Issue Highlights Articles: President's Notes *** Faculty Retirement Liaison – Demystifying the Retirement Process *** University of Massachusetts becomes first university system to join Age-Friendly University Global Network ***Clemson University’s Emeritus College New Community Service Award *** Berkeley Home Match: Retirees and Grad Students *** Retiree Assn. Provides Practicum Opportunity for Students *** To Retire or Not Retire: retired therapist on using your conflicting voices to guide you to a decision Trends: Can We Talk … About Death? *** A Little Culture is Good for Your Mental Health
Resources: How to Maintain Financial Security in Retirement *** Five Obstacles to Happiness (and How to Overcome Them) *** Are you caring for someone from far away? *** What should I do if I fall?
Come Join Us In Transforming Retirement ***Tell Us Your Story *** About AROHE | President's Notes | |  Greetings AROHE family,
As shared recently, our Board has been diligently working behind the scenes to bring greater value to our membership. Just last month, we launched our first webinar, AROHE Idea Exchange: Demonstrating the Value of Retirees. Attended by 27 retiree organization leaders, this webinar gave our members an opportunity to share successful practices and brainstorm solutions to common challenges. Stay tuned for more webinars coming your way. What’s next? Our newly redesigned AROHE website will be launched this month. Be on the lookout for the grand reveal coming your way soon! As we edge into the holiday season, we wish you and loved ones wonderful celebrations ahead. Until our January edition, may you ring in the New Year with much health, joy and happiness. Cheers, Trudy Fernandez AROHE President | Faculty Retirement Liaison – Demystifying the Retirement Process |  In 2016, two campuses at the University of California set up offices to assist faculty exploring retirement options. A Faculty Retirement Liaison (a retired faculty member with extensive knowledge of the ins and outs of the campus) was recalled to service at UCLA first, and shortly thereafter a Liaison at UC Berkeley. This Faculty Retirement Liaison program has been created as well at UC San Diego and UC Irvine, with other campuses considering the advantages. The Liaison talks confidentially with any Academic Senate member about retirement issues and options, and most pre-retirement faculty are frank about their concerns and fears. A Pathway to Retirement agreement can be negotiated by the Liaison, the retiring faculty member, and the department chair to ease the transition from full time activity to retirement. Especially important are reduced specific duties in the year prior to retirement while still working full time overall in other faculty duties.
Originally, at UC Berkeley, the expectation was that 20 or so faculty might seek the counsel and assistance of the Liaison each year. Rather, in the last 3 years, 34+ faculty have worked each year with the Liaison to plan the transition and negotiate a Pathway agreement in writing. The issues? Maintaining some office space has been very important, and the standard at Berkeley is to maintain that space for at least one year. Getting help to share or move one’s many books or decommission one’s laboratory is very important, and financial assistance in this action comes from either a home department or the campus. Assuring recall chances eases anxiety about being just “cut loose.” The Campus administration has helped support the costs of the recall to service. Having a Pathways type of agreement is essential to making this work for faculty both pre and post retirement. The Liaisons in the UC system from all the campuses talk annually about the issues that have been raised in order to better serve all faculty who are considering retirement but are not yet ready, and those beginning to think about it. For more information, https://tinyurl.com/yynr2tvk and https://tinyurl.com/y6osdygd Click to return to the Issue Highlights. | | | | University of Massachusetts becomes first university system to join Age-Friendly University Global Network | | BOSTON– In August 2019, the five-campus University of Massachusetts system endorsed the 10 principles of the Age-Friendly University, as defined by Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network at Dublin City University, joining an international effort intended to highlight the role of higher education in responding to the challenges and opportunities associated with an aging population. UMass is the first university system to join the AFU Global Network, earning the designation for its campuses in Amherst, Dartmouth, Lowell and the UMass Medical School in Worcester. UMass Boston endorsed the principles and joined the network in 2017. “I’m pleased that with the support of all five of our chancellors, UMass has received this designation as an Age-Friendly University,” said President Marty Meehan. “It reaffirms our long-held commitment to making a world-class public research university education accessible to all people in the Commonwealth, regardless of age.” For more information, go to https://tinyurl.com/yxb3z9ry | | Clemson University’s Emeritus College New Community Service Award | |  The first ever Clemson Emeritus College Community Service Award was presented at the College’s annual Fall Picnic on Tuesday, October 1, 2019. This new award was approved by our Advisory Board to recognize extraordinary service by an emeritus faculty member to the community external to the University. Added to the existing awards program, these two awards will help insure progress towards the larger goal set in our Strategic Plan to increase the visibility of the Emeritus College in the community at large. Increased recognition could also increase the involvement and engagement of emeriti faculty in serving the community.
