Essential Planning for Solo Agers with Sara Zeff Geber, PhD

A live & interactive discussion with Sara Zeff Geber, PhD The Nation’s Foremost Authority on Solo Aging and author of Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers, LIVE SMART AFTER 50!, and Not Your Mother’s Retirement Dr. Geber is a recipient of the “2018 Influencers in Aging” designation by PBS’ Next Avenue. She believes Solo Agers have unique needs in later life that warrant greater foresight and a more robust approach to planning. 

Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers https://sarazeffgeber.com/essential-retirement-planning-for-solo-agers/

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Chat Transcript

12:05:29     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : To learn more contact

Mary Nemec

443-860-2085

mnemec@umbc.edu

12:06:06     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : Mary was cutting in and out. Is it only on my end?

12:06:20     From  Vieda W   to   Hosts and panelists : Do you have to have been diagnosed 1st?

12:07:10     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : 2023 ALZHEIMER'S ASSOCIATION MEMORY BALL DANCING STARS  https://act.alz.org/site/TR?px=11908730&pg=personal&fr_id=16194

https://vimeo.com/800051502

12:08:57     From  Louis Tenenbaum   to   Hosts and panelists : Altos here, can we all get Ellen’s contact info?

12:09:14     From  Louis Tenenbaum   to   Hosts and panelists : *Louis here

12:09:49     From  Robert Gullo   to   Hosts and panelists : I am 85. Just today I received an obituary for a 69 year old friend who died as a result of a fall in her home. Falls are very dangerous for seniors—even worse for solo agers.  What suggestions do you have for fall avoidance for solo agers?

12:11:52     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Essential Retirement Planning for Solo Agers https://sarazeffgeber.com/essential-retirement-planning-for-solo-agers/

12:20:23     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Building Your Personal "Village" For Your Solo Aging Plan 04/07/2023 12:00 pm https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/events/building-your-personal-village-for-your-solo-aging-plan

12:20:57     From  Kathleen Steed   to   Hosts and panelists : Do you have further information on the Solo Aging Support Group you mentioned?

12:20:59     From  Barbara Sullivan : Villages!  A great plan for solo agers!

12:22:10     From  Alice Fisher   to   Hosts and panelists : I’m 3rd generation solo female women….I’ve learned a lot from my elders, and demonstrating my life with my solo daughter……………..

12:23:12     From  Glenna Crooks : I'll be talking next month, as Steve says, about how to build your village. https://www.linkedin.com/in/glennacrooksphd/

12:23:15     From  Ailene Gerhardt : Having a robust support system is key for everyone, most especially, solo agers! It's also very useful to consider all of your connections, including "third places!" Here's my take on the value of third places for Solos: https://www.nextavenue.org/the-impact-of-third-places-for-solo-agers/

12:24:10     From  kathleen macleod : What’s a “third place”?

12:24:42     From  Ailene Gerhardt : "Third places" is a term coined by urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg and refers to places where people spend time between home ("first" place) and work ("second" place). They are locations where we exchange ideas, have a good time, and build relationships. They are comfortable spaces and accessible to everyone.

12:25:00     From  kathleen macleod : thank you

12:26:45     From  Alice Fisher   to   Hosts and panelists : Do you know about Nesterly

12:26:49     From  GAIL ROE : what about getting a medical alert device?

12:27:02     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/videos?q=solo

12:28:29     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Area Agencies on Aging https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/About/Aging_Network/AAA.aspx

12:28:47     From  Arlene Polangin : I have had a Medical Alert device for years through my home alarm system.

12:29:08     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Retire Abroad? Discussion with Dan Prescher, Senior Editor of International Living https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/videos/retire-abroad-discussion-with-dan-prescher-senior-editor-of-international-living

12:29:14     From  Kathleen Steed   to   Hosts and panelists : Another group that has many very informative presentations on Solo Aging, including estate planning, is DOROT.  This non-profit is based in New York City, but the people who attend are from all over the country.  Positive Aging's presentations are excellent.  What is the best way to go about recommending some of your speakers to possibly speak at DOROT?  May I send them the contact information for your speakers from your website?  Or should they contact you?

12:30:36     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : Are these links going to be sent with a replay of this? The save chat option is disabled

12:30:38     From  Alice Fisher   to   Hosts and panelists : Thailand is a great place to retire and has terrific medicine resources

12:30:47     From  Marjorie Fox : If you live overseas, isn't it harder to build your social network?

12:30:53     From  Arlene Polangin : Retiring abroad or in another isn't for me.  I was born & raised in Wash., DC and have lived in a nearby suburb for 50 years.  Perhaps, I'm being stubborn but this is my home.

