the locals dance.  The drink in Mongolia included a mildly alcoholic brew of fermented milk boiled up in a big pot.  You are going to have the local standard of washing facilities and accommodation.

If that doesn't sound good… don't go.

On the other hand Stan and Jenny absolutely loved their time in Mongolia, loved the people, loved the country and would go back in a heartbeat.  They have volunteered in other places since that trip, and enjoyed every experience.

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track

* Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it

How do I find a home for Mom when she needs more help than I can give?

Today’s guest of the Rock Your Retirement show was Sydney Kennedy.  She specializes in answering the question, “How do I find a home for Mom?”.  Sydney immigrated to the USA in 1987 and worked with animal causes in fundraising and development.  She has experience developing conferences and workshops for UCSD CONNECT (and Sydney and I have a connection here that you can learn about by listening to the show).  In 2006 started devoting her time, knowledge, and experience to Elder Care and senior housing.

As a Certified Senior Adviser (CSA) she is well equipped to assist families:

* Find a home for Mom

* Understand the difference between referral and placement

* Assess the needs of the family

* Take into consideration including health status

* Assumed future health status based on current condition

* Assess the financial parameters of the family including Long Term Care Insurance, Veterans Benefits and other programs

* Understand the geographical needs of the family

* consider family involvement or potential lack therof in assessing where the family member should be placed

* Understand that important background and other interests such as:

* Places to gather such as Pubs or coffee shops inside the community

* Gaming groups for socialization such as bridge groups or card groups

* Other background that is important

We also discussed how someone would avoid pitfalls when they need to find a home for mom and simplify the process when you need to find a home for mom or other loved one.

These services are typically free to the family since the communities will pay (similar to a travel agent or realtor).

Senior Housing Experts often can provide referrals that will help your loved one stay in their own home as long as possible.   Additionally, a CSA can save you time by considering the following:

* Do you need a community that is specifically designed for wheelchairs?

* What is your budget? Can you afford the community?

* Reputation of the community

* Government reports – how to zero in on the information the family needs to know

* Caregiver training and temperament

* Board and Care versus Assisted Living and Nursing Homes

* Special considerations for Dementia

* Concussions and how they relate to Dementia

The family makes the final decision, but it’s nice to have someone that holds your hand, especially when the family is in crisis.

Sydney has some personal experience with Dementia and is involved in that community. Her mom is in assisted living in Canada and she told us her story. She also told us a few other stories that showed us why it’s important to watch out for our seniors.

Mentioned in the show:

* CSA – Certified Senior Advisor

* San Diego Dementia Consortium

* UCSD CONNECT

* Lisa Woodruff, professional organizer (break) Organize 365

* Fiduciary

* Therapy Dogs

* Freebie: http://RockYourRetirement.com/seniorliving

Sydney’s contact information:  www.

Henry Shapiro interviews Leda Sant who wanted to learn to ride a Motorcycle later in life.

Leda had worked in the freight department for Qantas, and told us about some interesting things about working there.  She needed to understand what could fit in the freight area of the airplane.  Henry shared that he used to be a deer farmer and that they moved them via planes.  Leda said that every day at Qantas was a different day, and she even moved a small aircraft inside another airplane!

Retired twice, because of boredom, she knew she had to have something to keep her busy.

Her second retirement was planned so that her husband would retire, but that's not happened as of the recording of the episode! She indicated that retirement lifestyle includes activities to keep your mind alert and to keep physical.  Start ticking things off your bucket list.  One of those for Leda was to learn to ride a motorcycle later in life.

She started riding at 45 with menopause (about 14 years now). She said it keep her mind active because you have to be alert when you are riding a bike. Henry learned how to ride when he was 18.  He rode until he was 22 and stopped when he got married.  He met Leda and started riding again when he was 62.

They discussed the following:

* Women on Motorcycles

* Riding in Thailand, Vietnam, and Tasmania

* Health Benefits of riding a Motorcycle

* Learning how to Ride

* Benefits of Motorcycle clubs

* Staying Safe

* BMW F 800

* BMW 1200

* Harley Davidson (for short rides)

* Mentors

* Falling

* Riding in the Rain

* Fingernails

* Size of your Bike

* Being Time Poor (Leda's business)

During the interview Leda mentioned that men's brains were in boxes, which caused Henry to say bzzz.  Ninety nine percent of you will probably be wondering what that is all about.  It comes from a hilarious YouTube clip about the difference between men and women.  Here is the link, I guarantee you will like it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XjUFYxSxDk

If you think you want to learn to ride a motorcycle later in life, here are some links:

* Ulysses Club  :  http://www.ulyssesclub.org/

* Motorcycle safety information.  I learned a heap from this site.  :  http://www.msgroup.org/default.aspx

* Twist of the Wrist:

* For clubs in your area just search ‘motorcycle club + your suburb' in Google or Facebook.  Social motorbike clubs will always welcome new members and help inexperienced riders.

