Seniors Site

Dating is tough, whichever age bracket you currently belong or how many dates you have scored over your lifetime. It is still the same; the anxiety is still there and first dates are always the toughest to conquer. It’s always a hurdle you should jump over with to get to the next phase of the dating process. Most of the time, it makes or breaks the deal as there are no second chances for senior dating.

Unfortunately, this is the same barricade which holds seniors back from dating again. Due to the anticipated inconvenience and stress of first dates, some of our older people tend to forego a potential romantic hook up rather than going through this exciting and fun activity. As much as they wanted to rekindle their fire, the thought of starting all over again seemed too much.

What seniors should acknowledge at this point is that being single again after so many years of living a loving marriage or partnership is hard. If you lost your loved-one to death, there is always guilt; if you lost them to a younger person then there is insecurity. Actually, there is always something else for seniors which, more or less prevent them from dating again.

In reality, seniors are picky daters. They just don’t date; they search for connection. They try to find that common ground when they are out dating and they already have their own set of rules and qualifications for their dates to advance to the next level. They know what they want and what to look for in a person; this is something you acquire as you age. Older women require different approach; they demand respect and sensitivity from their dates plus you should be able to understand that they have their own priorities such as their family and friends. Do not expect them to drop everything for just a single date with you as it is impossible.

For dating seniors, common ground is very important, above everything else. They go for the ones they are most comfortable hanging out with. Of course, appearance is always important but not necessarily noted in this case. Like stated earlier, seniors’ eyes are trained to see what they are looking for and usually, it is beyond physical attributes of a person.

It is natural for us to feel lonely and in return, start looking for someone to share our lives with. As humans, we would like to love and take care of someone then be loved in return especially within the later years of our lives. Don’t rush things and start slow. Friends are there to provide us the social connection that we need and most of the time, the easiest way to start dating is within your groups and friends’ circle. This is because you are already comfortable with them and they don’t cause you any anxiety. Moreover, you both know where to start because you know each other to begin with.

After the global economic and financial crisis, America is once again hit by another nationwide concern, the swine flu outbreak. The swine flu scare began after a couple of countries, particularly in the US and Mexico encountered the deadly virus which killed an estimated 84 people, mostly from Mexico. As of today, there are 1000 suspected cases of swine flu which are currently undergoing rigid tests and treatments.

The CDC or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns the public all over the world of the virus’ continual growth as there are still increasing reported cases since the outbreak. Moreover, the World Health Organization had raised its global alert level last Monday but had not yet pushed for full alert. This heightened alert is due to the fact that the swine flu has been transmitting from human to human instead of its usual animal to human transmission. Because of this new mode of transmission, the possibility of wider range of infection is more likely to happen.

Swine flu or swine influenza is a strain of influenza virus that is common to pigs but very rare in humans and naturally, it couldn’t transmit from pigs to humans—unfortunately, it did, as it was believed to mutate to a more human adaptable form. The common swine flu symptoms of an infected person are: chills, flu-like muscle pains, headaches, and fever. Some of the milder hits of the influenza virus can be treated without the need for medical attention but its level can range from mild to deadly. For scientists, influenza virus is the hardest to configure because it changes, mutates and undergoes small unnoticeable permutations overtime so there is no telling when a new strain is deadly as its predecessor or not. Most of the time, it kills in one sweep and disappears as quickly as it turned up.

Examples of its most popular and deadly strains are: the Spanish flu of 1918, Avian flu of 1990 and SARS being the most recent. Children and senior citizen are highly encouraged to practice prevention of coming in contact with the said swine virus because of their low-tolerance level. The only preventive methods known today are prevention of swine and infected humans. As much as possible, avoid large gatherings in public places and stay at home if there is an outbreak within your community.

Travels to known infected areas in the US are highly monitored and a person entering a country showing symptoms of the swine flu is quickly put under quarantine by airport officials all over the world.

Although human infections are confirmed, US farms show no signs of viral problems so far.

Blogs are the latest craze in seniors’ world today. Actually, it’s a mix of different things for older people, not to mention that blogging is already becoming a very convenient and lucrative investment for them.

So why blog? Blogs are web logs and they function as online “diaries” or journals which, as similar to its original model, you can put your thoughts in writing (in this case over the internet, and you type the words). Your blog is fully controlled by you, you can keep it to yourself or you can share to the rest of the internet world what you’ve got. This can be your thoughts or just personal reflection although some senior blogs talk about their passion such as cooking and crafts. Blogs are very flexible and they can be arranged accordingly. Seniors can also have a blast posting pictures, videos and audios to their respective blogs.

