Greetings AROHE Members,

May is Older Americans’ Month…CELEBRATE YOURSELF!!  Perhaps your retirement organization is having some special programming in honor of its members and to express gratitude for those campus administrators who provide support to the institution’s retired faculty and staff.  How appropriate to share a month with all the new growth of spring and the freshening of all our lives in our next stages of our “careers.”

The Biennial Conference in Atlanta is only five months away, and proposals are coming in for the Concurrent Sessions and the Resource Exchange Fair.  We hope that your organization too will be making a submission.  The proposal review begins May 14^th, and will continue throughout the next months prior to the Conference.  The sooner you are able to get your proposal in, the more likely there will be space during the conference for you to make a presentation.  We all have much to share with each other.

Congratulations to the awardees of our inaugural Innovation Awards!  Arizona State University Emeritus College and its ISEF-AZ Preparatory Program, Clemson University Emeritus College and its Language Skills Program, and the Council of University of California (UC) Retiree Associations and its Comprehensive UC Retired Staff Survey. The enclosed article provides more information about these award winning programs.  The awardees will be at AROHE’s Ninth Biennial Conference letting us all know how their projects have improved their retirement organization and their institution.  Perhaps what they have done can be a model for your organization as well.

Best,

Caroline M. Kane

AROHE President

Make your retirement organization a gateway – to a future of productive endeavor, intellectual engagement, and newfound collegiality!

AROHE’s Ninth Biennial Conference

Atlanta, Georgia

October 7-9, 2018

"Re-Creating Retirement: Connect, Serve, Celebrate!"

Host: Emory University Emeritus College (EUEC)

Co-Host: Georgia Association of Higher Education Retiree Organizations (GA-HERO)

We all know that retirement is not an ending, indeed that any ending is nearly always a beginning.  Tom Stoppard put it well:  “Every exit is an entrance somewhere else.”

We faculty and staff who exit the groves of academe also take it with us when we depart – in the selves we became there, and in the work we did there and will continue, many of us, to do.

In fact, by embracing the many opportunities for continued engagement that AROHE’s member organizations provide, we can enter a new phase of that professional life, where new connections – with our institutions, with the wider world, and with each other – enrich us all. 

Decide now to join us in Atlanta as we explore together how the vast range of academic retirement organizations in North America provide creative gateways to a future of productive endeavor, intellectual engagement, and newfound collegiality.

By attending, you can also help us consider some new directions AROHE itself may want to take in helping all of us re-create retirement as a life-stage of renewed purpose and passion.  After all, retirement is a time to celebrate not just who we’ve been, but who we are still learning to be.

AROHE’s Ninth Biennial Conference hopes to welcome you to Atlanta in October.   For details about the schedule of plenary presentations, concurrent “break-out” sessions, and Resource Exchange Fair, along information about extracurricular events for those wanting to sample a bit of what Atlanta has to offer, please see the Conference website at www.arohe2018.org. 

John Bugge, Chair of the Planning Group, will be happy to field questions, as well, at engjmb@emory.edu

Inspired by the University of California System survey highlighted at the 2016 AROHE Conference, the Towson University Retired Faculty Association recently undertook its own survey of retired faculty and librarians.  The goal was to learn not only the ways in which retirees spend their well-earned leisure hours, but also the many ways that they remain actively engaged with their disciplines, educational institutions, and communities. 

The 18-item survey was mailed to 380 Towson University retirees; 149 completed surveys were returned; an impressive 39% response rate. 

Survey data illustrate that, far from abandoning teaching, service, leadership, and scholarly and artistic production, the majority of respondents continue to make significant contributions at local, regional, and national levels. 

In retirement, 52% teach; 40% publish; 49% participate in professional conferences; and 47% continue working, some as consultants.  Also, 30% of them are acknowledged for their professional endeavors by receiving grants, awards, honors and/or other recognitions.

The results of the survey demonstrate how Towson University’s faculty and librarians reflect the changing nature of retirement in the 21^st century: out-going, engaged, and vital. 

The full survey report may be accessed at: https://www.towson.edu/retiredfaculty/

Engage at Every Age: May 2018

Kicking off Older Americans Month

May 1st marks the start of Older Americans Month. In proclaiming May Older Americans Month, President Donald J. Trump states:

During Older Americans Month, we recognize and celebrate those Americans who have spent decades providing for the next generation and building the greatness of our Nation. Our country and our communities are strong today because of the care and dedication of our elders. Their unique perspectives and experiences have endowed us with valuable wisdom and guidance, and we commit to learning from them and ensuring their safety and comfort.

Older Americans play critical roles in helping support their adult children, grandchildren, and extended families. They work and volunteer for businesses and organizations that drive our economy and serve our communities. Most importantly, our senior citizens mentor future generations and instill core American values in them. Their guidance preserves our heritage and the invaluable lessons of the past.

Visit oam.acl.gov for materials, activity ideas, and resources to help you celebrate Older Americans Month and don't forget to use and follow #OAM18 on social media.

By James Firman, EdD, NCOA President and CEO

When we’re kids, we go to school to learn the norms and expectations of being an adult. Most people learn how to balance a checkbook, some learn to cook, and many learned to type. You were given the skills you needed to succeed as adults. ​

But as adults we’re not taught the norms and expectations of the third phase of life. Just because you’ve had health insurance most of your adult life doesn’t necessarily prepare you to pick your Medicare coverage. And just because you may have run a marathon at 30, doesn’t mean you’ll know the kind of exercise you should be getting when you’re 75.​

That’s why National Council on Aging created a curated class – the Aging Mastery Program®  – that teaches some of this essential knowledge and provides a playbook to make small changes to age the best for your circumstances.​

The 10-session, in-person class covers topics healthy aging topics like sleep, medication management, and hydration, and economic security topics like financial fitness and advanced planning. It also includes engagement issues like healthy relationships and community engagement.