12:32:11     From  Arlene Polangin : Making friends hard at this age....

12:32:35     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : Nextdoor is another option to meet people

12:32:47     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : The people platform—Where interests become friendships https://www.meetup.com/

12:33:28     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : My senior center is geared to 80 and 90 year olds. I am 64 and they are not my peers. The are a different generation

12:33:31     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Join us for free programs every week to keep learning and exploring together. Questions? Call the free Senior Planet Hotline at 888-713-3495. https://seniorplanet.org/

12:33:52     From  Jacqueline Cannady : I love Meetup. So many options.

12:34:32     From  Kathleen Steed   to   Hosts and panelists : https://seniorplanet.org  Senior Planet, now affiliated with AARP, has online programs for each weekday, especially “Lunch and Learn,” every day from 1:30 PM ET.  People are from all over.

12:35:07     From  Arlene Polangin : I do 4 Senior Planet classes every week.

12:35:11     From  S. Price   to   Hosts and panelists : Community college classes for seniors at reduced rate. Facebook groups are another source.

12:35:23     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : https://www.retirementlivingsourcebook.com/videos/retire-abroad-discussion-with-dan-prescher-senior-editor-of-international-living

12:36:45     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : From Kathleen Steed to All Panelists 12:34 PM

https://seniorplanet.org  Senior Planet, now affiliated with AARP, has online programs for each weekday, especially “Lunch and Learn,” every day from 1:30 PM ET.  People are from all over.

12:36:56     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : From S. Price to All Panelists 12:35 PM

Community college classes for seniors at reduced rate. Facebook groups are another source.

12:37:05     From  Leslie McTyre : That's a great alternative - easy with friends; easy with economy easy with activities; easy with beautiful places.

12:37:29     From  Mary Illes : whats the community in Mexico?

12:37:38     From  Jeannine Clark   to   Hosts and panelists : what’s the community in Mexico?

12:37:51     From  Arlene Polangin : Unless I stay in my home, I can't afford a senior living place: $11,000 a month!!

12:37:54     From  Kathleen Steed   to   Hosts and panelists : Also,if you google “Senior Resources” for your area, you probably will come out with several places.  I am fortunate to be in New York City, and there are many.  Also, check with your local library.

12:38:18     From  madhu Mehta   to   Hosts and panelists : I was born in India But I am in the US for 50+ years I so not have much in common with them except dietary need

12:38:55     From  Leslie McTyre : Excellent point on integenrationality

12:39:24     From  Alissa Ballot : For those of us who are introverts, who are uncomfortable in big groups, finding the person to be a health care proxy, a financial POA, these are challenges. It’s exhausting…

12:40:27     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : From Kathleen Steed to All Panelists 12:37 PM

Also,if you google “Senior Resources” for your area, you probably will come out with several places.  I am fortunate to be in New York City, and there are many.  Also, check with your local library.

12:43:23     From  Ailene Gerhardt   to   Hosts and panelists : Thanks Steve for referencing last month's discussion and my work with solos and the founding of the Navigating Solo Network. The site has a number of useful resources, ideas for connecting with others, and opportunities to connect with others. https://navigatingsolo.com/  Perhaps attendees will find it helpful. Thanks as always to Sara for the important trailblazing work and discussion re: Solos!

12:43:52     From  Alissa Ballot : Yes but….having done what needed to be done for each of my parents, both of whom had dementia, how can I possibly ask even a close friend to sign up for that? I wish there were someone I could line up in advance, and pay, to take all that on…

12:44:01     From  Susan Ventura : I struggle as I live in a small suburban city that is very family oriented.  My city community center has very little for older adults.  I do join some things online but not the same as in person!  Also an extreme introvert

12:44:55     From  Pamela Houghtaling : Folks may also want to look into the Osher Lifelong Living Institute (OLLI), which offers a wide range of classes for seniors at various universities. For example, there's an OLLI program at George Mason University in Fairfax County, Virginia. In the Raleigh area of North Carolina, OLLI programs can be found at NC State University and Duke University.

12:45:12     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : I am still working full-time and don’t have time to volunteer

12:46:33     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : In addition, they close at 3pm and have only meals on the weekends, close at 11:30am. They treat everyone as limited mobility and no teeth - mushy food. Activities are bingo and things my generation doesn’t do

12:46:51     From  Mindy Dopler Nelson   to   Hosts and panelists : I tried joining their board to make changes

12:47:01     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Oasis is an organization with a purpose to serve older adults through lifelong learning, health, and volunteering. https://www.oasisnet.org/

12:47:33     From  Glenna Crooks : I moved to a new area and soon after, there was a tornado. I became part of the Meal Train to make meals for people who were stuck in hotels while they were finding a place to rent temporarily while they rebuilt/repaired their homes. I met tons of people that way that have become friends.

