Barbara Morris: When Will You Retire?

In a recent “Dear Abby” column, a woman in her mid sixties who loves working full time was annoyed by the “When are you going to retire?” question from coworkers and nosy friends. She asked Abby how to deal politely with the inquisition. 

I have been asked the same question countless times. I worked as a pharmacist until age 76 and loved every minute of it. When asked "When are you going to retire?"  my answer was always the same: "Never." Although I no longer work as a pharmacist I have not retired but have moved on to other challenging work that promotes growth and productivity. 

I have been able to avoid traditional decline because I have avoided the traditional senior culture. I do not have retired senior friends; I do not live in a “seniors only” community; I do not belong to senior organizations; I do not participate in senior activities. My friends and associates, even though some are “retired” engage in work that keeps them productive and of value to others. 

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Mary Lloyd: HOW Do You Want to Work?
 

Assuming retirement is the only way to get balance in our lives is silly.  But achieving balance while employed fulltime takes some effort—and courage.  Would your life be better if your work was shaped differently?

Some basic questions:

Does what you do have to be done during regular work hours?   The “9 to 5” job is essential when the next guy is adding a bolt to the assemblage you just worked on.  It was also best when the fastest way to share information was to stop at the desk of the coworker you needed to talk to.  But today’s “product” is often information and the quickest way to get it to someone else is electronically--even if you’re sitting next to him.  If you work with information, you might well be able to do it just as well in the middle of the night.  If what you do is independent of what others do for the majority of the process, when you get it done might be negotiable—as long as you know how to do it. 

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Joyce Shafer: Your Greatness is Unique

Is your tendency to believe greatness has to look a certain way? Does this belief hold you back from your true greatness? 

Your greatness is unique and reveals itself at the right time. You might as well be excellent until you’re great. But first, understand what this means. 

What your greatness is will be unique, so it’s a waste of time and energy to compare yourself to others. What your greatness is may appear small; but to those it matters to (especially you), it’s anything but small or insignificant. Are the entertaining books of an author such as Janet Evanovich less great than the work of a heart surgeon? No; just different. I can tell you that the many episodes of toes-up laughter I experienced when I read her novel, “Plum Lovin’,” did my heart, mind, and mood tremendous benefit. I’m grateful she discovered and lives her greatness in a way that lets me benefit from it. 

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Links: For August

As always, there are some really helpful links you won't want to miss such as Identity Thieves Gather Data From Social Networks. This has concerned me for some time. I can't believe how much personal information is available on Twitter, Facebook and other sites. This newsletter is available on Twitter but I do not Tweet unless someone Tweets me and it requires a response. I can't imagine that anyone would be interested in the mundane things I do each day. Question: How do you have "friends" you've never met and never had any correspondence with?

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Swine Flu: Should You Get a Shot?

If you are considering getting a Swine Flu shot that will be available soon, before you do you will want to watch this video.

Mike Wallace did a "60 MINUTES" documentary on the swine flu epidemic of 1976 in the U.S. It went on air only once and was never shown again.

The Swine Flu vaccine caused an adverse side effect in 500 people called Guillain Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder causing paralysis. 25 people died as a result of respiratory failure from Guillan Barre Paralysis.

The 1976 Swine Flu vaccination program was canceled as a result of vaccine injury lawsuits. Since then, the law was changed making vaccine manufacturers immune from litigation.

Thanks to Dr. Jeffrey Dach's Blog for this information.

Knee Replacement Surgery: Is There an Alternative?

By Barbara Morris

If you or someone you know is considering knee replacement surgery, you might want to look into prolotherapy and platelet rich plasma (PRP) injections first. My husband was considering a knee replacement but decided against it in favor of trying prolotherapy and PRP treatment. Bottom line: he's very happy he didn't go for the surgery. Before getting prolo and PRP it was extremely painful for him to get up out of a chair. After several prolo and PRP injections, the change is remarkable. He gets up out of a chair with so much less effort and the pain has subsided significantly. And his knee doesn't "crunch" anymore.

