July/August Elder Update

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs publishes a bi-monthly publication called the "Elder Update". The July/August issue has articles about diabetes, a new Florida law affecting long-term care facilities, health and wellness, health insurance, and Veteran's Affairs. You can read this issue online here. You can access back issues of the Elder Update here. In addition, you can receive a free print subscription to this publication by filling out the online form here.

Public Hearing about Federal And State Funds for Senior Services

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas has announced a public hearing to explain how federal and state funds will be allocated for Senior Services in 2011.  The hearing is free and open to all.  Those who attend will learn about local resources for Seniors and for caregivers and they can voice their concerns about what Seniors need in their community.  The guest speaker will be State Representative Will Weatherford.

The Pasco County Hearing will be held at:

Pasco County Dade City 

Elderly Nutrition Dining Site

13853 15th Street, Dade City, Fl 33525

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

9:30am to 11:00am

For more information about the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, Inc., please click here.

Job Tips for Baby Boomers

The MetLife Mature Market Institute has published a study about the new realities of the job market for aging baby boomers, called "Buddy Can You Spare a Job?".  The data for this study was based on a survey of 1,242 adults aged 55 - 70 and in-depth qualitative interviews with job coaches and employment agencies. This and accompanying research suggests that many baby boomers have decided to continue working until age 70 or later, at least in part because of the recent recession. Older adults face many obstacles in finding work. This study lists several faulty assumptions older adults make when looking for a job, including:

• "I'll just do what I was doing before."
• "My experience speaks for itself."
• "I don't have time for this touchy-feely stuff about what work means to me."
• "I know I'll become a consultant!"
• "Of course I'm good with computers."

The study then suggests several important success strategies, including:

•  Reframe your experience to demonstrate future value.
• Nurture your network.
• Update your computer technology skills

For more information, the entire study can be found here.

Senior Card Games at Hugh Embry Library on July 23rd

Seniors, come as you are and enjoy playing card games of all kinds with friends new and old!

When: Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Time:  1:00 PM
Where: Hugh Embry Library
                14215 Fourth Street
                 Dade City, FL
Questions? Call 352-567-3576

Unemployment Statistics for Older Adults

The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor has published an article about the high unemployment rate among older workers (age 55 and older). The jobless rate among older workers in February 2010 was 7.1%, which was just under the all time high of 7.2% in December 2009. This jobless rate is much lower than the jobless rate for those aged 16-24 (18.9%) and for those aged 25-54 (8.6%). 
However, those older adults who are unemployed spend a longer period searching for a job. Older adults had a 35.5 week duration of joblessness, compared to 23.3 weeks for people aged 16 -24 and 30.3 weeks for people aged 25-54.  Another trend has been an increase in the number of older adults working, which has increased  through  mid 2009 and then stayed constant at about 40%.  For more information, please click here.

Happy Fourth of July!

We hope you have a wonderful Fourth of July.  In celebration of our country's founding, here are some interesting online historical exhibits:

The U.S. National Archive "Documented Rights" Exhibit states that "Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence, our rights as citizens of the United States have been debated, contested, amended, and documented."  You can view this exhibit online here. Also, there are related photographs in the U. S. National Archives' Flickr photo collections.  Two of these photos are shown below:

Photograph of Suffrage Parade 1913

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a Civil Rights March -1963

You can find other historical collections online at the U. S. National Archives here. 

Other collections include:

•  Eyewitness - eyewitness accounts of dramatic moments in U. S. history.
• Treasures of Congress
• American Women - information about over 100 significant women in American History.
• A People at War - Americans who served their country in World War II.