Rock Your Retirement Show

On the 10/17/16 episode of the Rock Your Retirement show, Kathe interviewed celebrity Dave Jackson about his experience with Alzheimer’s disease. Dave Jackson runs the School of Podcasting.  Frances McGrogan, a previous guest, and I talked about how he helped us learn how to podcast in episode 21. This chat wasn’t about podcasting though. It was about his experience with Alzheimer’s Disease, which is a form of Dementia.  Dementia is a heartbreaking disease, and Dave tells his story about how he was able to deal with it. Dave told us about his father, and his experience with Alzheimer’s.  The family thought that the symptoms were due to a mugging that he had experienced earlier in his life.   As his father got older, Dave and his brother realized that something was wrong.  Dad was always bringing up certain stories and repeating them. (But we all do that, right?) Dad went to the hospital for colon cancer.  The hospital diagnosed him with dementia, and Dad couldn’t be left alone. The family had to do some quick planning.  They only had a week to find a place for him to stay. A common side effect of Alzheimer’s is inappropriate sexual behavior.  It’s also common for Alzheimer’s patients to form a new love relationship while they are in memory care. This can be a problem if the spouse is still alive.  Dave’s Dad got “frisky” in the memory care unit. Every time he visited, Dad gave Dave a tour.  it was brand new to Dad.  His Dad also introduced him to the nurses each time.  He also told him who was in the photos on the wall each time Dave visited.  This is also common in Alzheimer’s patients. The staff coached the family on how to deal with Dad.  “Don’t correct him”, was one their advice. It’s difficult for the family.  People are bound to have mixed emotions.  Dementia patients need a lot of sleep. It is exhausting for them to try to do things, and their brains work differently than ours do.  So you go to visit, and Dad is asleep.  That’s hard to deal with if you’ve come a long way to see him or her.  You don’t want to wake them up.  Then when he wakes up, you get the tour again! A great piece of advice from Dave:  There may be a day when your Dad might not recognize you.  Don’t take things personally because it’s not you, it’s the disease. To get the our free guide, ABC’s of Dementia, just click HERE. You can also listen to the episode on your favorite smartphone podcast app, or click on the player at the top of this page. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/David_Jackson_160607_IFinal.mp3

Scammers are everywhere. Here’s Curtis Bailey in our today’s episode to  discuss how we can deal with them. My interview with him was jam-packed with information, but here are a few things we discussed: Preventing SCAMMERS from Scamming your loved ones * Seniors need to have a team of professionals. * Don’t let someone cut you out of your social circles because this is a common practice of scammers. * Be sure and talk to your family members because they can help you determine if something is a scam. * Scammers use emotions to scam people who are lonely. They also prey on fear, so let your rational side tell you what is happening. * Is someone overly nice and charming? Scammers can spend HOURS talking to seniors. * Don’t keep secrets because scammers often ask their victims to keep secrets. * They may ask you to receive money from people you don’t know because then they’ll have your banking information. * We can protect our assets with a living trust, but the living trust can also be revocable. * You can create a Power of Attorney with scams in mind. * Every year you can get a free credit report with each of the three credit rating agencies at http://AnnualCreditReport.com so you can see if your credit is being used by someone else. * Allow family members to receive notifications if anything strange starts happening with your finances so that they can help you spot a scammer. Mr. Bailey practices estate planning and elder law at Huffman Law Offices, PC, and he is a member of Missouri Bar Association and the Illinois Bar Association.  Curtis is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and not only that, but he is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Area Agency on Aging of Southwestern Illinois.  He is very active in his community and is a member of his Chamber of Commerce and Rotary International. Curtis is the co-founder of Senior Scam Action Associates.  They help people recognize, prevent, and recover from scams. Email: cbailey@huffmanlawoffices.com For today’s freebie, the 10 dead giveaways of a scam, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/scam This post on Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Curtis_Bailey_160604_IFinalo.mp3

