Here is an item of interest from the morning newspaper:

 

Despite the attention surrounding retirement savings, most seniors are more worried about their health and well-being than their personal finances. This is according to a study published in Secure Horizons by United Health Care.

 

Nearly seven in ten seniors said their health was a main concern, whereas more than half, 52 percent, worried about their finances. Even spiritual well-being was a bigger worry at 58 percent.

 

Specifically, seniors worry more about maintaining mental sharpness than becoming lonely or dealing with mood disorders.

 

Eight out of ten seniors report that they keep up-to-date with the latest health news.

Penny's daughter, Holly, forwarded this one:

 

Aunt Mildred was a 93-year-old woman who was particularly despondent over the death of her husband. So, she decided that she would just kill herself and join him in death.

 

Thinking that it would be best to get it over with quickly, she took out his old army pistol and made the decision to shoot herself in the heart since it was so badly broken in the first place. Not wanting to miss the vital organ and become a vegetable and a burden to someone she called her doctor's office to inqure as to where the heart would be in a woman.

 

The doctor said,  "Your  heart would be located just below your left breast.

 

Later that night, Mildred was admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound in her left knee.

 

 

We have all heard the common misconception that late life people are not into the Internet.

 

Wrong!!!

 

This is from an article in our newspaper, The Pantagraph. The information is based on a study by Focalyst, a market research company  which focuses on older consumers.

 

Half of all Americans over 60 years old use the Internet, while more than 80 percent of baby boomers are online. Nearly 21 million boomers and 7 milion Americans born before 1946 have been online for more than a decade.

 

Most older Americans use the Internet for e-mailinhg, but some users make travel arrangements, check news and find health information online. Thirty percent of Web-savvy boomers shop online a few times a month, the same percentage as younger generations.

 

The study concludes: "The degree to which these Americans use the Internet is much greater than what most people would think."

 

They aren't telling us bloggers anything new, are they?

Penny just filed for social security benefits yesterday and that experience raised the question: Are we better off to file at 62 or wait until we can get full benefits?  The trade-off is that filing at an earlier age reduces the amount of the monthly payment. But, you are getting checks for about 3 years (or however long until qualified for full benefits) that you wouldn't have received.

 

So, do these checks add up to more that the total of the difference between age 62 qualification and what you would get at full retirement over X years?

 

From here it gets into a guessing game.  How long do you expect to live? This expectation is dependent on state of heatlh, the genes you inherited and and such.

 

In my case, I did not expect to live really long. So, I took my social security at 62 and. boy, did I make a wrong decision!  I have missed the higher payments for 22 years. So the checks I got before I would have qualified for full retirment came nowhere near what I lost in higher benefits over that time. But it was a lose/win situation.  I lost money but I gained more years of life than I expected.

 

I don't have any advice for you on this matter. It is really like rolling the dice.

 

 

 

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it is harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive, and there is nothing worse than an oversensitive woman.

 

My name is Ron. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Julie. When I took "early retirement"  last year it became necessary for Julie to get a full-time job, both for the extra income and for the health benefits that we needed.

 

Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf course about the same time  she gets home from work. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for a half hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her  time and just wake me up when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the men's grill at the golf club, so eating out is not reasonable. I'm ready for some home-cooked grub when I hit that door.

 

She used to do the dishes as soon as we finished eating. But now it's not unusual for them to sit on the table for several hours after dinner. I do what I can by diplomatically reminding her her several times each evening that they won't clean themselves. I know she really appreciates this as it does seem to motivate her to get them done before she goes to bed.

 

Another symptom of aging is complaining, I think. For example, she will say that it is difficult for her to find time to pay the monthly bills during her lunch hour. But, boys, we take them for better or worse. So, I just smile and offer encouragement. I tell her to stretch it out over two or three days. That way she won't have to  rush so much. I also remind her that missing lunch completely now and then wouldn't hurt her any (if you know what I mean).

 

I like to think tact is one of my strong points.