In five years, more than 10,000 people have taken the class, and most graduates tell NCOA they’re making lasting changes in their lives because of the class.​ To learn more about the Aging Mastery Program, go to www.ncoa.org/AMP.

With millions of Americans living longer lives compared to prior generations, it’s inevitable that many will want to work to later ages, for a number of reasons. For example, many workers may want to accumulate more retirement resources, continue their career aspirations, or stay engaged and productive.

However, there are a number of institutional and practical challenges if millions of older Americans want to keep working. To address these challenges, the Stanford Center on Longevity hosted the “Working Longer and Retirement Conference: Applying Research to Help Manage an Aging Workforce” on April 27-28, 2017, on the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, CA. The conference was organized and hosted by the Center and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), and sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

The Center and SIEPR organized this conference with the goal of gathering a group of academic researchers, employers, and human resource practitioners to discuss how to apply emerging academic research conclusions to the practical challenges of managing an aging workforce.

The compendium summarizes major discussion themes of the conference, including:

• The compelling case for people to work longer
• The significant barriers for individuals who are trying to stay in the workforce and for employers who are trying to engage workers past traditional retirement ages
• Older workers have different priorities and needs
• There are many steps that various stakeholders can take to accommodate an older workforce
• Future research can help address the challenges of an aging workforce.

Read the entire compendium

http://longevity.stanford.edu/2018/03/14/working-longer-retirement-applying-research-help-manage-aging-workforce/

Workers ages 65 and older are more than twice as likely to work part time as workers ages 25–64.

Across all age groups, women are more likely than men to work part time.

Reasons for working part time vary by age. Those ages 65 and older are most likely to indicate retirement and/or the Social Security earnings limit as their reason.

As more and more people work longer, in some cases well beyond traditional retirement age, the age demographics of the workforce are changing. In addition to having an influence on the overall age composition of the workforce, the growing share of older workers may also influence trends in how work is carried out because, as a group, older workers differ slightly from their younger counterparts in terms of working hours and class of work (i.e., private, government or self-employment). An example of this is that workers ages 50 and older are more likely to work part time. For more information on this article by Jennifer Schramm of the AARP Public Policy Institute, go to https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/ppi/2018/part-time-older-workers.pdf.

University of North Georgia (UNG) Establishes Center for Heath Aging

UNG approved funding of a Center for Healthy Aging with a mission to provide community-based organization that will offer quality education and services to older adults in the north Georgia region. The Center will foster student and faculty scholarly inquiry and service through mentorship and partnership with older adults. For more information, visit https://ung.edu/news/articles/2018/01/ung-establishes-center-for-healthy-aging.php.

New Medicare ID Cards

Between April 2018 and April 2019 Medicare will mail new ID cards to everyone enrolled in Medicare. The new card will have a new Medicare number that’s unique to you, instead of your Social Security number.  For more information, visit Medicare.gov at www.cms.gov/Medicare/New-Medicare-Card.

The National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults

Funded by the U.S, Administration on Aging, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (www.n4a.org) has established a Center to identify and disseminate information about emerging trends, resources, and replication strategies that the aging network can use and tailor in their communities and to develop a national strategy for educating and informing the Aging network about innovative engagement approaches and programming. For more information, go to https://www.n4a.org/engaged.

Healthy Aging Summit, July 16-17, 2018, Washington, DC

Registration is open for the 2018 Healthy Aging Summit, which will take place on July 16 and 17 in Washington, DC. You’ll get the latest insight on preventing disease and maximizing health in older Americans. Now is the time to look at key factors that contribute to healthy aging and empower the next generation of older adults. Register to join today.

Register before by June 5 to save up to $200 with the early bird rate! The Summit will be co-hosted by the Office of Disease Prevention and HealthPromotion (ODPHP), the Office on Women’s Health (OWH), and the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM).

2017 Profile of Older Americans

 Each year, the Administration on Aging (AoA) compiles the latest statistics on the older population compiled primarily from U.S. Census data into a Profile of Older Americans -- 2017 Profile of Older Americans. The profile provides data on changes in demographics of the population over age 65, including 15 topical areas (such as population, income and poverty, living arrangements, education, health, and caregiving). The profile is available in PDF format. Data tables are also available in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets. Highlights are that one in seven Americans are 65 or older, and just two years from now, this fast-growing segment of the population will number more than 56 million people. In this increasingly diverse and vital group are treasured family members, expert craftspeople, skilled professionals, seasoned adventurers, and wise advisors. They are our connections to history, and our guides for the future.

Eldercare Services Locator Website Address Change

ACL’s Eldercare Locator can connect you to trustworthy services for older adults and their families in local communities. From transportation and housing options to financial and legal assistance, the Eldercare Locator can point you in the right direction. Please be aware that the Eldercare Locator’s website address has changed due to federal security mandates. The website address had been eldercare.gov and is now: https://eldercare.acl.gov.The automatic redirect of the old website address to the new one was recently retired. Please update your favorites or bookmark for the website to: https://eldercare.acl.gov. You can also call 1-800-677-1116 for this information.

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Since 2001 AROHE has supported both institutions and individuals by transforming the experience of retirement – the preparation, the actual transition, and post-retirement programming – into a smooth and productive life-course change.

To renew, join or learn more visit arohe.org or contact AROHE by emailing info@arohe.org or calling (213) 740-5037.