Steven Loring, award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter, filmed “The Age Of Love”, a documentary which follows 30 people in their 70’s and 80’s participating in a senior speed dating event.  New love can be found at any age.  Listening to Steven tell his story will definitely make you want to see his film! After discovering that a senior speed dating event was to take place, Steven had the challenge of getting all participants to agree to his filming.  The responses surprised Steven and will surprise you as well. Many seniors have resigned themselves to thinking that finding love is not possible.  There is a general feeling that after a certain age desire for both physical and emotional love fades away.  To make things worse, seniors tend to keep quiet about their feelings of loneliness. In filming “The Age Of Love” Steven made the following observations: * The desire for both physical and emotional love is still present regardless of age. * The desire for something as simple as touch can cause feelings of loneliness and isolation. * The need is much deeper than what society terms as “companionship.” * Age strips away looks, status, and financial compatibility.  This leaves only the desire to connect with someone who understands us and who will be there we need it. * You can feel the same emotional giddiness that we all have felt as teenagers! People in more than 14 countries have seen it.  It moves past age, sex, economic level, and social background of the viewers.  Age is the great equalizer and it will affect all of us. You can find the films at venues that have scheduled screenings, but it may be available in the future via streaming or DVD. * Find a list of future screenings at:  http://theageoflovemovie.com/. * Watch the trailer at:  http://bit.ly/1zntID1 or https://vimeo.com/61764746. For more information please go to: * Website:  http://theageoflovemovie.com/ * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAgeofLoveMovie * Twitter: @AgeofLoveMovie And don’t forget to get your free copy of “8 Senior Dating Tips” at http://rockyourretirement.com/love.

San Diego has it’s own 9-1-1. Yes! You read that right! Alana Kalinowski will give us an idea on what it does and how it is a big help. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/211-san-diego-find-your-volunteer-home 2-1-1 San Diego’s mission is to help people by connecting them to services and provide vital data and trend information for proactive community planning. Alana Kalinowski manages the Community Outreach Program at 2-1-1 San Diego. 2-1-1 San Diego is a resource and information hub that connects people with community, health and disaster services through a free, 24/7 service.  This service includes stigma-free confidential phone service, and it also includes a searchable on line database. It’s also important to note that 2-1-1 serves the entire population of the County. 2-1-1 San Diego has a staff of 150 people who take about 1200 calls per day. They have approximately 1,500 organizations in their database that they can refer people to. The majority of their referral sources are non-profit and government agencies. Their vetting process includes; checking licenses, certificates, and making sure they provide the services they say they provide. 98 % of the US is under 2-1-1 jurisdiction however, the programs can vary drastically in each state. Just some of the referral services that 2-1-1 San Diego offers are: * Cool Zones-residents can use the Cool Zones to escape the heat and reduce their own air conditioning use. * It provides locations on where you can your taxes filed for free. * 2-1-1 provides locations for flu shots. * It also provides locations for free blood pressure checks. * Fix-It Service -provides volunteers to help with minor home modifications or repairs. * 2-1-1 provides Courage to Call-which is a veteran staffed helpline dedicated to assisting active duty military personnel, veterans, and their families. * They have a seat at the counties information center and get real time information during a disaster to provide non-emergency resources. * Health Navigation Program- this is a program that serves as a single access point information and referral system for San Diego County, connecting anyone to available health services. For more information Call 2-1-1 or go to their website at: http://211sandiego.org/new/ To get today’s FREEBIE,  “How Retirees can use 211 to find a place to volunteer” go to: www.RockYourRetirement.com/volunteer211 Click the link below if  you would like to download a copy of the 2-1-1 Disaster Response Checklist. Alana thought this would be a good tool for people to have. 211 Disaster Response http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Alana_Kalinowski_160601_IFinalo.mp3