As opposed to the traditional senior pastime of bingos and crosswords, blogs can also sharpen the mind while allowing you to keep yourself informed of the latest news and happenings out there via information and feeds from the internet; something that is not quite possible when hanging out in bingo halls and clubs. Don’t worry, you will not forgo your social life when blogging, instead you are given the opportunity to widen your horizons and meet new friends around the globe.

Then why are senior blogs popular even to younger generations? It is because a blog that is maintained by a senior blogger gives thorough, honest and straight-to-the-point, real life experiences which proves to be very useful for younger ones seeking some guidance. Simply said, their blogs hold a whole heap of valuable wisdom for all to see and senior bloggers never hold back as they are very generous in sharing their knowledge.

Like stated earlier, you can even generate some money while blogging, especially if you have already spent a great deal of time in there for let say, years now. By regular postings, you will be able to establish authority over your chosen topic hence the “found me” factor is already present. In internet marketing, it is called high rankings. Because of your internet visibility and expanded reader base, advertiser will notice your blog and would want to leave their thumbprints in there. Of course, this is entirely up to you if you want to pick up some pennies along the way or you would rather keep your blog clean and clutter free.

It is never too late to start your own blog, you can take your pick from popular blogging sites like Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad, and Live Journal. Each has their own unique user-friendly tools to make your blogging experience as easy as possible. To maximize your blogging experience, you may want to research some more before signing in to a blogging site while keeping your supposed blog’s goal firmly in mind. That way, you will be able to examine each pros and cons of a certain blogging site against to what you have in mind all along.

Learning knows no age and limit; it certainly caters to all whether young or old, with or without enough educational background. It can also be done even in nontraditional settings such as home study, online tutorials and the good old self study. You can teach yourself to do new things by research and self-study or you can opt to enroll in short courses to learn new skills or just refresh and enhance your talent. As long as the person is willing to learn, everything is possible; that’s how powerful the brain works.

Seniors who plan to go back to school have their own reasons that might be a little different from the younger generation. When an older person decides to go back to school and finish a degree, he means business and he is dead serious about finishing the desired course. While there may be reluctance on others; surprisingly there has been a tremendous increase in number of senior enrollees this year. It only proves that seniors are more daring these days and they are willing to learn new things thus breaking the stereotypical bonds that have been binding them for a long time now.

It is all too common nowadays to see a senior or two in a college classroom, attentively listening to professors and exchanging chats with a younger seatmate. Indeed, they have changed the face of higher education for good!

Although some seniors will have a hard time catching up and adjusting to an unfamiliar territory, they close the gap fairly quickly. Sometimes these situations include: a little conflict in points of view against a younger instructor or professor; or have some trouble operating with technical, confusing stuff such as the computer.

If financial constraints are holding you back, it is good to know that there are learning alternatives you can avail of aside from the usual private institution. You can also apply for financial aid since it is available for all students. Some local government provides this kind of assistance for older students as well so be sure to check them out. Also, don’t forget to ask about your course credits, especially if you did some college in the past because they could be credited against your current course load which will bring down the cost of your tuition fee for the term.

A senior wanting to go back to school doesn’t have to go too far to do so. We are all too aware that public transportation sometimes hinders a senior from going places because most of the time, they are not accessible and could even pose a great health risk to our senior citizen. You just need to find a school in close proximity of your house; a school you can conveniently walk to and fro without any difficulties. With all the schools in the US, it’s impossible not to find any. However, if you are indeed experiencing some walking difficulties but would still want to go back to school, you may want to take a look at online learning and ask someone to sit with you all throughout the season, just to make sure you won’t miss anything.

Balancing school and work (if you are still working) is a tough job especially if you still have to attend to your household chores and other life’s obligations but at the same time, it is a very fulfilling and rewarding experience for seniors who are successfully making it somehow. You will also realize, somewhere along the way, that there are people and organizations willing to help older students like you to overcome your current challenges.

We all know that chronic illnesses and lifestyle diseases are indisputable when seniors are in question. There are lots and lots of health concerns which plague senior citizen and it all starts from the early age of 50. As the age accumulates, so do health issues. But, no matter how many diseases a senior may acquire as they grow old, AIDS has never really made it to their typecasting.

When we talk about AIDS or HIV infection, it is almost always gays and addicts. What we don’t know, there are victims somewhere between these stereotypes which we will never acknowledge. There are kids born to moms with AIDS; victims of straying partners; nurses who accidentally jabbed themselves by infected needles while caring for AIDS patients and other unfortunate events which are beyond our control. AIDS is real as sex and sex is natural; as long as humans engage in sex, there is AIDS and nobody is really safe from it—promiscuous or not.

