LONG TERM CARE FOR BABY BOOMERS – 2026
Posted: April 20, 2016 Filed under: ESSAYS Leave a comment »
Baby Boom has his own room.
Baby Boom’s room is in a complex with others.
Meals Like Your Mother Used to Make!
A nurse is on duty 24/7.
Given the number of baby boomers, the economic climate, and the scarcity of children willing or able to take care of Baby Boom, the Geezer thinks that long-term care in 2026, if it exists, will be different; and, probably not to Baby Boom’s liking.
Geezer has profiled Baby Boom, even though profiling is not politically correct. Here is the Geezer’s profile of Baby Boom and what she/he can look forward to in 2016. The geezer will be 85! He is five years ahead of the tsunami of baby boomers.
GEEZER’S PROFILE OF THE BABY BOOMER IN 2026!
- Overweight and loves processed and fast food
- No long-term care insurance
- Little if any savings
- Children who live in another town; or, no children
- Worried about Social Security, which has been frozen, reduced, eliminated or privatized
- Does not have a pension; or, if so, it is a small defined contribution plan and invested in the stock market by Baby Boom’s brother-in-law
- Conservative, but thinks that the government owes him/her and should take care of him/her
- Ready to invest in a get rich quick scheme with savings/pension
- Lover of prescription drugs
- Doesn’t exercise
- Worried about employment until he/she can retire; and, if Baby Boom has to work beyond 65, about who will hire him/her.
- Saving up his/her illness and health problems until he/she can qualify for Medicare, which may not exist or with high co-pays.
- Thinks the value of real estate (his/her home) will keep going up; after all, they are not making any more real estate.
I don’t want to scare you! Most Geezers are ok. Geezers got old while the getting was good; Baby Boom may have missed the boat. Not to worry; Baby Boom will probably not read this.
I like the nurse; maybe she could start work before 2026.
Hopefully, I have offended you; and, encouraged you to stick your head even further into the sand!
THINK OLD!
SHOULD OLD PEOPLE HAVE A “USE BY” DATE?
Posted: April 18, 2016 Filed under: geezerAdapts, geezerHealth Leave a comment »Old people have a “shelf-life, or “use-by” date. Thinking about your use-by date will help you focus on managing your life; especially your later years.
USE BY 8-8-2030
Wikipedia defines “use-by date” as:
Generally, foods that have a use by date written on the packaging must not be eaten after the specified date. This is because such foods usually go bad quickly and may be injurious to health if spoiled.
Foods with a “best before date” are usually safe to eat for a time after that date, although they are likely to have deteriorated either in flavour, texture, appearance or nutritional value.
The Geezer has modified the Wikipedia definitions for himself:
Old people have a “use by date” and care must be taken after that date. This is because old people usually go bad quickly and may become injurious to themselves or others.
Old people with a “best before date” usually are safe for a time after that date, although they are likely to have deteriorated in flavor, texture, appearance and value.
The problem comes in defining the dates; and, we have the same problem that the food industry has. Usually the dates are conservative and the food, or old person, is still “safe” for a period of time after the “date.” It is a guide that warns you to be careful.
Some senior “best before” dates have been codified:
Driver’s licenses
Hospice
Social Security
Medicare
Ombudsman
Abuse
Exploitation
Privacy
Mandatory retirement
Shelf lives are different for different people; just like food. You need to look in the mirror to determine your shelf life. Then you can best use your life before that date.
Use by date for a can of food.
Know your “use by” date before it “matures.” You may not know that you are “going bad.”
The “use by” date can frequently be found on the left buttock.
THINK OLD!
I KNOW WHERE I AM GOING!
Posted: April 15, 2016 Filed under: geezerFinance Leave a comment »
The Geezer Has a Clear View of his Future!
MINIMALIST SENIOR -BEACH PACKING – 7 ITEMS
Posted: April 12, 2016 Filed under: AGING, geezerTrips, Uncategorized | Tags: beach, minimal, old age, packing, Travel, vacation 1 Comment »Old and going on a beach vacation doesn’t require much. I am a minimalist senior. I can’t tote heavy bags, much less lift them into the overhead airplane compartment. I don’t want to sort things. I am in an “elder rut” and only wear certain easy things I like. I usually leave my checkered pants with the zipper that doesn’t work at home.
In fact, as you can see from the picture, this does not just apply to beach vacations, but to any trip you take after 75, or some other arbitrary date.