Do you love cars? Let’s take a look at how Bill Bennett is enjoying his retirement by “Playing with Cars”. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/playing-with-cars-episode-40 I had a difficult time naming this episode but decided on “Playing with Cars”. There was so much that Bill and I talked about it was hard to decide.   Let’s tell you a little bit about Bill first: After graduating from college Bill Bennett went into the flight program in the Marine Corps. He spent 4 1/2 years flying helicopters. He then went into sales and marketing for a number of companies and became an executive for a fortune 500 company before he retired. His wife of 42 years passed away a year and half ago and Bill decided he had to grab himself by the bootstraps and decided to get going. Bill bought a Miata for $107.   That’s right.  He purchased a Miata for $107.  You’ll have to listen to the episode to find out how, but let’s just say that he is an expert at playing with cars.  He is in a group of sport car enthusiasts who enjoy doing things like racing in parking lots and driving up winding roads in the mountains to get some pie at the Julian Pie Company. He and his friends are constantly playing with cars. Speaking of playing with cars, he likes to spend time re-building cars, because he’s working on another one now! Another way he is playing with cars, is Bill started writing for a magazine about one of his hobbies which is collecting high-end model cars.  Think of it – he got to collect cars for free just for writing about them!  That’s the way to start playing with cars! HEALTH Bill started skiing after 20 years by going on a 4-month ski trip in Colorado.  He was sore for the first few weeks, but after that he really got into the sport.  He’s thinking of taking his grand-kids skiing, just like he used to take his own kids, when they are old enough.  In between ski trips, he keeps active by doing things such as walks on the beach and hiking.  You don’t need a lot of money to keep busy. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Prepare for your retirement financially so you don’t have a constant grey cloud over your head of not being able to afford to do the things you want to do.  Look at monthly or weekly expenses and figure out how you are going to satisfy those financial needs. Downsize so you have the money to do what you want We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Do what makes you happy and be selfish with your time. Freebie:  None mentioned on the show, but if you need a Life Plan, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/037_R_Bill_Bennett_060429_Ifinal2.mp3

Steve Pettersen is with us today to talk about what he is doing after retirement and he gives us an advice on what to do before or after retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/working-with-seniors-for-his-own-retirement-ep-39 Steve Pettersen is working with seniors for his own retirement. Steve is now 66 years old and semi-retired. He spent the last ten years volunteering for Junior Achievement and the City of Carlsbad. He worked for UPS for 18 years in Sales/Marketing and in Logistics/Supply chain solutions division. He was part of the Logistics Group that change the strategic direction of UPS. Why is he working with seniors? Steve has been a caregiver for the last three years.  He provides seniors non-medical services so the senior clients can stay at home. He also works part time in Sales/Marketing for seniors and been doing this for 3 months now.  He talks about the daily challenges of working with people who have dementia and how it takes patience and loving kindness. Steve told us a couple of stories.  To hear the stories, be sure to listen to the show.  You can get instructions to listen on your smartphone HERE, otherwise you can click on the player and listen on your computer. One of his clients was a man with sleeping sickness “Bob”.  That’s crazy right?  Who knew that we had sleeping sickness in San Diego?  Bob left a big impression on Steve, who was very impressed with “Bob’s” courage.  Coast News even created a news story about Steve and “Bob”. Steve said that it takes a “certain type of individual” to do continue working with seniors. He learned patience, love, kindness, and compassion.  It has made him a better person, Steve said.  He also that it is important to have engaged caregivers.  I can understand that because it didn’t seem like my father in law’s caregiver was engaged in her job at all. In addition to working with seniors, he’s done the following activities during his retirement: * Steve worked in the kitchen at the Carlsbad Senior Center preparing and serving lunch. * He taught a cooking class to a group of 25 seniors for 2 years. * He taught 3rd graders a course called “City Stuff” for the last seven years in Carlsbad. * Steve taught Junior Achievement business courses to both middle school and high school Students all over North County. * Steve also volunteered at Scripps Memorial in Encinitas for 4 years. What do you think people should know before they retire? Steve said it’s important to have a life plan or activity plan. I’ve gotten requests before for help with this, so I created a guide for you, and you can download it for free at http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan What to do if you feel stuck? When we retire we have fears to engage the unknown.  The desire to do other meaningful things can get lost.   So stay physically active, and give back by volunteering or working part time. * Contact information:  http://seniorshelpingseniors.com * Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/lifeplan http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Steve_Petterson_160531_IFinalo.mp3

