July 2020 - Boomerbestu.com

Celebrating Life as an Empowered Older Woman

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 30, 2020
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I couldn’t resist a good road trip this morning—rubber soles to the concrete – a glorious 4 ½ mile victory jog up a hill and down the highway. I’ve slowed down over the years, but I love the feeling of freedom I get when I can cover some ground and get outside in the fresh air. Often people wave when I’m out and about on one of my jogs. I wave back; I live in a very friendly community. Today, as is occasionally the case, someone waved and give me a “thumbs up” when they saw me jogging down the…

Learn How to Reach a Market Begging to Be Recognized

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 28, 2020
Post Category:All / Boomers as Consumers
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In general, our generation has more money to spend than the younger generations. And many of us are willing to spend money to live our best lives. A lot of us enjoy new experiences. We want to stay as active and healthy as possible. Some of us like new adventures. Many of us are also ready for new opportunities. If you are thinking about going into business or have an existing business, I’ve got some great news for you. If you truly understand the needs, wants, and desires of individuals who are older than fifty, then your business could have…

Prepared to Live Into Your 90’s and Beyond?

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 26, 2020
Post Category:All / Boomer Best U Living
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You may have read that Olivia de Havilland just passed on at the age of 104. While living over 100 is still unusual, the number of people who live to 100 or more in the United States has increased from 53,000 in 2010 to a projected 92,000 in 2020. And the aging population trend is not going to slow down anytime soon. By 2060, the number of people in the U.S. who live to at least 100 is expected to be about 600,000. The Social Security Administration projects that if we make it to 65, then we have a little…

Standing Tall for Better Health as an Elder Woman

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 24, 2020
Post Category:All / Paula's Retirement Blog
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A few weeks ago, I happened to get a glance at my slouching posture in front of a full-length mirror. My body looked a lot older than I felt. I immediately stood up straight with my chin parallel to the floor, my spine neutral, and my abdominal muscles “braced.” It was easy for me to see that when I adjusted my posture, I looked more energetic and fit than when I stood with a slouching posture. As we age, it is not uncommon to develop poor posture from loss of muscle tone, spending too much time in front of the…

The ‘Senior’ Discount: Who Me?

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 20, 2020
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Senior Discount By Cindy Eastman Just this week, I happily bounced out of a Sutherlin, Oregon beauty shop with a fresh haircut. I’ve learned that in these uncertain times, we can’t always count on a beauty shop being open. The cost was far less than I was expecting, too. In my imagination, which works very well, I assumed they had given me a “welcome back, customer” discount or even a “good-looking discount” since I haven’t been in for a while. But about halfway down the street, I realized with great dismay, that they had given me the senior citizen discount!…

Defining Ourselves in an Ageist Culture

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 17, 2020
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As I subscribe to the PBS Encore.org notifications, I received information about an opportunity to submit a response to The American Portrait experience questions: (1) Does age or life stage define you? And (2) How are you using this time in your life to create a better future? I found that defining myself as an older person in an ageist culture was complicated.Age and Life Stage: Do They Define Us? My initial response to the first question was that neither age nor stage defines me. But the more I thought about it, the more nuanced my response became. I am…

Resilience and the ‘Age’ Advantage

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 13, 2020
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Two of my neighbors have lost their spouses or partners within the past five years. At least three members in my community have battled cancer, and one has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Several of us in my community have experienced age-related injuries. In spite of these challenges and losses, I live in a very upbeat neighborhood. For the most part, people in my community “keep on keeping on.” One of my widowed neighbors, a man in his eighties, remarried recently and is still enjoying his life to the fullest. Another neighbor fought breast cancer for a year but continued…

COVID-19: Communicating Safety Expectations

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 9, 2020
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I live in a rural county with a little over 111,000 people. Just over 26% of our population is over sixty-five. I’m one of those older county residents. I know that regardless of how healthy I am, my age puts me at greater risk for serious COVID complications. My husband, who has some underlying health issues, is at an even greater risk. I try to be very careful when I am around other people. I wear a mask when shopping, and I social distance when I interact with other people. I do this not only for my benefit and the…

Declutter: Getting Your House in Order

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 3, 2020
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After spending too much time at home, you may start noticing that you are living with far more clutter and chaos than you’d realized. Doing something about all the clutter is another matter. Some of us bravely attempt to go-it-alone. Others seek inspiration from declutter gurus like Marie Kondo whose book, The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up focuses on a minimalist approach of retaining items that spark joy. Still, others have expert home organizers come into their homes and help create uncluttered spaces.Cindy Eastman hired someone to help her do some decluttering. She has shared her experience with us:Home too…

Common Experiences & Unique Perspectives

Post Author:Paula Usrey
Post published:July 3, 2020
Post Category:All / Paula's Retirement Blog
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The Common Experience of Being Invisible A Pew Research survey found that women in our culture are primarily appreciated because of their appearance. Men, however, are more commonly valued for other attributes such as character. Once women reach their fifties, our appearance can start changing fairly quickly. Once we lose our youthful looks, we may start feeling invisible. Men may also start feeling invisible after fifty, though it is generally women who tend to talk about this experience. About two years ago, I wrote To Be or Not to Be Invisible After Sixty for an online site called Sixty and Me.…