I am not going to impress anyone if I don’t wear the latest styles. I won’t be denied admission to any beach restaurant as long as I have the required “shirt and shoes.” I have thought about not wearing pants, but…..
You also have what you wear from home to the beach; and, which can serve in an emergency as extra clothing. It might include an umbrella, raincoat, watch, cell-phone, wallet, travel bag and a light jacket. When you arrive, you take it off: when you leave, you put it back on. No washing necessary.
The following is all that you need for a week, a month or a year. You can wash it all in the sink. During rainy season, you might add an umbrella, or just stay inside.
The following is all you need for a week, a month or a year.
- Sandals
- Shorts with pockets that don’t lose change and wallet.
- 5 t-shirts
- 5 underpants
- Hat?
- Toilet kit with meds
- Laptop, i-pad, case and chargers. You download all your books on the Kindle App., and net flex and perhaps some streaming.
It all fits in a small carry-on bag, including the lap-top or i-pad and cords.
THINK OLD!
TROLLEY IN INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, FL; OLD PEOPLE LEARN!
Posted: April 11, 2016 Filed under: Aging-in-place, geezerLearns, geezerQuests, geezerTrips, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized Leave a comment »
Indian Rocks Beach, FL Trolley
Old People have a love/hate relationship with cars. They want the freedom to drive, but are also afraid when they do. They don’t like to drive after dark, on freeways, in busy traffic and in strange places. They live in fear that their kids are going to ride with them; and, then want to take away their licenses.
Old People should plan ahead and learn to move about without cars and without fear.
We were recently vacationing for two weeks in Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. Our Airbnb home was a block and a half from the beach in a quiet neighborhood. It was perfect for four of us. Of course, each couple rented a car. How else would we get around? But at 75, I started thinking down the road. (No pun intended.)
We could walk to the beach, walk to restaurants and walk to small shops for essential supplies. UBER was available for longer journeys; like the grocery store. The Indian Rocks Beach Library was only a block and a half away, complete with computers, wi-fi and a small bookstore with 25 cent paperbacks.
On Gulf Blvd. the Suncoast Beach Trolley runs every half-hour from St. Petersburg Beach to the bus terminal in downtown Clearwater. It is easy and cheap.
The PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) senior fare is $2.50 per day or $35.00 for a month of unlimited travel. Each Trolley has free wi-fi, so if the place you are staying doesn’t have free wi-fi, you can just ride the bus with your computer all day for $1.
It is a good deal, takes more time than a car, but…. I may soon be old. Parking is another problem, but that is for another blog.
My Indian Rocks Beach experience can be applied anywhere.
Any city that has a bus, trolley or cable car line, probably has a senior fare and a pass good for one-day to a year. In San Francisco, a pass good for bus, cable car and street cars within San Francisco is $15 per month.
In Albuquerque. New Mexico the senior pass is $12 per month if you are over 62.
You can check out any city you are going to by doing a Google search:
bus+name of city+schedule
This will lead you to the appropriate web page.
One work of caution, at least in Indian Rocks Beach, the bus stop sign that gives you search message sites doesn’t work. I sent a message and scanned in a code. Didn’t work. So, I waited on a bench, and pretty soon the trolley came.
THINK OLD!
FREE BOOKS, OR ALMOST FREE, ANYWHERE!
Posted: April 8, 2016 Filed under: geezerTrips, Uncategorized Leave a comment »Old people, even if they have money, like a deal. That is why there are senior fares, early bird special dinners and shared plates.
Books are also free, or cheap, and not just for old people. Vacation places all over the world have spots where you can take a free book and a place where you can leave a book that you have read.
It is especially good when you think about carrying a bunch of books on plane flights, given the cost of checked bags and the weight.
One example is Indian Rocks Beach, Florida. On the beach access walks you will find small book shelters with a number of recent books; especially those designed for beach or vacation reading.
Every senior center has a library where you can borrow a book and leave a book. All libraries have a book sale room where hard-bounds are $1, or so, and paperbacks are 25 cents.
So, next time you are on a trip, go for the free, or almost free, books.
THINK OLD!
Indian Rocks Beach, Florida free book mini-library.
Take a book, leave a book.
AGING IMPOSSIBLE! – redoing an old person???