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track

* Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it

Warning:  This episode on senior sex obviously contains adult material.

Today my guest was Joan Price, who is a senior sex guru.  And as you know, sex is an important part of the retirement lifestyle.

Joan, who is an “advocate for ageless sexuality”, has written numerous books, and in fact, she has been called the “senior sexpert”.   When I met her online I knew that I just had to have her on the show!

We discussed the fact that NO, we don’t have to sit in a separate bathtub holding hands with our partner (think Cialis commercials) and in fact, we don’t even need to have partner at all!  Think about it, if you are a woman, chances are your partner (if you have one) is going to predecease you if you are around the same age since women live longer than men.

Senior Sex?  I have so many questions!

* What do you think about drugs like Cialis and Viagra?

* Should these senior sex drugs be covered by Medicare?

* What made you start writing about senior sex in the first place?

* How can we spice up our sex lives?

* Why do we tend to put our sex lives on hold as we get older?

* What do we do if we don’t have a partner (Joan has a lot to say about this subject!)

* If you’re shy, what do you do?

* How can you talk to your doctor and what should you say?

* What do you do with all those adult toys after you review them?

We talked about the fact that she writes reviews of sex toys from a senior perspective.

I asked her what the difference would be between a non-senior and a senior perspective and she was happy to tell me.

* We lose sensitivity as we age, so senior sex toys should be really powerful.

* For the same reason, they have to go a long time. We don’t want the battery dying at a critical moment.

* An adult toy should be comfortable for arthritic hands (ergonomic).

* The controls should be easy for aging eyes to see.

* We need to be able to hold on to them with slippery fingers, so they should be easy to hold.

* These devices should be made with non-toxic materials. There are no laws governing this like there are for dog toys or baby toys.  (Who knew?)

* Aging women may prefer slimmer senior sex toys.

Joan has several books including:

* Ultimate Guide to Sex After 50: How to Maintain – or Regain! – a Spicy, Satisfying Sex Life;

* Naked at Our Age: Talking Out Loud 

* Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty

She also offers classes and webinars, and you can find out more information on her websites:

www.joanprice.com  or  www.nakedatourage.com

Download today's FREEBIE:

33 reasons that sex is good for you (especially at our age) HERE.

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track

* Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date

* YOU the listener for letting other people know about this show by sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it

This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

We've brought on a new host to Rock Your Retirement.  Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited.

Henry IS retired, and when he started thinking that managing a show was too much for him, I invited him to bring his past episodes to Rock Your Retirement so they wouldn't be lost. We'll be bringing an archived show over each week for your enjoyment.  Then as he has times, he may bring some additional episodes over. We hope he does.  So when you hear “Retired Excited” don't feel that you're lost.  Our plan is to release the Retired Excited episodes with Henry on Friday's, and you'll still get your weekly dose of Kathe on the Monday shows.

Henry's First Episode :

In this archived session, Henry introduces himself with a short first episode of Retired Excited.  He invites us to his world of retirement, and let us know what to expect in future sessions.

He talks about his experience of many people being afraid of retiring.  Although they anticipate it, they don't know what they are going to do with their time. Henry's aim was to provide inspiration for every one of the listeners to have an excellent retirement.  Sound familiar?  That is the aim of the Rock Your Retirement show as well!  What a perfect pairing.

Henry went on to say that many people who retire have no plan for the future.  He talks about how their purpose dissolves and how they need to reestablish their focus and meaning.

The goal of the Friday show is to look at the options and see how happy retired people are creating their lives.  Mr. Shapiro interviews regular people, not high fliers.  He finds out what gets them up excited every morning.

Henry Shapiro's own story is fairly simple. He comes from a normal family.  And his parents struggled to establish themselves in Australia, having migrated here from Europe after the second world war.  His parents managed to put Henry and his brother through school, and gave them the best start they could.

Like many of us, Henry has had a variety of jobs and businesses throughout life and is now fully retired and living with ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’ in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

So the theme is … there is lots to do, lots to occupy retirees, lots to learn, and a world of fun and comradeship to be enjoyed.

Henry and Kathe

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track

* Les Briney who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Lesinda Tubalado who helps keep the website up to date

* Henry Shapiro, host of Friday's Retired Excited Show

* YOU the listener for sharing on social media, and telling your friends about it

 

This is a special announcement about Henry Shapiro, who will be joining the Rock Your Retirement show, with his own show:  Retired Excited.