Grief and Loss Support

Older Americans are often faced with the loss of a friend or loved one.

Grief is a very individual process and no two people experience it in the same way. Therefore it follows that there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Instead of thinking of grief as a linear process, it is better to consider it a roller coaster of highs and lows where each high and low becomes less intense.

Grieving the loss of a loved one is a stressful, as well as debilitating, experience. For grief and loss support information and help click here .

For pet loss support click here

The poem below has been sent many times to people who have lost a friend or family member and most have found it to be comforting.  We hope you will find it comforting as well and perhaps pass it on when appropriate.

The Ship
I am standing upon the sea-shore.
A ship at my side spreads it white sails to the morning
breeze and starts for the blue ocean. It is an object
of beauty and strength, and I stand and watch it until
at length it hangs like a speck of white cloud just where
the sea and the sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says
"There! She's gone".
Gone where? Gone from my sight—that is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was
when she left my side and just as able to bear her load
of living freight to her place of destination.
Her diminished size is in me—not in her; and just at the
moment when someone at my side says
"There she's gone".
There are other eyes watching and other voices ready to
take up the glad shout.
"There she comes!"

Best Reason to Delay Retirement

Most people are thinking of delaying their retirement in order to work longer, save more money, add to their investment portfolio and avoid having to dip into retirement savings until a bit later in life.

There is, however, another major reason you should consider delaying your retirement.

Those who delay retiring are more likely to live longer

Studies and research by actuaries — the professional mathematicians who advise pension funds — show that working longer and retiring later improves life expectancy. Andrew Gaches, a longevity consultant said that "retiring at age 70 rather than 60 adds around 13 months to men's life expectancy — and 12 months to women's longevity — even after allowing for differences in individuals' health, wealth and lifestyle.”

The Stanford Center on Longevity, quoted a study that indicates "the death rates of those who were still working were roughly half that of the death rates of men the same age who were fully retired.”

Living longer is certainly of major interest to most people, but living longer is important only if your quality of life is a good one and you have enough capital or income to live somewhere near the lifestyle you had planned.

Some areas to check out regarding maximizing income for “retirees” who continue to work in some capacity:

1. Receiving Social Security benefits: If you are receiving Social Security benefits and also work but aren't yet at full retirement age, $1 in benefits will be deducted for each $2 in your earnings. For the year you reach full retirement age, these benefits are reduced $1 for every $3 earned until the month you reach full retirement age. Note the amounts you can earn continues to increase each year.

2. Delay Social Security benefits if at all possible   Unless it is likely you won't live the average longer projected life, if you are in your early 60s you should not tap into your Social Security benefits. By starting at 62, rather than at the government’s “full retirement age” of 66 for people born from 1943 to 1954, you would cut your monthly benefits substantially. If you wait until age 70 you would get 132% of the monthly benefit you would collect at your full retirement age.

Read the “Working & Social Security Benefits” section at RetiredBrains for more information on this subject.

Also check the Social Security Benefits Estimator and Calculator. The information on this page of the Social Security website provides all kinds of information as well as links to where you can find answers to many of your questions.

3. The costs of health care and how you pay for them during your retirement years should be a major consideration. If you continue to work full-time, employer paid health care benefits, whether they are paid in full or contributory, are relatively reasonable. If you stop working before you are eligible for Medicare these costs are likely to be substantial.

Once you are on Medicare, and if you also take out a supplemental insurance policy, the costs even with copays, in most instances, is affordable. For more information click here.

Additional links where you can find information of interest regarding continuing to work well into your retirement years:

Search Temporary & Part-Time Jobs and project assignments as these are the kinds of employment more available to boomers and older job seekers.

Search seasonal jobs. CoolWorks.com includes a section devoted to seasonal jobs for what they call “older and bolder” job seekers.

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