On another one of my three websites, there are blogs about change.  Go to www.drdougconsults.com, and click on the blog topics on the right side of the site.  My by-line for my consulting practice, known as Collaborative Solutions, is “I facilitate positive change”.  The blogs roll that out.

Change is all around us, and I think we also have to say, within us.  You know this old expression, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you always got”.  Sometimes we need to do things differently!  Why is that so hard to imagine and do?

BOOMER ENTREPRENEURS ON THE RISE

What usually comes to mind when you hear the word entrepreneur?

Young, just out-of-business-school Gen Y’er?  Well surprise again – the Baby Boomers are actually starting companies at a faster pace than ever before!  In 2011, the Kaufman Foundation did a major research study on entrepreneurs.  They found that 21% of all start up businesses in the US were done by people from the age of 55-64, which was up  14% since 2007.  They also found that an additional 28% of those start ups were done by those age 45-54. (So do the math on that-  49%!)   Another study done in 2013 by Monster found that 41% of Boomers consider themselves entrepreneurs.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THIS TREND

There are a number of reasons why those numbers are on the rise such as increase in age longevity, health, shrinking retirement money,  people losing jobs or being forced into retirement.  Self employment gives Boomers once again the opportunity to define their lives on their terms!   An interesting article in the Washington Post talks about Boomers embracing social media, and focusing on healthcare as a possible focus for business startups.

ARE YOU READY TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

Marci Alboher, in her “Encore Career Handbook” devotes an entire chapter to the Encore Entrepreneur.  www.encore.org   She talks about the idea of “Social Entrepreneurship”, where entrepreneurial techniques are used to achieve social change.  This can include starting a business with a social mission or one that addresses a social or community problem.  She includes a great list of questions for self reflection; Do you have what it takes?  She also talks about the traits of an Encore Entrepreneur such as a sense of urgency, a desire to improve the work, or simply bringing together your various skills, talents and experience in a meaningful way.

How do you decide if this is the avenue to take?
From my own personal experience, I started by focusing on what was important to me, what were some burning issues that I saw were not being addressed or services provided.  What were the trends?  Where were potential collaborators or even where were the competitors?

I truly believe that boomers can achieve even greater levels of happiness as entrepreneurs.

They are redefining the marketplace and bringing a wealth of experience, talent and passion towards this effort. There are no guarantees with business start ups, but with a little financial planning , coaching and training in social media and entrepreneurial basics, along with embracing intergenerational thinking there is a good chance that THIS is truly a recipe for success- for the boomers and our economy!

I would love to hear some of your Encore entrepreneurial start up stories!  I will be starting some Q and A interviews with Boomer entrepreneurs!

Bevan Rogel

Encore Tampa Bay

Bevan Rogel

Encore Tampa Bay

bevanrogel@gmail.com

http://encoretampabay.com

In his Herald-Tribune editorial this morning, Tom Esselman talks about the aim of the Institute for the Ages and discusses the value of feedback from the citizens that agreed to be part of the product research by Lively.  He notes how valuable input from citizens is.  Unfortunately he overlooks the work of SCOPE from the early Aging: The Possibilities and later Winter Forums sponsored by SCOPE, and with SCOPE’s support, our own contributions as Continuing the Conversation.  Also missed is the extensive study of Sarasota citizens supported by SCOPE and the Patterson Foundation, and carried out and publicized by Kathy Black and her research associates at USF.  The study was published by Kathy in a highly reputed Gerontology journal.  Here, we call that study Aging with Dignity and Independence. Between Continuing the Conversation and that study, we have received important information about what the citizens of Sarasota think are the most important aging issues.

I want to recognize all 800  plus of you who contributed to those efforts. Your information has been and continues to be of very high value.

Here in Sarasota where our county has the largest percentage of over 65 and over 85 citizens, we’ve bveen aware of and studying aging for almost a decade.  In that time the US census has shown that this trend is continuing.  People are living longer and the birth rate is declining.  Concerns for health and finances are becoming better known. Newspapers carry stories and editorials about it, AARP and other Health-related magazines flourish, and address concerns like housing, use of ther internet, and medical progress in treating life threatening diseases as possible to overcome or delay. Popular TV Doctor’s, most notably Dr. Oz, are increasing attention as well.

