In the Sept./Oct. issue of AARP, there’s a notice down on the bottom of page 98 which states: FOOD FRIGHT - You probably know that chocolate, coffee and alcohol are bad for dogs and cats. But did you also know these common foods can make your pet sick?

Dogs: avocados, macadamia nuts

Cats: grapes, onions

Turtles: spinach, rhubarb

Birds: avocados, apple seeds
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Also: never give your dog raisins as it can cause renal failure.
I believe I already noted verbatum what the article stated about Chocolate and coffee.

If you are over 55 years old and have concerns about age discrimination in the interview, you are not alone.  Research by AARP, formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons (http://www.aarp.org) shows that discrimination against older people in the workplace is pervasive.  Although there are laws that protect jobseekers and employees from age discrimination, it is possible that a recruiter’s perception of your age might be used against you during a job search.   

Many say age discrimination is very subtle and more difficult to prove since most people genuinely think that the normal process in the workplace is for younger workers to replace older ones.  Although this may have been the generally accepted practice in the past, today’s workforce has multiple generations coexisting in the workplace at the same time.

Despite that reality, an AARP survey of public perceptions revealed that nearly 40 percent of the respondents feel that older workers aren’t as effective as younger workers. Almost half of the respondents also believed that the majority of older people cannot adapt to change. 

Despite these perceptions, mature professionals considering career reentry should know that a recent Go60 (www.go60.com) report shows that more than 16 million Americans over 55 are either working or seeking work.   The following additional information from that report should reassure career reentry professionals that opportunities are available.   

1. Older workers are getting new jobs at an annual rate of 4.1 percent. This is more than double the .8 percent rate in the general population.

2. Older Americans make up 10% of the workforce, but account for 22% of America’s job growth.

3. By 2015, the number of employees over 55 will reach a record 31.9 million, compared to 18.4 million in 2000.

4. Extensive research has found no relationship between age and job performance.



As you apply for jobs consider what employers might be thinking.

The reality is, employers may be thinking that experienced or older candidates come at greater expense due to higher salaries, pensions, training and healthcare benefit costs.

As you strategize for your job search, your goal is to consider seriously what you want employers to think about you.  Your goal? To get the company to see that they can’t afford to NOT hire you despite any perceived downside.

Think about the following as you write your resume and prepare for your interview:

1. Stay cheerful and high energy for all phone or in-person in the interview

2. Speak to the benefits of experience, professional maturity and expertise you bring

3. Keep your resume content current and stick to relevant information

4. Speak to the long term value you can bring to the company

5. Tell stories about outstanding outcomes in prior assignments

6. Consider using a functional resume

7. Use a cover letter to focus on relevant, recent experiences

8. Speak to your ability to collaborate and work with everyone from Boomers to Millennials.

A word of caution as you proceed - before you conclude that you are not succeeding in the job search because of age discrimination, consider if you are guilty of sabotaging your own job search in any of the following ways.    

-Did you share an unwillingness to relocate or commute

-Unwillingness to gain current knowledge and skills

-Unprepared for the interview

-Inadequate company research to be impressive

-Not really clear about long term commitment

-Salary expectations beyond market value

Companies seeking the best candidates for the job will look beyond age. If they succumb to personal biases, that is their loss.  Know that you would not want to work there anyway.

I’m looking for any surveys done, such by AARP or some other organization, to identify what criteria Boomers say they use (or will use) when choosing where to live after retirement. By criteria I mean things like warm weather, promixity to health care, affordable housing…that sort of thing. I can guess what the criteria might be, but it would nice to see a survey that validates (or disproves) my thoughts. This is research for a book.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciate. Thanks to all who contribute.

I read this in a AARP magazine in a doctors office. People who eat 1 1/2 oz of dark chocolate had better arterial blood flow and more elastic blood veins. Coffee has been shown to help protect against type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, parkinsons, and gall stones among others. And people who eat candy on the average live a year longer. WooooHoooo! In your face you health fanatics! What do you say now?