Sound Therapy? That’s something new! Geraldine “Geri” Afshari will talk to us in today’s episode how she uses Harp as a therapy. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/shhhh-listen-do-you-hear-the-sound-of-harp-therapy-ep-38 Listen to the Interview with Geraldine “Geri” Afshari, Harp Musician and Speaker on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podcast Addict. For instructions on how to do that, go HERE.  She played a song for us, and we can’t put that into words! Geri Afshari is a musician and plays the Paraguayan harp professionally, travels extensively and lived in Iran, is a writer/editor/photographer, a lay counselor, a life-long activist, an avid SUP paddler, and hunts sea glass for her sea glass mosaic artwork.  She is also retired from working because she has to for money.  What a great place to be! Geri has been the featured speaker for numerous parent classes and teacher workshops over the years, including MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers), various women’s ministries, annual Pre-12 th grade conventions for ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International), and many K-12 school and home school groups. She loves to SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), and tells people to slow down, use the luxury of time, understand how sound healing works, and she also volunteers for the palliative care team at Scripps Encinitas. Her newest passions include harp therapy and sound meditation, besides whatever her family is doing. * Geri is the mother of 2 grown children and has 2 grandsons. They all live near her in North San Diego County and share her love for the ocean and nature in general. She loves taking them with her on trips. * She plays her Paraguayan harp at all types of events besides harp therapy and sound meditation. * Jesus follower * prayer group Geri says that eating, cleaning, epigenetics, yoga and meditation all can help improve your health.  Of course, listening to music (and in particular harp music) can’t hurt either! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? * Geri thinks people should know how free and giddy they’ll feel to own their own time. She also thinks retirees should remember that the best things in life really are free. You will find your new self, your significance, your purpose and you don’t need much money. She also says to spend time in nature. What if you feel stuck: * Give yourself permission to return to your basic self. Your health is your responsibility, so take ownership of it, don’t outsource it anyone. Research, learn, grow, heal and seek joy. Do things that line up with the heart of God. Time is the treasure so use it well. Serve others and you will be blessed. Contact information: geri.harp@gmail.com Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/harp http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Geri_Afshari_160523_IFinalo.mp3

What is Palliative Care? Pastor William “Bill” Harman is our today’s guest and he’ll tell us more about Palliative Care. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/palliative-care-is-pain-control What the heck is Palliative Care?  I’d never heard of it before 2016. Pastor William “Bill” Harman came on the show to explain Palliative Care to us. His background is long so I’ll summarize his current activities: * Center for Global Awareness * Evangelical Lutheran Church in America * Lives in Encinitas, CA Bill Harman is the Chaplain with the Palliative Care Team at Scripps Encinitas Hospital. He came on the show to talk to us What is it? Palliative Care is not hospice.  It is specialized medical care to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.  This is for conditions that won’t be cured but can be managed. Some of the diseases include COPD, other respiratory disorders, and cancer. Why would someone want it? Palliative care is designed for comfort and pain management. It is for the seriously ill, but for those who are trying to get better.  Palliative care helps minimize pain and discomfort.  90% of hospitals that have over 300 beds have a palliative care program. What does a Chaplain do? Chaplains are educators.  Chaplains provide spiritual care, and educate people about end of life.  Bill is familiar with 55 religious preferences and helps facilitate the dying’s wishes.  Bill said that according to the “happiness index”, Bhutan is the happiest country because of how they deal with death. Chaplains deal with human issues, not necessary religion. Why does it even exist? In the 1950s, people died earlier.  Now we are extending life.  As we extend life we need to answer questions for ourselves.  If we want to extend our own lives longer, then palliative care can help with the discomfort and pain we feel because of disease. Who pays for it? Although Medicare pays for the bulk of palliative care, there are pediatric palliative care teams at certain hospitals. Stories: To hear the both stories in full, listen to the episode on iTunes, Stitcher, or Podcast Addict.  For instructions on how to listen on your smartphone, go HERE. Surfer Story:  Bill told us a story about a surfer who had cancer.  He wasn’t going to survive and he wanted to spend one more night on the beach.  The team was able to get him to the beach to help accommodate his last wish. Hawaii Story:  Bill told us of another patient who wanted to go to Hawaii.  The team wasn’t able to send him to Hawaii, but they DID throw a Hawaiian party for her. Marriage:  Another story was how a patient wanted to see his daughter get married.  Many of the things that the team did was similar to Make a Wish. Bill can be reached at Harman.William@ScrippsHealth.org Today’s Freebie:  http://RockYourRetirement.com/Pain http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Bill_Harman_160614_IFinal.mp3

