Getting Ready for Retirement — Can You Hear Me Now?

We’ve all seen on TV the cell phone network ads with the guy saying “Can you hear me now?” Well, for at least the first wave of baby boomers, retirement may not be far off, as in, “Can you hear me now!”

But … baby boomers don’t necessarily define retirement the way their parents have experienced it. Retirement might mean leaving one career, but then going right into another one. Or, retirement might mean leaving the paid workforce but spending many hours helping in a volunteer capacity (the Peace Corps has launched an effort to increase its numbers of volunteers age 50 and over). Or, retirement to boomers might mean something entirely different from either of those.

Boomers are a breed all their own. They have different dreams and expectations than previous generations (remember the ad, “It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile?”). Boomers are wealthier, more active and more health conscious. Great advances have made that healthier part possible — new drugs that cure things or keep conditions in check; surgical procedures that now have you up and about in no time; etc. The American Hospital Association and First Consulting Group published a fabulous report called “When I’m 64 … How Boomers Will Change Health Care.” (Check it out at www.aha.org.)

As noted, health care advances have extended the length of life and even enhanced its quality in many ways. But, what does a longer life mean in terms of working, retiring, perhaps assisting elderly parents, deciding where to live, having enough money to live on, changing lifestyles, setting up trusts or not, getting or not getting long-term care insurance, keeping up with new developments like the technology that lets health care come right into your home or the now-popular Wii video game system that gets you moving? Interesting stuff.

These are things I’d like to explore with you through this blog. Let’s take a journey together on these topics and others that become of interest to you. Let’s include things like what do boomers want to be called as they age — seniors, older adults, mature adults, or … heck, no … some new term yet to be coined! I’d like to hear from you.

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Karen Talbott

President, Visiting Nurse Service and Affiliates

I am a native of Cadiz, Ohio (the infamous birthplace of Clark Gable), a resident of Fairlawn, Ohio, and am the president of Visiting Nurse Service and Affiliates, which is the largest comprehensive home health care system in Ohio. I am also a Fellow of Hospice and Home Care, one of only a few so designated in the United States by the National Association for Home Care. At Kent State University, I received both bachelors and masters degrees.

I’ve always been interested in the health care industry and especially as that relates to services for the senior population. That has led me to be involved in many community organizations such as the Senior Independent Living Coalition and Social Services Advisory Board in Summit County.

I’m privileged to have been recognized for my professional work over the years, including Crain’s Cleveland Business’ Woman of Note; Northern Ohio Live’s Top Woman Rainmaker Award; 2006 Extraordinary Woman Award from the Akron Beacon Journal; and more.

I’m a baby boomer. One of 78 million in fact. Lost in a crowd — no way! Baby boomers and those before us will leave and have left their mark on America for generations to come. Now that’s exciting.