 

When doing simple jobs, she seems to think that she needs more rest periods. She had to take a break when she was only half  finished mowing the lawn.  I try hard not not make a scene. I'm a fair man. I tell her to fix a nice, big, cold glass of freshly-squeezed lemonade and just sit for a while. And as long as she is making one she may as well bring one for me.

 

I know that I probably look like saint in the way I support Julie. I'n not saying that showing this much consideration is easy. Many men will find it difficult. Some will find it impossible!

 

Nobody knows better than I do how frustrating women get as they get older. However, guys, if you just use a little more tact and less crticism of your aging wife because of this article, I will consider that writing it was well worthwhile. After all, we are put on earth to help each other .... Ron

 

EDITOR"S NOTE: Ron died suddenly Thursday May 28.  He was found with a Calloway extra-long 50-inch Big Bertha driver rammed up his backside with only 2 inches of grip showing.  His wife, Julie, was arrested but the all-woman jury accepted her defense : that he accidentally sat down on it.

 

 

I recently found an article that dealt with the problems that Late Lifers have with cell phones. The major hangup seems to be the difficulty with seeing the numbers on the tiny buttons - and with using those buttons.

 

This article stated that there are phones and connection programs designed for late life people. Some of these phones have a simplified keyboard with much larger (and fewer) buttons.  Others permit programming of numbers so that the phone users can call with a touch upon just a couple of numbers.  For example, tapping in 11 will dial 319-660-6060.

 

There is another problem that the article didn't really deal with.  That is the plethora of buttons and button combinations needed to utilize the various functions of the phone.  Then once it is set, there is the problem of keeping it working. The settings can fall out bed rather easily. For example, I keep setting my phone for vibrate then ring.  It keeps reverting back to silent mode (vibrating only).  I have learned why this happens and how to fix it.  But it took a couple of trips to the phone store to learn about it.

 

Actually there is a good solution for those who have problems seeing the numbers and touching a lot of number keys to make a call. It is to get a phone with voice dialing. I got one for Penny, who is blind, and all she has to do is touch one button and say a word or two that calls the number. She has it set up for My Pete, My Mother, Robert John, etc.  Also, we have a voice setting for Directory Assistance.  If all else fails she can call that and they will ring the number for her.

 

So, if Penny can use a cell phone, and she does all the time, any of you late lifers should be able to do the same.

 

I'm about to do something that I almost never do.  I am going to complain. I would rather have a root canal than complain. I would rather have my fingrnails torn out than listen to someone who is complaining.

 

Last week Pete and I broke the eleventh commandment, which is: "Thou shalt have Friday date night at the Ozark House."

 

Instead we went to an Italian restaurant on Saturday.

 

Foreboding vibrations.

 

Pete had eggplant permesan and I had Godfather Part II lamb stew with dumplings. Now, here comes the complaint.

 

I have seen more lamb in Pamper Shampoo ads.  I have counted more lambs before sleeping.  My stew was sans lamb. Not a bite, whit, jot, iota, scosh or thread. It reminded me of Campbells Pork and Beans. We have all seen the thumb-sized particle of fat, called pork, which is hopefully floating on top of the beans. I don't know about you, but I always throw it out.

 

I'm very positive so I tried to think dinner was good.  But when the love of my life asked me, "How's your dinner?" I replied:

 

Baaaaad!!!

During our service at the Mennonite Church of Normal last Sunday, I gave a report on my experience with my own personal ministries. One of them is tutoring people in the use of computer programs so they can stay in close touch with families and friends.  Another has been playing the role of proxy grandpa, via the Internet, to some people who are going through problems and who need counseling and comforting.

 

Of course I explained what blogging is all about and I invited them to visit our Late Life Crisis Space. I have printed business cards that have the URL for Late Life and offered them to the congregation. All of them were taken.

 

So, I am anticipating that there will be some first time visitors to Late Life Crisis.  I want them to discover the the warmth and friendliness of our blogging community. So, Menno folks, please do read the comments because they offer a window to the nature of what goes on between all of us here in blogland.

 

And if any of you get inspired to start your own blogs, I stand ready to help you. That's part of what my ministry is all about.