TJ Barnes is with us today to talk about Hearing Impairment. She will give us tips from her personal experience. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/hearing-impaired-can-you-see-it Did you know that 10% of the population is hearing impaired and that 1% is deaf? I met TJ Barnes at The Hearing Experience at an event. I had to interview her because of her story.  She’s been an RN for over 20 years, and is the CEO of HEARCommunication. TJ understands this disability personally, because she was born with a hearing loss. She’s been working over 20 years with the hearing impaired as a nurse, and she also has a personal story.  She told the story of how she was run over by a skier who didn’t understand that she couldn’t hear him yelling at her to get out-of-the-way. Her friend said, “He couldn’t see that you can’t hear” and that’s what gave her the idea for a world-wide symbol for the hearing impaired. Hiking trails can use the symbol.  Biking trails can use the symbol. Businesses can use the symbol.  Any place where hearing impaired people might be can have a symbol.  TJ is on a mission to get these hearing impaired symbols installed in public places because if we know that there are hearing impaired people there, we can watch for them. TJ’s interview gave us great information including “10 foods that you can use to help reduce hearing loss” so I created that freebie for you, and you can download it HERE. She also gave us some other great tips.  Let the hospital know if your loved one is hearing impaired so that they can take measures to keep him or her comfortable.  From personal experience, I can’t hear my chiropractor when she puts her hands over my ears to do an adjustment so I let her know. I couldn’t capture all of the information she gave us, because the interview was so jam-packed.  Listen to the episode yourself for more great tips! Teresa “TJ” Barnes is a Registered Nurse / Keynote Speaker / Consultant / Trainer / HearC Products   Contact information:  (800) 491-9483  info@hearcommunication.com  www.hearcommunication.com Today’s freebie can be downloaded at http://RockYourRetirement.com/hear http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Teresa_TJ_Barnes_160602_IFinalo.mp3

How to help with symptoms of Parkinson’s? Neil Denaut is here to teach us how we can re-calibrate muscles. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/muscle-re-calibration Muscle Re-calibration:  How to help with symptoms of Parkinson’s. Neil moved to San Diego from New York in September of 2014.  He says he was called there in a dream.  He kept dreaming about  missing his flight to San Diego. This dream went on for four years until he finally made the move and relocated his family.  After that he started working more with extreme injuries. His purpose is to find more ways to help the injured.  He wants to help 1000 people become pain free. Why Muscle Re-Calibration? Neil has been correcting injuries for the past 16 years. He has amassed over 25,000 hours of personalized exercise and injury work. Furthermore, during the past 5 years he has been incorporating Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching into his work and the results have been profound!  This technique helps with Muscle Re-calibration. Some of his clients were told that they’d never run again and they began running in as little as 8 weeks. He has seen how muscle re-calibration has dramatically improved their ability to do daily activities in as little as two months.  Muscle Re-calibration has helped them to become increasingly stronger.   Muscle Re-calibration seems to have slowed the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease! Neil’s life is dedicated to helping others in extreme need.  He wants to teach others how the GREAT methods that he has learned can help. A story about Muscle Re-Calibration: Neil told us the story about Dan, who was his first Parkinson’s patient.  He had a great sense of humor and had spent his life in the gym.  Dan worked with Neil so that he “could get back to working out”.  Dan’s attitude never weakened, and he always saw himself getting better.  The most profound thing that Neil saw about their work together was that even though Dan’s body was shutting down, it still responded to the treatment.  Dan passed away, but was pain-free.  Neil’s experience with Dan that made him realize just how powerful the technique is. That’s why he helps people with muscular re-calibration, through the stretching technique. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  They should know that they don’t have to live in pain. They don’t have to accept where their bodies are. There is a great method that can give them a greater quality of life and it happens extremely quickly. What advice would you give to a retiree who feels stuck?  Today is the first day of the rest of your life. You have every opportunity to live the life that you desire if you just focus on what’s possible and not what your current situation is. The solutions are there and the results are yours for the taking. Contact information:  619-736-8995  MuscletherapySD@gmail.com  www.muscletherapysandiego.com *Note:  Rock Your Retirement makes no health claims on this technique.  Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns Today’s Freebie can be found at http://RockYourRetirement.com/stretch http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Neil_Denaut_160520_IFinalo.mp3

