I am wondering what baby boomers are like outside of the US. What blogs talk about baby boomers in other countries? Places like Finland, Africa, Italy, Russia, just to name a few.
What are are the challenges?
What is considered a joy?
How do others deal with issues like caregiving, finances, retirement, new passions, small businesses, etc
What can we learn from each other?
Please share your insights. Share your sites, share your dreams and passions?
Baby Boomer Journey is a realistic look at the exciting, sometimes ignored, travels of a baby boomer. I like the fact that the author is a man giving a peek into many of the issues related to baby boomers in general as well as males in particular.
I was especially impressed with his post on the presidential election and the lack of focus on healthy children.It was well written, and the author, Mark, shared a personal story about his son that was a wake-up call to the need for action in our busy schedules.
I did not see an archive on the site so I don’t know how long he has been posting. But I think each post holds it’s weight providing interesting book reviews and commentary. There are going to be lots more posts but after reading the bio of the author you may wonder when will he have time. He is living a full and balanced baby boomer life. Hence, I suspect that every post will be valuable and worth reading.
I fully expect this site to bloom even more with insights into the baby boomer journey. Below is the mission of the site from the About page. Be sure to read information about the author also. I am always impressed when I stumble on a site and actually see that it is owned by real people and not a link bait farm.
Welcome to Baby Boomer Journey!
Baby Boomer Journey is an interactive forum resource dealing with topics and issues appropriate to all Boomers.
Over the next 11 years, 11 million Baby Boomers will be resigning their present positions and going into a phased retirement. Many will continue part time in their current professions and many will choose to in a completely different direction.
Whatever the case, Boomers will continue to drive the economy and thrive in their personal and professional lives.
Many internet marketers, in my opinion, are true con artists. They promise you the moon without telling you that you have to wait until the sun sets before you can see it. But you never find out until you spend a zillion dollars to buy a pair of shades.
Internet marketing is not a quick get rich game. But truth be told there are so many hustlers are out there that tell you that lie. Now don’t misunderstand me I have and will continue to invest in good information and training from folks who can be trusted to deliver great content that I can understand -plus easily put into action. But I do want to warn you that the Con Artists are alive and well.
Internet marketing takes an investment of time and money to build systems and strategies that can work. Blogging can be one of those systems along with others. I have shared resources with you in the past.As I continue to learn more and more I will continue to share different things both free and fee that I am finding useful.
Today I want to share with you my views about an internet marketer who is systematic, easy to understand and a baby boomer. Wow, what a winning combination. Plus she listens and responds to your questions no matter how stupid you may feel it came out. I have never felt intimidated or afraid to ask those stupid questions.(smile) via email or on a live training.
I know that in earlier posts I have mentioned her but every time I take another class or read a special report I am impressed. Now, you must know that the secret to getting lots of information is to put it into action right away. One of the things she does each and every time she instructs is to challenge you to complete a task by a certain date. Who is the benefit? YOU.
I will in the future tell you about more of her classes, but right now I want to focus on any baby boomer out there who may be in the THINKING phase of internet marketing. You need to know what you are getting into and how to start.
But I must WARN YOU if you are taking any of her webinar series be sure to follow her instructions and do the homework and review the huge database of resources she provides. I just finished a session on affiliate marketing and still doing my homework. But I must admit that I saw a $6.00 sale the day after I did the assignment. Don’t laugh, that may not be a lot but it is about setting up those systems and doing it over and over again.
I love hearing the word SAVE these days.Before the economy became unstable I learned all my software online. Now, I am glad I do. I want to share seven‘ SAVES’ that will help you if you are planning to learn new software.
1.Save Gas
Gas prices can go up or down it doesn’t matter because I can sit in my home or anywhere I might be in the world learning Outlook, Excel, or PHPon my PC or husbands Mac without starting my car engine, burning a planes’gas, or taking a bus.
2.Save Time
I am one of those people who feel that time spent can equal money wasted or earned. (Unless it is time spent with family.) So, traveling to a location, parking the car, and listening to an instructor I may or may not understand can be a big waste of time.When I dedicate 30-60 minutes learning PowerPoint 2007, for example, I don’t need to factor in the time spent traveling to and from a location, signing up for the class, sending in the money, etc
3.Save On Books
You just don’t need text books when you learn software online. So say good-bye to buying “how to learn Photoshop”, etc., books on Amazon, E-bay or any other way.
4.Save My Sanity
I no longer feel like I am going crazy because I didn’t understand the really smart technological genius teaching me Photoshop who did not have good communication skills. Or, the really nice instructor who spent most of his time helping the really cute looking model in the seat in front of me.
My online software training company has trainers that take the time to explain new terms, speak clearly and still know their stuff. That is really important for someone who doesn’t have a 13 year old grandson to explain everything.
5.Save OnRetention
I actually remember more of what I learn when I do it online. Ok, let me explain. I can stop the video, then go and do what I learned. I just open another tab or window and practice what I just learned. I can work at my own pace.