Here in Sarasota, there are a wealth or agencies and organizations addressing the needs of this changing demographic, and we have local experts with extensive knowledge and experience.  Many are listed on this site.  See our drop down menu on Resources.

The Big Four

According to most researchers genetics account for only one-third of how we age; the other two-thirds are influenced by our expectations, choices and environment.    Improvements in public health and medicine have increased life expectancy.  Someone born in the USA in 2010 had a life expectancy of 78.2, and 70,000 Americans celebrated their 100^th birthdays that year.  This is good news for the growing number who are redefining retirement and using their bonus years to do good work.  However, without good physical and mental health, living longer may not be a blessing, so it is important to live better, not just longer.   We can significantly improve how we age by focusing on what I call the “big four”-physical activity, social engagement, diet and nutrition, and life purpose.

Physical activity benefits our bodies in many ways:  improving strength and fitness, helping balance, improving mood, managing weight, and preventing or treating certain diseases.  But the benefits of physical activity don’t stop with our bodies; they extend to our brain function.  Numerous studies have shown that physical activity is one of the strongest factors in preventing or delaying Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.  A new study in the journal Neurology suggests that working out is more effective at protecting the brain than cognitive challenges such as games and puzzles.  According to the Mayo Clinic, people who are physically active are less likely to experience a decline in their mental function and have a lowered risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

Social connection could be the single most important factor in healthy aging.  One study of 7,000 men and women living in Alameda County, CA found that people who were not connected to others were three times as likely to die over the course of nine years as those who had strong social ties.  Those with social ties and unhealthful lifestyles actually lived longer than those with poor social ties but more health-promoting habits.  The Beta Blocker Heart Attack Trial of 2,300 men who had survived a heart attack found that those with strong social connections had only one-quarter the risk of death of those not socially connected, even when factors like smoking, diet, alcohol, exercise and weight were taken into account.

The Blue Zones study offers dramatic support for the importance of diet and nutrition to aging well.  The Blue Zones identified areas in the world that had the highest life expectancy or highest proportion of people living to 100 and looked at their common characteristics.  Of the nine shared characteristics, three dealt with diet and nutrition. Blue Zones’ inhabitants ate primarily plant-based diets with a heavy emphasis on beans.  They practiced the 80% rule of eating, stopping when they were no longer hungry and before they were full.  And, finally, all Blue Zones’ inhabitants except one drank alcohol moderately and regularly.

Living with purpose adds seven years to life expectancy according to the Blue Zones study.  Having a life purpose is what gets us out of bed in the morning and makes life worth living.  Richard Leider, life coach and author, defines the good life as “Living with the people you love, in the right place, doing good work on purpose.”  Purpose is where our talents and our passions intersect with a need.  It is meeting a need by doing what we love and do well, the intersection of our gifts, passions and values. Finding our encore career, where we can make a difference, can be a rich source of living with purpose.

Focusing on the “big four” and making even little changes can result in big rewards.

• Go out and have fun. If you are reminded of a song, sing it aloud to somebody.  That’s how you remember the good ones.
• Dance.  Forget this “dance like nobody’s watching” nonsense. Show your stuff!
• Remember Birthdays.  Everyone loves to get a birthday card and it’s good to remember, every month, all the wonderful perople you have in your life.
• Don’t worry. It’s a big waste of time.  Worry won’t change a thing.
• Do it your way.   Whatever it is, if you’ve decided to do it, do it the best you know how.  It may not be the “right” way, but you’ll do it longer and better.
• Say yes to invitations. There will be plenty of time to be alone.
• Pray. Remember everyone you love in your prayers at night.  It’s good for you, it’s good for them, and it beats counting sheep.
• Enjoy tourself.  Anything can  be fun, and everty job goes quicker with a bright attitude.
• Tell your stories.  Over and over again.  They are little pieces of your life.  Like pearls on a string.  Take your pearls out and wear them, let them be heard.  Just like pearls, storoes get better with the telling.