One of the toughest things to decide about after retirement is where to stay. Fritzi Gros-Daillon will talk to us in today’s episode how we can age at home. You can listen to the show at : http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/how-to-age-at-home Age at Home:  Fritzi Gros-Daillon knows how to do it.  She is a former senior move manager and has worked with 1000 families while being a long-distance caregiver for her parents in California. Fritzi founded Household Guardians in 2013 as an age at home consulting firm. Her passion for keeping family members safe in their own home environment for as long as possible has grown from years watching families struggle to make the best decisions. Her environmental business background, certification as a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS), Certified Senior Advisor (CSA) and years of experience bring a combination of expertise and perspective to the current aging in place issues. Her book, “Grace and Grit: Insights to Real Life Challenges of Aging for Adult Children and their Parents”, has won three national awards since publication in June 2014. Fritzi’s interview on how to age at home was jam-packed full of information, so I was furiously writing it down.  Some great information she gave us: * There are Toilet Paper Holders that can be used as balance bars. They can support 250 pounds of weight and look great. * Call them BALANCE bars, not grab bars. Our aging population doesn’t like these old sounding words. * Easy things to do related to lighting: * LED lighting on railings help. * Toe kicks can help. * Motion sensor lights help to raise our consciousness. * Motion sensor lights help us see where to put our feet and help reduce falls. * Add railings to hallways above the wainscoting. * Look ahead 6 months to see what needs to be done. * Smart soles are shoe inserts that work with an alert system. * Change lighting to reduce glare. * Cover or remove mirrors and reflective surfaces. * Remove family photos and replace them with pictures of flowers and landscaping. * Remove busy patterns on walls floors and furniture. * Use color to differentiate items such as plastic glasses and plates. * Be conscious of odors and sharp sounds. Use lavender, not rosemary. * Install soft background music. These are just a few items.  She has a 240 point assessment that she does to help you age at home. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  An assessment of your home can give you ideas for now and the future; it can increase the “visitablility” of your home for all family members. What if someone is “stuck in their retirement?   Stay engaged. Find a place to volunteer or learn a new skill… The experts are looking at this next generation of retirees to provide $2 Trillion of value in expertise to the national economy through volunteering and mentoring..it is a part of the national conversation. Contact information:  800-984-1186  fritzi@householdguardians.com  www.householdguardians.com To get today’s freebie, go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/ALZ http://traffic.libsyn.