If anybody can contract AIDS even if they are maintaining a decent sex life, then what will set senior citizen aside then? They are just about as human as everybody else and they enjoy a good sex every now and then. Some even maintained a regular sex life even if they are way beyond their expected age. Also, let’s not forget all those necessary medical treatments which expose them to AIDS as much. Unfortunately, it was found out that cases of seniors contracting HIV are steadily increasing since last year.

These figures don’t imply as your average senior going sex-crazed and it is nowhere near that notion as well. Lack of formal information for seniors would be the number one cause of these rising numbers since anti-AIDS campaigns are primarily focused to teenagers and younger adults. Most of seniors don’t practice safe sex because they just don’t believe in it and are not fully aware of the risks. Years ago, the only way a senior could catch HIV was through blood transfusion but now, even engaging in heterosexual contact can be very dangerous to seniors, no matter how long they know their partners. Drug abuse can also bring about HIV and a handful of seniors are now enjoying this kind of lifestyle, never minding its health risks and complications.

Sadly, AIDS in seniors can be overlooked due to other health issues since AIDS symptoms are more or less similar to other diseases. The usual HIV symptoms are dry cough, fatigue, cold sores, and swollen glands—all natural occurring to an aging senior. Another thing to consider is their doctor’s perspective. More often than not, a geriatric doctor would not suspect AIDS to a senior patient. It will almost always something other than AIDS and usually after so many hits and miss, by now the AIDS is already full blown and it will be too late for any kind of treatment.

AIDS is a terrible disease caught by engaging in either sex or drugs but sufferers should not be discriminated in any way especially seniors who need strong support system with or without HIV infection. AIDS, just like any other lifestyle diseases out there, will not spare anyone. Would you condemn someone obese just because he ate too much? Of course not.

At around 25%-50% of our senior population showed evidences of medication noncompliance and unfortunately, it’s still gaining in numbers due to many varying reasons, primarily being the stiff cost of these prescribed medications—something our health care providers fail to see or they just simply ignore.

Usually upon reaching the age of 40, there are already maintenance drugs that will be prescribed by your physician. These are drugs that will prevent further damage or worsening of your condition considering all factors such as hereditary and lifestyle. Within this age bracket, your prescribed medications are typically multivitamins, soft gel capsules and others—all of which are within reasonable price range and of course, they are not too detrimental to your health if you skip one day.

If only seniors could stay this way forever; unfortunately as seniors grow older, the costs of their medications grow alongside them as well. Plus let’s not forget all those reports we are receiving about these prescription drugs namely: their long term side-effects and potential complications. To a senior buying them at high prices, one thing is definitely running in their minds, “..and I am paying for those as well?”

Although it is quite understandable at times but seniors must know that it is indeed dangerous for their health to stay noncompliant to their prescribed medications. Noncompliant simply means cutting back on prescribed dosage or not taking the medications at all and it is a very rampant practice among senior citizen today.

Another survey revealed that sometimes seniors tend to inadvertently forget their medications or confuse them with other drugs—something that seniors can’t help doing so either by accident or mental illness. This mistake proves to be very unsafe and can be fatal at times.

Medication noncompliance committed by seniors can immediately lead to serious health issues and untimely death. Over-medication can cause liver problems to seniors while under-medicating will expose you to your dormant disease’s complications. For every chronic condition that you may have right now, there is almost always a drug or two to take care of it so the more illnesses you have, the more medications you have to manage. Certain medications can cause you problems such as sleeping difficulties, dizziness and others but it is not advisable that you stop them at once. In cases like these, talking to your doctor will be the next best step a senior like you should take. If you are planning to stop taking all your prescribed medications for some reason, it is much better if you take your case to another doctor rather than not seeking professional medical help at all.

There are also other alternatives that you may want to explore such as herbal medicines, alternative health practices and lifestyle changes. All of these can assist you in managing your health problems better but you still need a professional advice for that. It is extremely important for seniors to regularly check with their doctors because they are the ones that can help us in time of need.

Moving our senior parent to a Senior Residence is quite stressful for both parent and child. It is more emotionally painful than the physical exhaustion of the moving process itself. Sometimes, it breaks the parent/child bond if not handled properly.