6.Save Respect
Yes, you can save the respect of everyone who looks to you to have the answer to tough questions. For example, if you are a baby boomer you don’t want to lose the respect of younger folks in your audience because you still don’t know how to put your PowerPoint into a slide show mode. Theywill miss hearing your solutions to their problemsbecause you have not fully learned the technology.
7.Save Money
If I want to take a class on Html or PHP it will not be cheap. The same holds true for the Adobe products.But my husband and I pay a flat fee every year to have access to a huge amount of software titles for the price of taking a class for a single topic. We just saw a flyer for a full day of Photoshop which cost close to $300 dollars. Whereas, we can view over 12 hours for that same course in addition to 70,000 tutorials for less than the price of one live class.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I still attend a “live” class when I know the reputation of the instructor or if it is a course that is not available online. But I so enjoy my savings and vast assortment of offerings online.
I encourage you to visit http://www.babyboomersoftwaretraining.com and sample some of the “savings.” You can even take some of the first couple of classes FREE for each of the courses.
Special Thanks once again to Greg Brown and James Armstrong, from Now What Jobs for this article. Many of us are attempting to deal with this new role in our boomer years.
Following is part two of an interview with Phyllis Slater, owner of Slater Solutions LLC. Ms. Slater has devoted years to providing coaching and concierge services to the working caregiver and aging parent. Visit Phyllis Slater’s website .
Q. Is caregiving a rewarding career?
A. Yes, I have a creative personality and passion to find solutions. Working for others did not provide that freedom, which was a trade-off for security. Eight years ago I started my own business helping seniors to downsize their home, pack and unpack for relocation, and organize the home for ease of movement. This process is more than just packing and unpacking. Now the family can learn how to properly do these tasks for themselves by hiring me for coaching sessions over the telephone.
As time went on, I created friendships with other senior care providers. It became clear that there was a gap with respect to information, resources and the caregiver. Unfortunately, aging is not a pleasant thought and people wait for the last minute to think about it.
Q. could we have an overview of caregiving?
A. There are two types of caregivers. There are both family and professional caregivers.
Q. What does it mean to be a family caregiver?
A. Family caregivers are on call 24/7 should a loved one’s health and care change. Today a loved one may be independent but a fall tonight could mean hospitalization, rehabilitation and care when they return home. That is if they return home.
Q. Describe a day in the life of a family caregiver.
A. From rising in the morning, responsibilities start with making sure a loved one takes meals and medications; is bathed and dressed; you cook, clean, shop and provide transportation. Don?t forget the importance of social interaction with the loved one.
Family and professional caregivers must work as a team. A perfect scenario of how to be a great caregiver includes planning ahead for any contingency, which includes a list of products, services and resources within reach. However, this is not reality since most caregivers wait until a crisis to think about these things. There are unknowns, such as being independent until illness places them into a nursing home. Years ago there wasn?t any in-between stage. Now we have options such as Assisted Living and Continuing Care Facilities.
Q. What kinds of people are most in need of caregiver services?
A. Caregiver services should be available to someone who has physical, mental or age related challenges.
Q. What do these people need the most?
A. Support and services in a clean, caring and affordable environment. Aging is a process. Preparing for reality of aging is as important as preparing for retirement.
Q. What kinds of challenges does a family caregiver face?
A. When a loved one can no longer be fully independent, many families have no idea of the emotional and physical stress it puts on them. The key is to avoid ?burnout? by taking time out for a quiet walk, lunch with friends or bringing a massage therapist and hair stylist to the home.
Q. What kinds of advice do you give to a Boomer who is considering getting a caregiver for his or her parent?
A. Plan ahead by asking friends for referral services they have used. Keep a record of this for future reference. Doctors and organizations provide referrals, but that does not mean they have ever used them or know someone who has.
If a professional caregiver is required, interview their company as closely as they will interview you.
* Is the company and staff bonded?
* Will one person be the primary caregiver?
* Does the personality of your loved one work with the personality of the caregiver?
* What is the pricing?
* Perform company background checks.
Q. What are some of the disadvantages of being a caregiver?
A. Burnout is a big concern if there is no personal respite time allowed. Sometimes a spouse feels guilty about taking time away from the ailing spouse. What happens is that the healthy spouse dies first.
James O. Armstrong, who is President of NowWhatJobs.net, Inc., http://www.nowwhatjobs.net, also serves as the Editor of NowWhatJobs.net. In addition, he is the author of “Now What: Discovering Your New Life And Career After 50″ and the President of James Armstrong & Associates, Inc., which is a media representation firm based in Suburban Chicago.
Baby Boomers have great insightful, deep and motivational and humorous quotes. After all we have been around just long enough to provide our own special view of the world. So it should not come as a surprise that I am gathering a list of them as a special page on Rosies Boomer Review.
I encourage you, once again, to submit your quotes either as a comment to this post or by email. You can send them to webmaster(at)rosiesboomerreview.com So, here is the quote for today given to me by a friend in church today.
“Once you turn 50, you’re not ashamed to turn your Make-Up Bag into your Medicine Bag”
Denise Younge, Teacher
Send me your quotes!!!! Don’t worry If I don’t like them I won’t post them.