Happiness is what everyone wants. Have you found your happiness? Maura Sweeney is with us today to talk about that in today’s podcast episode. You can listen to the show at : http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/one-word-happiness-episode-33 Maura is called the “Happiness Ambassador”. How did she become the happiness ambassador?  Maura Sweeney was called “water works” by her grandmother because she was always crying.  She made a decision when she was young to become a happier person, and she did!  She watched older people and found out that those who were following their own minds were happy, and those who were following what someone else wanted them to do weren’t. Maura Sweeney is a Happiness Expert and Next Generation Thought Leader: She is an:  Author | Podcaster | International Speaker | Huffington Post Contributor | Media Guest with focus on Influence, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and Personal and Career Branding. Featured in over 100 media outlets including Tampa Bay Times, Match.com, Midlife Boulevard, BBC Radio and overseas TV news. We had a great conversation about how to become happy.  If you need a little extra happiness in your life, head over to the podcast and take a listen. Maura helps people find their own happiness through her blogs, videos, books, media interviews, e-courses and Lectures and she helps them connect with their inner selves.  She calls it the GPS of happiness. She has a podcast where she asks a question each week and talks about it for about 10 minutes.  Short and sweet and makes you think.  It’s called “Living Happy from the Inside Out”. Also, you can buy Maura Sweeney’s Books HERE. What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire?  Instead of complicating things, ask what you most value.  Simplify your life and move on to what’s next. If you are stuck:  Most of all, don’t get down on yourself.  Listen to the podcast to hear the instructions, but you can also think about your childhood and find out what you used to play with, create, or think about. Maura’s Freebie: Maura is giving away a free e-book to our listeners.  You can email her at Maura@Maura4u.com and put “Rock Your Retirement” in the subject line, and just ask for the book, “Exiting the Comfort Zone – Dance or Die” Contact information:  Maura@Maura4u.com  www.Maura4u.com Bonus Freebie: Get today’s Rock Your Retirement Freebie, “The ten episodes to increase your happiness”, by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/happiness. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/033_Maura_Sweeney_160411_IFinal.mp3

Let’s talk about Sexual Desire with Beth Montemurro. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-deserving-desire Why did Beth write the book, Deserving Desire? Beth Montemurro is a sociology professor at Penn State University.  During the last 15 years she’s been studying gender and sexuality.  She has studied bridal showers and bachelorette parties (which was her doctoral dissertation), male exotic dancers, reality television, and attitudes. She is interested in the ways that people learn about and develop sexual selves through interaction with culture and the ways gender norms are created and sustained in everyday life. I spoke with her because of her book, Deserving Desire: Women’s Stories of Sexual Evolution. I loved this paperback book cover!  Although it’s considered a text book she can help the non-academic as well, and I plan to purchase a copy of this book for my kindle. We live in a youth oriented culture.  How does this affect women and our desire as we age? Beth told me several stories about some of the women she interviewed.  Please listen to the episode to hear those stories.  We talked about how our partners mold our definitions of who we are sexually. When a woman goes through menopause there is no change in desire, unless she isn’t active sexually, in which case her desire tends to lesson. Beth sent me a beautiful signed copy of her book, Deserving Desire, to give away in a drawing. If you read this before 8/12/16 there is still time to enter to win it!  Just go to http://RockYourRetirement.com/drawing to enter.  Note: You must be residing in the USA in order to win.  Good luck! Author’s Book(s): * Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties * Deserving Desire: Women’s Stories of Sexual Evolution * Something Old, Something Bold: Bridal Showers and Bachelorette Parties What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? Maintaining sexual desire is normal as people age and no one should feel limited by stereotypes about aging. What to do if you feel stuck? Stay engaged in relationships.  Seek out new relationships.  Accept that the way your sexuality is expressed may change, but that does not mean sexual intimacy becomes unimportant or non-existent. Contact information: If you are a man in your 50s and 60s, Beth wants to interview you about a research study she’s conducting!  Please email her to set up a phone appointment. Phone: 215-881-7566   Email: eam15@psu.edu   Website: abington.psu.edu/beth-montemurro   www.facebook.com/deservingdesire Don’t forget to enter the drawing!   http://RockYourRetirement.com/drawing   http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/Beth_Montemurro_160516_Finalc.mp3