Submitted by Janet Oullette

Is it OKAY to be Cranky?

I think it is, but what will you do with it?  It you drop your crank on everybody you love or talk to, you’ll be more cranky because they are going to avoid you right when you think they should listen.  Then you will be cranky about that.

Where does this all come from?  We aren’t what we were and we don’t like it. We’re irritated with ourselves, with our mistakes, with forgetting, with losing things, and with not having the right meds to cure us of all this crankiness.  We feel it is perceived that we don’t have anything to offer,   and are not respected for our wisdom.  We want to be independent like we always were, not needing to be cared for at every moment.  We need our dignity!

So what to do about our attitude?  I say, go ahead and criticize yourself, but do it alone in front of your mirror, but not out in public with your family and friends.  Look, we are getting older and we can’t do what we used to.  Body parts don’t function like they did.  However, we are alive, and we learned a lot.  If asked, we might have some decent ideas to share, but if not asked, let’s keep it to ourselves. We can watch our grandchildren grow and have problems, and we can be supportive and the parents have to have the ultimate choice of how to handle it, not us. I have found that when you commit to not giving advice, THEN it will be sought!

If they want to know what we think, what we have learned, they have to be able to come to us and seek our wisdom, but be careful, they don’t have to accept and implement out ideas.  If we never stop “telling them what to do”, they won’t ask!

The Beachcomber Bungalow is an efficient and wheelchair accessible, 1BR, 1BA cottage in 576 ft2 of A/C space.  It has a front porch and an ample sundeck.  There’s an electric fireplace planned in the living room.  The ceilings are vaulted, and there’s lots of natural light.  An option makes the cottage accessible via a ramp to the sundeck for use by anyone who finds steps difficult. It is energy-efficient, sustainable, and storm-resilient due its construction of Structural Insulated Panels (SIP’s) which are manufactured by New Panel Homes in Englewood.

Banyan Tree Construction has included many features which promote the owner’s ability to successfully age-in-place.  There’s optional, under-the-counter, refrigerator/freezer drawers; an optional, under-the-counter, combination, clothes washer/dryer unit; roll-under kitchen & bathroom sinks; a roll-under countertop range; an eye-level, countertop microwave/convection oven; a roll-in shower, and a comfort-height toilet.

Decorative, enamel grab-bars can be installed adjacent to the toilet and in the shower.  These grab-bars also function as towel racks when not otherwise needed.  There are 36” wide doorways and 5ft. diameter, clear-turning areas throughout the cottage. You can choose to have an on-demand, tank-less, hot water system and insulated windows.  The roof is long-lasting metal, and the entire structure is termite resistant.

The cottage has been designed for either a single person or a couple.  It helps meet the needs of persons with disabilities including the frail elderly, and it provides a very valuable asset to those who are planning to enhance their ability to age-in-place and remain in their own homes.

This home is an effective environment in which to receive care at home. It enhances ones ability to avoid institutionalization; to stay in ones own home; and to selectively purchase supported-living services as needed.

Our concept particularly appeals to those who have already managed the care of their elders and who have gained a greater appreciation for accessibility.  This retirement cottage could not only be a preferred alternative; it could ultimately provide a less expensive one.

Contact: Vandeist@msn.com

For Daniel Levitin, music is not simply a distraction or a pastime, but a core element of our identity as a species.” We have a “musical brain,” he says, one of the big differences between us and the rest of the species with which we share the planet. Humans create music and art and they represent ideas. He believes those features were evolutionary adaptations.

Levitin is at Stanford precisely to teach that connection. His course (HumBio188) explores the evolutionary advantages that musicality might have conferred upon early human beings and the neurological underpinnings of musical experience.

He also is a lab scientist. His questions include: What is the brain doing when it hears music? What do we remember? What do we like? What do we expect? Setting lyrics aside, what makes a piece of music happy or sad or impossible to get out of your head?

http://www.stanford.edu/group/brainwaves/