12:47:40     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : From Ailene Gerhardt to All Panelists 12:43 PM

Thanks Steve for referencing last month's discussion and my work with solos and the founding of the Navigating Solo Network. The site has a number of useful resources, ideas for connecting with others, and opportunities to connect with others. https://navigatingsolo.com/  Perhaps attendees will find it helpful. Thanks as always to Sara for the important trailblazing work and discussion re: Solos!

12:49:32     From  Gloria Levin : Also, more and more elder care lawyers are agreeing to take on clients who need POA, etc., by adding social workers, gerontologists, etc. to their law practice.

12:49:47     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Aging Life Care™️, also known as geriatric care management, is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. Working with families, the expertise of Aging Life Care Professionals provides the answers at a time of uncertainty https://www.aginglifecare.org/

12:50:16     From  Kathleen Steed   to   Hosts and panelists : Many forms seem to combine senior age groups into an amorphous blob of 65+, comparable to having a younger age group of 25-55.  The National Institute of Health has these general categories: “Although there are different ways to classify this population, some studies have classified elderly adults between the ages of 65 and 74 years as youngest-old, those between ages 75 and 84 years as middle-old, and those aged over 85 years as oldest-old.”

12:50:19     From  Rose Thorn   to   Hosts and panelists : Steve ~ you are talking too much today. Usually you do do much better creating a good interview atmosphere and bringing out speaker <3 ~~<~@

12:50:49     From  Ailene Gerhardt : You can also work with an independent board certified patient advocate (BCPA) https://nahac.com/directory-of-advocates

12:51:20     From  kathleen macleod : Ballpark figure to hire a PFAC?

12:51:27     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : Professional Fiduciary Association of California .https://pfac-pro.org/

12:51:58     From  Vieda W : Is there  a way to copy the chat so that the links used?

12:53:22     From  Gloria Levin : AGREED/  Very frustrating not to be able to cut and paste these great resources in the chat.  Enable chat save, Steve.

12:53:42     From  Jacqui Vok : I suggest opening the links while on this webinar & bookmarking them after the event is over.

12:54:53     From  kathleen macleod : Great point!

12:55:00     From  Alissa Ballot   to   Hosts and panelists : I had geriatric care managers help me with both my parents (in Florida). And now there are also patient advocates, though they are usually different people/organizations. I am in NY. I have started researching, though they will have to still be in business when needed, which could be many years out. I am going to check out this licensed fiduciary - don’t know if we have them in NY?

12:55:08     From  Vieda W : Thanks ????

12:55:41     From  Kathleen Steed : I just realized that there is an “Everyone” for the chat.

12:55:55     From  Kathleen Steed : Many forms seem to combine senior age groups into an amorphous blob of 65+, comparable to having a younger age group of 25-55.  The National Institute of Health has these general categories: "Although there are different ways to classify this population, some studies have classified elderly adults between the ages of 65 and 74 years as youngest-old, those between ages 75 and 84 years as middle-old, and those aged over 85 years as oldest-old."

12:56:10     From  Steve Gurney - ProAging Community : From Alissa Ballot to All Panelists 12:55 PM

I had geriatric care managers help me with both my parents (in Florida). And now there are also patient advocates, though they are usually different people/organizations. I am in NY. I have started researching, though they will have to still be in business when needed, which could be many years out. I am going to check out this licensed fiduciary - don’t know if we have them in NY?

12:56:14     From  Rose Thorn   to   Hosts and panelists : I just sent that to you & Sara. Not everyone :0 :)

12:56:28     From  Rose Thorn   to   Hosts and panelists : You're awesome!

12:56:35     From  Reuben Altman : If you open the link during the webinar, depending on your operating system and device, you may lose the webinar.

12:56:51     From  Althea Halchuck : Great presentation.  I serve as a Healthcare POA through my business, Ending Well Patient Advocacy. Please check out my website and qualifications. https://endingwellpatientadvocacy.com/services-%26-fees

12:57:15     From  Leslie McTyre : THANK YOU STEVE - YET ANOTHER GREAT ONE!!  YOU ARE THE SENIORS' HERO!!

12:57:39     From  Debby Churchman : Many thanks to the both of you!

12:57:44     From  kathleen macleod : Thank you! I agree with Leslie!

12:57:47     From  Glenna Crooks : Awesome session!

12:57:55     From  Jeannine Clark   to   Hosts and panelists : Thank you!

12:57:58     From  Althea Halchuck : Thank you!

12:58:05     From  LAURA PEREZ : Thank you! Lots of useful info!