Posted: March 17, 2016 Filed under: AGING, Aging-in-place, geezerAdapts, Life Style, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, aging in place, elder, elderly, elders, geezer, geriatric, lifespan, living-in-place, mature, mature adults, old age, old people, older, older adults, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »
Geezer Impossible
Restaurant Impossible is one of my favorite TV shows, so of course it got me thinking. Why couldn’t Robert, or someone like him, come in and redo me?
Like the restaurants on the show, I am a mess after 75 years. I am out of shape. My finances are a mess. I don’t even know what all the pills I take are for.
I am in need of redoing! I need to be rehabbed. So, I wrote to Geezer Impossible and offered myself!
I am out of date; although a plus is that I have donated all my stained, checkered pants with zippers that don’t work to Good Will. I now wear relaxed fit jeans. Not much of an improvement, but a start. Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ), I am not, yet….. And, the fifty’s may come back.
I need a team to come in clean me up, shape me up, revise my life style, perhaps come up with a new style or at least a theme. Make me a modern “old man.” Are there “theme” old people?
Robert could meet with my family, friends, advisors, etc.; find out what they were doing for me, put them on notice that they need to shape up, then go to work on me.
He could have a group of experts; perhaps a doctor, a financial planner, a lawyer, a geriatric shrink and of course a dietician.
The result would be a new old man; with a modern theme. Instead of walking me through the door of a restaurant, Robert could walk my family through the door of my new living space and show me off. They could all marvel at how old people could be rejuvenated.
It might be necessary to do a series of old people makeovers to determine if this was a viable process. Data is important; and, of course we would need follow-up. How long could I endure my new theme.
The redo might be franchised. Old People Impossible, make overs for those over 75. Maybe even a TV show, preferably in the late afternoon, with wine.
After writing this, I woke up!
Geezer awakens!
THINK OLD!
ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS – 10 sites for seniors
Posted: March 14, 2016 Filed under: AGING, geezerLearns, geezerTips, New Mexico, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, Education, elder, elderly, geriatric, learning, lifespan, old, old age, old people, old person, retirement, senior, senior citizen, study Leave a comment »ADULT EDUCATION is the best part of aging. Whether for pleasure or to understand your daily activities, you need to make use of the sources available to seniors. An added bonus is that most aging studies encourage you to keep your mind active and to be involved. This does not mean TV; this means developing an interest, searching out the sources and gaining expertise,i
This blog was written as part of a University of New Mexico Continuing Education six-week course.
UNM Blogging Classroom
The course is: Blogging Your Way to Writing Success. It met once a week for two hours and was taught by an excellent instructor who is a professional blogger, journalist and writer. The cost is $75 and it meets during the day so you don’t have to worry about driving after dark. Parking is easy. The students are my age or a bit younger. It is a non-threatening course.
What other courses are there for old people? The following list is a list of courses in or near Albuquerque. If you click on the underlined word, you go to the web site for Albuquerque. Use the “search” terms to find classes near you; or make up your own search terms. Every town has classes, even if it is only the Historical Society of Villisca, Iowa. Any town you visit can give you a learning experience.
Either click on the underlined word/s or search the words listed.
- Oasis Search: Oasis.org + your town
- Osher Search: Osher + your town
- UNM Continuing Education – Search: Community colleges or continuing education + your town
- University of New Mexico – Search: College or university + your town
- Coursera – Search: Courser.org
- National Parks New Mexico – Search: National Parks – lectures or classes + name of park
- Albuquerque Public Library – Search: Library + town
- Meet up – Search: Meetup + town
- Groups like genealogy society, camera clubs, historical societies, Friends of the Camino de Santiago etc – Search: key word + your town.
- Senior Classes – Albuquerque – Search: senior classes + your town.
Drop by any senior center for a list of their classes, trips, books, cheap food and information.
This is only a short list. The trick is to search the name of the town and what you are interested in.
This is how you should live and travel.
THINK OLD!
ROBOT CAREGIVER FOR OLD PEOPLE
Posted: March 11, 2016 Filed under: AGING, Aging-in-place, COPING, geezerAdapts, Life Style, Out of my comfort zone!, Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, assisted suicide, caregiver, elder, elderly, geriatric, lifespan, old age, old people, outsourcing, retirement, robot, senior, senior citizen, tipping point Leave a comment »
TIME FOR THE GEEZER’S SHOT!
I have been reading a lot about robots and old people lately. We have a surplus of old people and a shortage of caregivers. Is a robot caregiver the answer? At 75 future care is a constant thought; for me and for my friends. I thought about a robot in my future over coffee on Tuesday morning. Like most of my thoughts, these are irreverent.