 

Finding affordable health insurance these days is very hard, with the economy in the state that it is in people are struggling just to make ends meet. This is why many people feel that health insurance may not be worth price the high monthly premiums that they are used to paying. For many people the having health insurance means that they have to sacrifice money that may be going to something that they feel that they may more likely benefit from. For people with families to support, there are definitely other priorities such as putting food on the table, or making sure the heat is kept on. Now with Aetna Individual Health Insurance, an individual can be insured for a lower monthly premium than ever before.  Aetna Individual Health Insurance not only benefits the person who signs up for insurance, but also everyone who is related to that person. If the person who is signed up for that insurance policy is the provider this means that they will be spending less money on monthly insurance rates and instead they will be putting their hard earned money into other things besides health insurance. Health insurance is one of the most important things that our country has going for it. The rate of uninsured Americans is rising at an alarming rate, mostly due to the state of the economy. Many people can now not afford the cost of health insurance for themselves, never mind their families and loved ones.

With Aetna Individual Health Insurance insuring yourself is easy.  It doesn’t matter if you have just switched out of a group plan, have never been insured, or you are just switching to a new insurance company Aetna Individual health Insurance is ready to help you. There are even different plans for people of all ages for students still in college, for middle age people, and even people who are retired or are nearing retirement. Coverage is available for every type of individual, and plans can be specifically tailored to fit each person’s individual needs. Aetna Individual Health Insurance has been around and helping Americans since 1850, giving customers unbelievable service and value as well as showing great integrity by helping customers get through difficult times. For people who are looking to find affordable individual health coverage Aetna Individual Health Insurance may be the right company for you.

Not only does Aetna Individual Health Insurance provide helpful information and hotlines to call if you have any questions they also provide medical protection if something were to happen to you. Imagine if you something were to happen to you and you didn’t have insurance, and you were not able to work right away. Your family would be stuck paying for your medical bills when you are recovering. You should purchase Aetna Individual Health Insurance in a way to help your family so that if something were to happen to you they would not be stuck footing the bill.

 

why do republicans say that AARP and the old want to screw us (youths)

Is reverse mortgage a sensible step? How to deal with reverse mortgage? What are the objectives that have to be focused if opting for reverse mortgage? These and many more questions bubble in your mind on talking about reverse mortgages. But very few of us actually know the exact place to look out for these answers because incorrect or half information can bring out a confusing conclusion. And the questions remain at the same status with no valid assurance. The main reason for receiving half information about the mortgages is the hidden prospects of mortgage policies. American association of retired persons or commonly known as the AARP reverse mortgage has no such hurdles. The have simplified set of terms and regulations for providing basic required information.

AARP reverse mortgage has a motive of helping out people who are above 62 years of age. It is basically a financial plan to support senior citizens economically after their retirement. As the monthly income stops after retirement, many people find it difficult to balance their expenses with definite amount of pension and other income resources. The scheme is already well established and highly acknowledged by the people of America. However, the benefits coming from AARP reverse mortgage are unbeatable and greatly rewarding. According to the government every person must seek some valuable informative counseling before selecting any reverse mortgage loan plan and schemes. This can be easily done by meeting the members of AARP. Around one third of total American senior citizens are linked with American association of retired person and all the members are entitled to receive free counseling, which can guide them in understanding the entire idea of reverse mortgage in a more appropriate manner, so that they can make wise decision fetching enough benefits.

There are certain norms and rules to be applicable for a reverse mortgage loan. AARP reverse mortgage can thoroughly guide you on these terms. The most important among them is that the applicant must own a house because the complete dealing of financial transitions are settled on that basis with the broker. On taking the reverse mortgage loan, the amount of payment that the applicant is supposed to get in the form of loan is decided by the equity of his house and other such factors. An added advantage is the fact that you do no have to pay any tax on the money you get through the reverse mortgage. However, still the most prominent thing about it that overcomes all other features is that no repayment of the loan money has to be done. After the death of the person who has taken the loan, the broker reimburses the amount by the auction of the house instead of transferring the toll on their heir.

The AARP reverse mortgage page offer you a detail study about the ways in which you can receive your money from reverse mortgage. There are several schemes, according to which you can get the entire amount in one go or in monthly installments. There are few programs that present to you a credit line through which you can fix your monthly income.

It is at the bottom of my screen in Yahoo Answers in Bright Orange and I sometimes see it when I do crosswords on line thru AARP?

The exhausting quest for inner peace

AARP has a terrific magazine with the largest circulation in the world. I was delighted to read a travelogue by Melina Bellows in the March &April 2008 issue. Ms. Bellows, employed fulltime and the mother of two children under four, is offered a five-day jaunt to an Ayurvedic spa in India called Ananda. She accepts.

Dr. Sree Sreedharan, a Vedanta disciple, gives her a private lesson at one point during her stay. In a personal encounter, her burning issue bursts out of her, “My quest for inner peace is exhausting me.”