Unfortunately, broaching up the moving issue is solely made for the child or the primary caregiver as he will be the one to decide whether his ward must or must not move to a health care facility. This should be a judgment call for the child and a very difficult one at that. Moreover, he should be able to convince the senior parent that this move is indeed for the best and the child is only looking after the parent’s best interest, not his own. It is extremely important for the child to express this since it’s a very common misconception of aging parents who felt forced to move to somewhere they didn’t approve of. Here are some tips to make it smooth as possible:

1. First and foremost, established, on-going good relationship between the parent and the child is a MUST. Good relationship includes trust and trust is what you need to make it clear to both parties.
2. Both parties should be calm and level during discussion even if the issue is very conflicting. Take some time to let all voices be heard across and allow some flexibility with the matter at hand.
3. The number one hindrance in moving a senior is fear. You, as their child should be able to address this properly and reassure your aging parent that they are not thrown out of the family’s circle by moving him out of the house. Remind your parent that you are doing this to provide him with the health care assistance he truly needs and deserves.
4. Your senior parent may half-heartedly agree within the first family discussion; it is best to reinforce it by letting him choose the health care facility, type of room, room color etc. Allowing your aging parent to decide will somehow boost their depleted self-confidence.
5. Remember that moving your senior parent to an assisted-living facility is hard for both parties; if it doesn’t work out the first time, allow some time for the issue to cool off and be thought upon thoroughly.
6. There are senior moving assistance and groups that will help you move your senior parent while providing you with counseling and other stuff that you might need during the move. Explore these venues further.
7. It is hard for seniors to separate with their things. These are their treasures accumulated overtime and sometimes it is impossible to bring all of them to the health care facility. While it is recommended to either donate or sell their stuff to downsize, I would suggest that the child hold on to them for a while just so the parent will feel safe and secure.
8. It is but natural for your parent to act indifferent or would not cooperate at all. These are issues which can be easily solved with patience and real concern. Try to imagine yourself as a kid being dumped in an orphanage—that is exactly what they are feeling right now. Try to understand that.
9. Your senior parent’s support group is very important. These people will make her understand the transition even more.
10. Prior to the move itself, try to visit or call your aging parent regularly in hopes of gaining his or her confidence even more.

More often than not, the child would come across as brash, insensitive young adult wanting to get rid of the aging parent fast or the parent would be the hard-headed, unrealistic person trying to establish authority over the matter even if he or she truly needs help. This argument depends on who is looking and from what side he is from; not to mention, the viewer’s age bracket. Again, this is a personal, family issue that can be easily solved with long talks and trust building—all of these can only be acquired through parent/child bonding. Spend time with your senior parent more often.

Losing someone we love is a hard and stressful event we are forced to face. It is never easy and can never be but after the last dust settles, we are left to grieve and deal with our painful emotions on our own. This is true for everyone experiencing death within their comfort circle namely their friends and family but believe me, it can be doubly hard for seniors especially if it’s someone close to their heart and had been living with them for some time now.

The next forced leaf is the phase called grieving. This phase is supposed to be the hardest of them all. While it is much easier to deny these hurtful, destroying feelings; it will only prolong the agony and it is much wiser to face, accept and move on. Healthy grieving will give you the peace of mind and put to rest your troubled soul. Moreover, facing grief is kinder to your health.

It is important to know that grief heals on its own but you need to take the first step which is realizing that the death itself is real. Unless you recognize this fact, you won’t be able to start your healthy grieving process. Grieving takes time, usually around a year or so but the earlier you face up to it, the shorter time it will require you. Unfortunately, the ultimate hindrance of healthy grieving is denial, second to that is guilty feelings.

The common misconception of seniors about moving on after a death of loved-one is that they are not being loyal to the dearly departed which is all wrong. Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting them; they will stay within our hearts until the day we die but reality is still reality, and we still have to live with the world.

Pain is natural to human beings. Welcome them and deal with them to the best you can. Repressing them will do no good for seniors like you. If it becomes too unbearable for you, you can always consult your health care provider for some assistance. Remember that pain causes stress and stress is definitely bad for your health. It was even said that stress triggers diseases particularly the life-threatening cancer.

Sometimes, grieving is not intended for the deceased alone; mostly the grieving process is done for the ones they left behind. Change of lifestyle is also a great factor in the grieving process for seniors especially if they are so used to living with the departed one. Try not to dwell with it too much by opening your doors to new experiences and create new memories with your family and friends. Seniors can even join support groups and community events to keep them busy for a while.

Avoid major lifestyle changes as much as possible while in grieving state. Seniors need to take one challenge at a time to be able to function properly. Decisions are not thought off properly under great stress and you might find yourself regretting the things you did afterward.

Driving is fun. It gives seniors the irreplaceable high of being independent and mobile. It clearly defines their personality and gives them freedom to go places anytime they want to. Driving makes them feel connected and involved within their society.