- A robot changing my diapers. Picture me, lying on a bed, naked from the waist down, with a robot, wiping me and putting on a new diaper. How would a robot hold me in place? It’s bad enough changing a baby, imagine a robot changing me! And, don’t forget the security camera that the robot is required to wear is going all the time.
- Could the robot identify strangers who came into my home? Then what?
- Could a robot prevent falls?
- A robot could probably take my vital signs; a smart phone can do that now with a little help.
- Can a robot cook? Thaw and heat a meals-on-wheels selection? Probably.
- Clean? I hope so.
- How will a robot react with other people around?
- Will a robot like my dog? Will my dog like the robot?
- How much would it cost to make my home robot friendly? Could I find a place where the robot couldn’t find me? If so, it would probably dial 911.
- Could I short-circuit a robot? Probably it would dial 911 if I did.
- What are the ongoing maintenance and repair costs of a robot?
- What are the costs of monitoring the robot and maintaining a call center to deal with calls from the robot?
- Would a robot scare me? Think of Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey – before the time of most current robot designers.
- Could a robot bathe/shower me without drowning me or short-circuiting the robot?
- Heavy lifting would be plus. A robot could save a lot in workman’s comp. claims or the necessity of hiring two caregivers for someone of my weight.
- Theft. Identify a stranger? If the robot was stolen, we could probably locate it using our i-phone.
- Could the robot take the place of my geriatric psychologist; listen to me, counsel me?
- Could the robot provide comfort to me when I slip into Alzheimer’s? Or would I have to have two robots?
- Paying bills? Is my robot trustworthy?
- The robot could probably sign in to Skype and give my kids several views of what I was doing at any given time. It could also provide a security video that was not erased for thirty days and which my kids and my doctor could access along with a running record of my vital signs, urinalysis results, weight, diaper changing, etc.
- The robot would be perfect for the new driverless cars.
- The robot could dial UBER.
- The robot could get together with SIRI and order anything I needed.
- The robot could exercise me; whether I wanted it or not. Picture a robot designed to exercise me; and, me, not wanting to exercise.
- The robot could be programmed for Robot Assisted Suicide; however, this might violate the First Law of Robotics.
- The robot might have a copy of my advance directive and not consult with me.
- The robot could file my taxes.
- If I have Alzheimer’s; can the robot deal with that? The robot is very logical; I would just be street-smart.
- How would the robot deal with my girl friend? Could I program it to stay out of the bedroom?
- If I needed surgery, could the robot do it?
The above are just the thoughts of an old man who might be a perfect candidate for a robot caregiver. Most people don’t realize that they are old until suddenly they reach the “tipping point” at which time, they are there.
At least, I have a number of ideas for future blogs. So, stay tuned.
Maybe I should just go with a therapeutic robot from Parorobots.com to pet:
A comfort robot instead of a comfort dog for the elderly in Japan??
THINK OLD!
20 RETIREMENT LIVING IDEAS FOR OLD PEOPLE!
Posted: March 9, 2016 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: age, aging, aging in place, elder, elderly, geezer, geriatric, lifespan, living-in-place, old age, old people, retirement, senior, senior citizen Leave a comment »Today, old age requires creative thinking, planning and help. There are fewer and fewer do-overs; this is it. I will consider some alternatives; but mostly I will suggest that you think outside the box. As long as you are competent you should exercise your ability to be creative. Use these ideas as a starting point! Where will you live? What choices will you have?
IS THIS YOUR CHOICE FOR OLD AGE?
The possibilities are endless; however, there are 5 basic parameters:
- Physical and mental ability.
- Cost
- Care needed
- Location
- Social network, including family, religion, organizations, and other groups.
Take a look in the mirror. Who do you see? Make sure that your mirror reflects you, not the you that you wish you were.
Now for the fun; and, again, THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. In the future, after you have had tIme to think about this, we will deal with each in a separate blog. With any luck these LIVING IDEAS will offend some of you!
- Stay in your home and share
- Charitable Trust
- Monastery
- Prison
- Care giver – life estate
- Homeless shelter
- Watchman
- Group home
- Private non-profit assisted living home
- Charitable trusts
- Squatter
- Old mobile home
- Small town
- Camp ground
- Public space
- Trailer on school grounds
- Tiny house community
- Move in with family
- Live on the street
- Do nothing
THINK OLD!