How’s your quest for inner peace treating you?

Does inner peace simply appear as one more item on your to-do list? I sometimes have clients who feel this way about their spiritual work. It’s just one more thing to accomplish. But is it?

I am a fan of the words of A. J. Muste, “There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.” For me, there’s a message in this as profound as it is simple. Inner peace isn’t something to be sought. Instead, it is a way to live. For peace, especially inner peace, there is no quest. Instead, there is a way to do the quest.

My mama was fond of saying that delivery is ninety percent of life. She was right. Delivery, or how one does whatever one does, makes a difference. That’s why I liked Dr. Sreedharan’s answer to Ms. Bellows. He invites her to dinner and offers her a new experience—an opportunity to wear a sari. That might not seem to you or me like a way to find inner peace, but in the donning of the garment, she sees herself as a vision of her Goddess Self.

It is that Self, God or Goddess, where inner peace resides and thrives in each one of us. Make sure you allow time to glimpse Him or Her every day. That will keep you in the way to peace.

 

Pomp and Circumstance, the traditional graduation processional, echoed outside my door a few days ago. A local high school presides over the entire block across the street, so I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was hearing their rehearsal for this year’s big day

 

But graduation already? Didn’t we just celebrate Christmas?

 

This whole sense of time moving faster as we get older carries a good sized chunk of truth. I’m celebrating my fiftieth birthday this year and it was an equally surprising event the day that the first piece of literature arrived in my mail box from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). How did they find me so fast? Turning fifty isn’t particularly traumatic to me and, in fact, it feels quite nice to consider how many years I have managed to enjoy so far, but it seems a more private matter, an important piece of my journey that I want to preserve and shape for myself with no interference from outside sources. Perhaps the good folks at AARP were simply not aware of my wishes, and if they were, I am sure they would have held back a little until I was ready to receive their grand offers of value-priced health insurance, travel discounts and spa treatments that will keep me looking younger than they already know I am.

 

So here I am, reflecting back on some remembered high points: my high school, college and seminary graduations, first meetings with friends who are still a part of my life ten, twenty and thirty years later, great loves gained and lost. Quite frankly, though, I don’t remember many of the details of any of these moments that have impacted my life in profound ways. I do have a few cherished stories, but even those don’t make up the bulk of what has transpired to be a rich and happily-lived life. What I do know is that appreciating how my education, relationships and accomplishments inform my life now matters more to me and keeps me stepping in rhythm with God on what I believe to be spiritual journey.

 

Biblical references to life and cultural graduations and transitions are abundant. The Israelites headed out for the Promised Land and kept on going. Moses snagged the Ten Commandments, led his people out of Egypt and they still kept going. Forty years in the wilderness, learning what it meant to live as God’s people outside the framework of slavery was a daunting task, but they did it. The New Testament continues the saga of God’s people facing issues of relational quality, how to balance faith with government rules and regulations and translating what is into what can be according to their understanding of Jesus’ definition of the Kingdom of Heaven. And they, just as we, encountered life issues that are as beautiful and ordinary as God’s grace woven among us. People kept being born and dying, marrying and giving in marriage, working and paying taxes. Daily life may look different than ours in its details, but the basic human quotient remains the same today as it did then.

 

A simple thread of human understanding of how life works at its best binds us to our spiritual ancestors as surely as our hearts and souls remember all the gifts they have given us in how they lived their lives with faith and hope. The decisions to move forward always expand our lives, but the ones that shrink us into less than we are are the ones that look to the past as a safe place to escape the living that is left to do and enjoy. Remembering all the places from which we have grown is quite wonderful, but expecting to be preserved in history before our time on earth is completed only serves to assure that we will not be remembered at all, but left for dead long before our time.

 

These life transitions serve a solid purpose for our souls and our hearts, teaching us to pay attention, live with intentionality in our moments, so as these moments stretch into seasons and years we are able to recognize the miraculous intent of God With Us over the course of our lives.

 

T.S. Eliot once wrote that, “We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started, and know the place for the first time.” I take great pleasure in these words, approaching the second half of my life with hope, joy and peace in the journey. I feel a new sense of graduation, a step into a whole new adventure filled with possibilities and wonder. Starting out in one’s twenties holds a certain level of panic that I don’t often feel anymore. I have frequently said that forgiveness and forbearance are the great gifts of middle age: some days you give and some days you get. But I also believe that a confident soul is a treasure worth celebrating, along with taking nothing fro granted.