Some of us may think that after retirement, we’d just be sitting around and do nothing but Noel Baker talks to us about how after retirement, it gets better. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/it-gets-better-episode-32 Today we interviewed Noel Baker, a retiree who has some advice for us.  It gets better! It gets better! Noel grew up in Minnesota and attended college at the University of Minnesota. After college, she worked for about a year before getting married. In 1970 she moved to Colorado with her husband where she spent the next 8 years raising her 2 children and was very involved in politics. Once she and her husband divorced, she had to gain employment. She worked a few different jobs including work at a bill collecting agency and as a counselor at a detox center for alcoholics. She worked as a Senior Administrative Assistant for KPMG which is an accounting firm for 26 years. The firm decided to downsize in the fall of 2009 and Noel was forced to retire at 64 years old she wasn’t ready for it and like many retirees, became depressed. She didn’t let that stop her though and soon she was up and about rocking her retirement.  it gets better. It gets better! SOCIAL AND FAMILY She joined her local recreation center where she made a circle of friends, and they enjoy going to the movies.  She also enjoys going to lunch with the ladies from the recreation center.  Now that she has friends, she knows that it gets better. ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL Noel does like to travel inside the USA and a year ago made a trip to see her youngest daughter in Utah.  She also travels to Minnesota to see her sister.  AND…she is also hoping to take a Cruise sometime.  We discussed  Costco Cruises and Celebrity Cruises.  Travel…it gets better! HEALTH Eating healthy and exercising are very important to her. She didn’t exercise at all until she retired as she felt like she had no time.  Noel gave up smoking and put on some weight. She goes to the recreation center to get exercise and go swimming.  Her doctor told her if you do nothing else, drink lots of water.  Good advice Noel!  When you take care of your health…it gets better! What do you think people should know BEFORE they retire? It gets better. There are friends to be made, places to go, and things to do We have a lot of listeners who are new retirees or maybe feel stuck in their lives at the moment.  If you were sitting across the table from a new retiree, what’s the one piece of advice that you would give to have a successful retirement? Look around at the possibilities. Volunteering or take a class. Find something you love and do it! To find out about Senior Centers near you, do a search of your area or you can go HERE. http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/033_R_Noel_Baker_160506_IFinal.mp3

Of course you can meet new friends even after you retire. Debbie Sanford will share with us how she managed to make new friends after she retirement. You can listen to the show at : http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/retirement-and-meetup-episode-31 Debbie Sanford teaches us about Retirement and Meetup, and how they go together. Debbie Sanford is a native Californian who lived in the Bay Area for 64 years. She retired in June of 2014 after teaching preschool for 24 years. Shortly thereafter, her long term marriage broke up and her youngest daughter became pregnant. She decided to purchase the “beach house” of her dreams which was a lovely manufactured home within blocks of the beach. It had always been a fantasy of hers to live near the beach and she wanted to be close to her daughter. Three weeks after she moved her first grandchild was born. SOCIAL AND FAMILY Debbie didn’t know anyone in the area other than her daughter. Already feeling like her life had gone full circle but she needed friends, she joined the activities in her 55+ living community, met some fun women her age, and shared happy hours and fun times with them. But other things were missing such as a book club, bunko, and volunteering. Which she had all participated in the Bay Area for the last 35 years.  Enter the world of Meetups!!  She joined a variety of meetup groups including Hiking, Book club, and Random acts of kindness.   Retirement and Meetup certainly go together! VOLUNTEER AND PHILANTHROPY In addition to spending time in Retirement and Meetup, Debbie loves to volunteer and believes by volunteering you are really helping yourself by helping others. Some of the places she volunteers for are: * Meals on Wheels * Encinitas Lions Club * Kiwanis * After school programs teaching children who speak Spanish to read English Before You Retire:  Before retirement, Debbie was nervous and a little anxious. She wishes she would have known how happy she would be in retirement. Getting “unstuck” in your retirement:  Look for a meeting in a city you live in for the volunteer bureaus. This meeting will tell you all of the volunteer opportunities in all of the cities in your area. Volunteering doesn’t have to be a physical activity. There are a wide range of different opportunities you can pick something based on what you like to do. Remember, you can Rock Your Retirement too, but finding something you love.  Perhaps Meetup.com is the place to find it! http://traffic.libsyn.com/rockyourretirement/R_Debbie_Sanford_060422_IFinals.mp3