Story Archives of 'Aging'

In an attempt to expand your romantic imagination, Word of Mouth takes on a topic neglected by our culture and science alike - love among the senior set.

Stories, songs and poems of youthful lust have guided us for millenia, but people live to be older now, creating new models for passionate love and desire once we hit our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond. What happens as boomers age and find themselves single? What happens to the family when a parent marries at 85?

Amanda Smith Barusch is a professor of gerontology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Her new book is "Love Stories of Later Life: A Narrative Approach to Understanding Romance." She’s on sabbatical at the University of Utah, and joins Word of Mouth from KUER in Salt Lake City.

We also hear from seniors interested in finding love at Chicago's annual "Sweetheart’s Ball." Women usually outnumber men there by a ratio of 8 to 1. Producers Dan Collison and Elizabeth Meister of Long Haul Productions visited the ball to talk to some of the ladies there.

(Photo by Patrick)

There's a stereotyped image of retirement that brings to mind rocking chairs and leisure time, and twiddling one's thumbs. If that were ever the case, it is no longer. Tonight on the Front Porch, we're looking at the way Baby Boomers are spending their older years, and how that's affecting the workforce. As more and more boomers reach the age of retirement, many keeping their jobs, finding new ones, or volunteering their time. We'll find out what that means for them -- and for younger generations.

Our guest is Marc Freedman, founder and CEO of Civic Ventures and author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life. Marc is the featured speaker at the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation's Annual Meeting.

Producer Richard Paul will also takes us back to the days before Social Security was a part of retirement. His story comes to us from the Public Radio Exchange.

Most agree that New Hampshire is growing to be an older state, but the extent of this trend and the reasons behind it are still debated. Some of the reasons demographers point to: In/out migration, an influx of age-restricted housing, the allure of Granite State life, or just that we're a healthy, older and less fertile state. What's also debated is how badly this trend may hurt New Hampshire. Some say "not much", others call it "disastrous for New Hampshire". We'll explore how we're growing old, why we're growing old and how it may affect the Granite State.

Guests

• Peter Francese, Director of Demographic Forecasts for The New England Economic Partnership, Demographic Trends Analyst for Ogilvy and Mather in New York City, founder of American Demographics Magazine and author of a forthcoming book "Communities and Consequences"
• Brian Gottlob, Principal of PolEcon Research in Dover
• Glenn Greenwood, Assistant Director of the Rockingham Planning Commission.

It's tough to find a lighter side of growing old, but Senior Moments does just that. The group of elder actors has been touring the state with their new performance "There is a Tomorrow". It is five one act-plays dealing with issues like depression, isolation and the power of friendship. Yet this show is no tear-jerker, written for seniors by seniors, "There is a Tomorrow" tackles these issues with a mixture of laughs, head nodding moments and life lessons. Today on the Exchange we look at the challenges of growing older and have our actors perform scenes from their new show. Laura's guests are Lucille Karatzas, Director of Elder Services at Seacoast Mental Health Center and statewide director of the Referral Education Assistance and Prevention Program (REAP) and Joanne Dodge, co-founder and organizer of the Senior Moments performance group. Plus we'll be joined by some of the actors of "There is a Tomorrow"...Bob Reynolds, Barbara Randall, Claire Cane.

Gail Siegal is a former Peterborough resident who now lives in New York City. She is the former director of Monadnock Community Education, an organization that offered adult and continuing education classes, as well as recreational and cultural programs, and former co-director of Conval's and Jaffrey-Rindge's Title I program. In the late 1980s, Siegal moved to New York City where she worked for the Parks Department, first, as director of special projects for Manhattan, and, later, as director of the city's most heavily used public recreation center. At the age of 58, she left her job and went back to school. She received a Masters Degree from Columbia University's School of Social Work, specializing in the complex issues of aging. At the age of 60, she started a new career as a gerontological social worker in New York City, where she is currently employed. Her work focuses on providing supportive services to enhance the lives of her elderly clients, enabling them to remain in their community as long as they wish. In her presentation, Siegal will focus on how our increasing life expectancy is redefining the aging process and provides us with exciting new possibilities throughout our life span.