Dr. Ross Hauser of Caring Medical in Oak Park, Illinois talks about Platelet Rich Plasma, (PRP) and prolotherapy in this video.

I recommended prolo and PRP to a friend whose father is dealing with arthritic knees. The father asked his doctor if it was okay and was told "Don't go near that stuff."

Ignorance is not bliss. Educate yourself! Read this non-technical article about PRP for treatment of chronic pain and subscribe to the Prolotherapy Newsletter for other articles and research info.

Ali Brown: Surround Yourself With Good Energy

Have you ever felt down after chatting with a friend or coworker? You may have felt fine before the conversation, but now, after hearing them complain about the weather, the economy, and a demanding neighbor or mother-in-law, you're starting to feel kind of cranky yourself, as if their negativity were somehow contagious.

Actually, you can catch a negative (or positive) attitude from the people around you. According to the well-known psychiatrist and energy guru Dr. Judith Orloff, who wrote the bestseller Positive Energy, our bodies are made of flesh and blood, but they're also composed of energy fields. Negative energy like fear, anger, and hopelessness drags us down and drain our energy, but positive energy, like compassion, courage, and forgiveness, improves our mood and our well-being.

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Government Health Care: Read H.R. 3200

Our elected representatives don't have time to read bills before they enact them into law but we are lucky that there is a little time for US, we the people, to take a look at what's in store with the pending Health Care legislation. There is something to worry everyone in H.R. 3200. For older people, consider this:

Mandatory "advance care planning consultations" for Medicaid recipients to discuss future end-of-life decisions; (pp. 424-434)
• Such mandated consultations must take place every 5 years or more frequently if there is a "significant change in the health condition of the individual"; (p. 428, lines 17-25)
• During that consultation, an undesignated physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant "may include the formulation of an order regarding life sustaining treatment"; (p. 429, lines 1-3)
• "Order regarding life sustaining treatment" is defined as an "actionable medical order" that "is in a form that stays with the individual and [is] followed by health care professionals and providers across the continuum of care." (p. 429, line 4-16);
• The order may indicate treatment ranging from "full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions" including "the use of antibiotics" and "the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration." (p. 430, lines 4-17)

This last item is terrifying. Deliberate death by starvation  or a painful death by dehydration is barbaric. We need to stop thinking "it can't happen here."

The bill is 1,017 pages long so it takes a while to download from the government website. Again, here's the link: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h3200ih.pdf

About Your Editor

		Hi, I'm Barbara Morris. My subscribers know who I am but if you just stumbled across the newsletter,
I'm the resident pharmacist, opinionated ageless diva and knower of all things dealing with aging. I'm Putting Old on Hold and if you stick with me, I'll help you do it too!

Why This Newsletter?

This newsletter is intended to help mid-life and younger women understand that they have the power to manage their aging process. Even with unforeseen life events, women can determine 70 percent of the state of their mental and physical condition 25 or more years into the future. It's all about developing a vision, and having the will to plan and prepare. This newsletter is also intended to inspire women of every age, to motivate and provide tools to aid the worthy quest of healthy agelessness.

Books & Videos

Watch Mary Lloyd's new video

Watch Barbara's video

No More Little Old Ladies!
by Barbara Morris

Supercharged Retirement: Ditch the Rocking Chair, Trash the Remote, and Do What You Love (New!) by Mary Lloyd

Planning Tools for Bold Retirement Workbook (New!) by Mary Lloyd

Write, Get Published and Promote
by Joyce Shafer

Why You Really Hurt: It All Starts in the Foot
by Dr. Burton S. Schuler

The Miracle of Bio-Identical Hormones
by Michael E. Platt, M.D.

Sixty, Sexy, Sassy and Free
by Ann Fry

Marketplace

Check Out BoomerGirl.com