But then again driving, whether seniors admit it or not, can be bothersome at times. This is especially true if some health impairment gets in the way. Although these impairments may not occur very often and can be quite manageable at times, still it poses great risk to senior drivers which could be struck unprepared anytime.

Some of seniors’ driving difficulties include:
·    Vision impairment or eye problem
·    Hearing impairment or hearing loss
·    Side effects of medications
·    Impaired reflex action and range of motion
·    Mental impairment

Having one or a combination of two impairments mentioned above is already dangerous for you and your community and it can also be used to revoke your license– that is if you still have one.

This is especially important to note since driving requires your senses to be active and not drowsing off. There are street signs and road intersections that you should be aware of when driving. Also, hearing is very important because there are sounds and cues you need to hear so you can avoid street accidents. While it is not recommended for seniors to be driving around especially if they are not too fit to drive anymore, we couldn’t help but do so. So here are some tips to make your driving bearable until the time we have to surrender our keys to capable hands.

1.    There are special driving aids made especially for seniors so you should take advantage of it as much as possible. Also, if your car is giving you a hard time then you should ditch it for something compact and driver-friendly. Pick one that has automatic transmission so you don’t have to worry about shifting gears.
2.    As much as possible, drive short distances only and use familiar roads. This will prevent confusion and long-driving accidents on your part.
3.    Drive during the day when there is enough light to guide you and try not to use roads that requires fast driving cars such as highways and freeways.
4.    Be conscious enough of others when driving. If you need to drive slowly then take the slow lane so you won’t get in anybody’s way.
5.    Do not get behind the wheels if you feel drowsy or dizzy after taking prescribed medication. This happens and it is dangerous if you still try to drive in this condition.

If you insist on driving, it is best to consult your doctor first especially if you are already experiencing frequent near-collisions and missed turns due to poor eye sight or your joints are already stiffening behind the wheels. It is not bad to try to solve the problem first. Moreover, if you somehow feel that your medications are affecting your way of life, ask your health care provider to change it for you before it results to unavoidable accident.

Looking back 20 years or so, who would have thought that this post will become a necessary read for seniors seeking employment? The common perception way back then is that when we reach a certain age, probably around 50-60 years of age, we MUST retire and enjoy the fruits of our labor. This should be the time to sit back, relax and sip a Mojito somewhere along the shores of Miami Beach before health, diseases and illnesses take over your body. Apparently, seniors today don’t see the need to slow down and retire altogether anytime soon.

Today, job interviews are not for kids alone. They are equally shared by all people capable of working, both young and old. And, although seniors are now clogging up the employment lines, it doesn’t mean they are broke and penniless; some of them have bonds and investments tuck safely away, ready to be dipped into in case of emergency.

Then why, you may ask, are they doing this? Like I said, this new generation of seniors—the lasts of baby boomers, learned to live well so they come healthy and prepared. While it’s tempting to spend days doing nothing but await death to come, most of these seniors would rather go on working and making money. But, taking on a new job means job interviews and they can be nerve-wracking. Here are some useful tips on how to ace that job interview and ultimately land the job!

1.    Proper mindset. Do not look at job interviews as hurdles. All you need is to loosen up and be yourself but be decent enough for the interviewer to realize you are the exact guy/girl they are looking for to do this job. If they have decided this job is not for you, then you move on to the next, nothing personal to that.
2.    Be confident. You should know exactly your strength and limitations. In order for you to do that, you should be 100% certain that you know how to do the offered job. This job you are applying to should be somewhat related, if not exactly as your previous jobs. Experience gives seniors edge over their competing buddies.
3.    Confident but not offensive. This means you should not talk too much but maintain a civil, friendly atmosphere. Plus, you should not talk bad about your previous jobs. You answer when questions are asked and you wait while they go over your resume.
4.    Come in full battle gear. Appear for a job interview in proper attire perfectly suited for the work place atmosphere. If you have no idea of the office’s atmosphere then come in decent, semi-formal attire that will meet halfway with whatever state your office is in. Do not forget to bring documents to support any claim you are making during the interview and of course, that includes your resume.
5.    Give precise answers. Vague answers simply won’t work. You are here to discuss what you can do for the company and keep in mind that you are here for a job not for a training course.
6.    Be punctual. Do not show up late, unprepared, crumpled and most of all, fail to show up at all. If a schedule is set, you should be there because you are a mature, responsible person.
7.    Avoid awkward issues. Personal issues are no-no, same goes for foul language and money talk. If somehow you need to discuss it with your potential employer, then be very careful with the words you will use to open the discussion.

It will also be great if you can continually enhance and expand your knowledge and skills by attending seminars and short courses. This will not only update you with the latest trends in the field but will also look great in your resume.