ElderAuthority.com

Doing Work That Matters

Betty Tisdale turns 90 this year. She is in Kabul, Afghanistan, to open “House of Flowers”, Afghanistan’s first licensed nursery for orphans. It is also the first Montessori school in Afghanistan. There are 31 orphans in the program. Another 1000 are on the waiting list. “House of Flowers” is just one product of Ms. Tisdale’s organization, HALO (Helping and Loving Orphans).
Betty Tisdale earned the name, “Angel of Saigon,”… More

SENIOR JOBS: HOUSE SITTER AND PET SITTER

WORKING AFTER RETIREMENT AGE
As I written many times, most of us are going to need to keep working long after the traditional retirement age of 65.   The obvious reason is that we need the money.   Medicare and Social Security may still be there when we need them, but we don’t know how supportive they will be.  If we only have Social Security income we will need to find ways to earn extra money. Many people lost savings and investments in the last couple of economic downturns.… More

ASSISTED LIVING IN HOUSTON TX (Special Perks)

Sometimes I get a bit loopy from writing so much about serious topics as aging, death and dying, elder abuse, affordable housing, senior jobs, and all the challenges that face me and my fellow greying Baby Boomers.
If this seems a bit off topic, forgive me.  Sometimes I need a giggle.

Kudos to “Baylor” and “Tupelo” in the elephant assisted living facilities at the Houston Zoo.
 … More

LAWRENCE ANTHONY AND THE ULTIMATE “ENCORE CAREER”

Lawrence Anthony died on March 2, 2012.  He was born on Sept. 17, 1950, in Johannesburg, South Africa.   He followed his father into the insurance business, then went into real estate development.
MATCHING WORK TO PASSION
In the mid-1990s, Anthony turned his hobby into a career and bought one of South Africa’s largest game sanctuaries, the 5,000-acre Thula Thula reserve. He lived there and added luxury accommodations and fine dining to attract tourists eager to see… More

ASSISTED LIVING JOBS: GHOST BLOGGER

KEEP WORKING WHILE IN ASSISTED LIVING
I am constantly on the lookout for work that can be done by older people or those who live in an assisted living facility.  Some of the characteristics of good jobs are the following:
1.  Uses skills and experience best found in older population.
2.  Stimulates the brain
3.  Does not require commuting to a job site.
4.  Can be performed with some physical disability.
5.  Flexible hours
6.  Pays enough to be worth the trouble.
7.  No healthcare… More

RETIREMENT JOBS FOR SENIORS

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT DOING
Every age group and demographic is looking for work.  Figure out your strengths as a retiree, an experienced worker, and someone with a lifetime of skills and wisdom.  
BE REALISTIC!   I had one job seeker recently tell me she wanted to become a pilot of corporate aircraft.  With some planning, tuition money, and appropriate educational groundwork, becoming a commercial pilot is a realistic career goal for many; …however…… More

SENIOR JOBS: THE FASTEST GROWING PROFESSIONS

JOB HUNTING IN A CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT
If you are looking for a job, whether you are a twenty-something just out of school, an artisan, or a senior citizen beginning an encore career, look for the industries and companies that seek workers.  You may need some retraining, but it may not take nearly as long as you think to move in a new direction.
Start by looking for employer sponsored training programs at community colleges.
DON’T FOLLOW THE CROWD
If you already have the… More

JOBS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS: FINDING WORK

LEARN FROM THE PAST
Showing us once again that some of the best ideas for our current challenging economic times may come from those who have lived through them before, 91 year old Lillian Brownstein Chodash, in a recent Wall Street Journal article, offers a still valid job hunting tip from 1938.
Finding herself still unemployed after 15 months of job hunting in the New York City area, she went door to door in a tall, Jersey City office building knocking on doors and inquiring about… More

JOBS FOR RETIREES: INVENT ONE

EMPLOYERS MIGHT INVENT A JOB FOR YOU

In my years working for Corporate America, I was never once hired for a job that was advertised.  I was presentable and educated, but non-traditional.  I never fit any corporate mold.   Headhunters wished out loud that I had some other, remotely related skill.  Employers who liked me in the interview nicely told me I wasn’t the right fit for the position; but some them came up with a different (unadvertised) position that was a better… More

LOOKING FOR A JOB

JOB SEEKERS SEE THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
Visualize being at sea and viewing an iceberg from a safe distance.  Even when the size of an entire city block, only 10% of an iceberg is visible above the surface of the water.  As huge as they may appear, we are only seeing a tenth of their total dimension.  The rest is below the surface of the water away from view.
Now, visualize the market of available jobs that are posted or advertised somewhere for the public to see.  Count all the job postings… More