With an audience of about 225 emeriti and friends, CU Emeritus College Director Dr. Debra Jackson presented the award to Dr. Linda Gahan, Associate Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences for her exceptional community service and her career at Clemson. Dr. Gahan and her husband, Dr. Larry Gahan, Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, and former member of the AROHE Board, came to Clemson in 1968. Her interests and abilities have led to involvement, fund-raising, and leadership roles with Concerned Citizens for Animals, Clemson Community Care, Clemson-Central Advisory Board, Clemson League of Women Voters, Fort Hill Presbyterian Women, Family Promise, the Clemson Rotary Club and with several other organizations. Her remarkable life of service to her communities was recognized by the audience with a prolonged round of enthusiastic applause. For more information, contact Lucy Pryde Eubanks, Department of Chemistry (Emerita), Clemson University, Phone: 864 656-3990,email: elucy@clemson.edu. | | Berkeley Home Match: Retirees and Grad Students | |  In January 2019, the UC Berkeley Retirement Center began piloting Berkeley Home Match, a program that helps graduate students find low-cost housing by connecting them with university retirees who own homes near campus. Both parties can benefit financially from the arrangement, but it also offers an avenue for developing meaningful intergenerational relationships. The pilot exceeded its goals with 10 matches facilitated, participating students’ average rent reduced by 40%, and stories of matches spending time together for regular check-ins, sharing meals, and discussing common professional interests.
Pat and Chris lived together for six months and both felt it was a successful match. Pat, a Berkeley retiree, enjoyed having Chris around, saying, “Just getting to know Chris was such a good experience...he was as diligent, hard-working, earnest, and straight-forward a person as I could imagine.'' Chris, a Visiting Scholar from Sweden, felt the best part of the program was, “feeling like I was at home”. While Chris was preparing to leave Berkeley, Pat already found a new match with another Visiting Scholar referred by Chris, who explained his referral saying, “getting to know Pat and learning about the community from her was a fantastic experience I would highly recommend to anyone. A full report on the outcomes of the pilot can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/yxm4pt2j. For inquiries, contact homematch@berkeley.edu. | | | | Retiree Assn. Provides Practicum Opportunity for Students | |  The Georgia College Retiree Association (GCRA) has collcultureaborated with the Department of Mass Communication to provide a practicum opportunity for senior majors that has proven beneficial to all involved. We were encouraged to take on this task by our President and Provost.
Last fall (2018), we created a position description for our proposed practicum student to: (1) help our Association create a webpage (https://tinyurl.com/y3lrxqae), (2) help develop a communication plan targeting retirees around the country, (3) assist with the preparation and hosting of the fall 2018 GA-HERO (Higher Education Retiree Organizations) meeting, (4) help develop an data base of our members and, (5) help to promote our new Association and our activities across the campus and in the local Milledgeville, Georgia communities. The practicum student (pictured) did a tremendous job with meeting all of the objectives. We have been successful in engaging a new Mass Comm. student for this fall and she has begun her work. She will continue the development of our webpage, create social media awareness/marketing campaigns, primarily through Facebook, and help design advertisement pieces, email and event promotions. We encourage other groups to consider this type of involvement and we will gladly share our efforts with any interested group. To follow up, contact Dr. Paul K Jahr, Chair of the Association, at paul.jahr@gcsu.edu. | | | | To Retire or Not to Retire? A retired therapist on using your conflicting voices to guide you to a decision | | Crossing the threshold into retirement can feel like a high-wire act without a net. As a retired therapist, I can tell you that during this transition, whether we are retiring or rewiring, feeling disoriented or purposeful, most of us have moments of fear, confusion and conflicting inner voices. You might hear voices like these: “I wonder what else I could do with my time?/I wonder what I need to stop doing?” “I want to continue to be productive./I want to slow down.” “I think I should do more./I think should do less.” “I need to earn more money./I can downsize and live on less.” “I want to keep working to feel relevant./I want to stop working to try something new.” To read further, go to https://tinyurl.com/y3hbqkrt. | | | | | Resources and Trends | | Trends
Can We Talk … About Death? Some recent, intriguing examples of how the conversation is evolving
Katie Couric has regrets. Even to this day. When the former TV news anchor spoke at Georgetown University at an event titled “The Healing Power of Communication” in August, 2019, she said she wished she had talked more to her late husband, Jay Monahan, about his impending death before he succumbed to colon cancer at 42 in 1998. “It was just terrible,” Couric said. “After nine months of trying desperately to figure out some way to manage it, he lost his battle — and it was devastating.” She explained that she’s writing her memoir and recently had drinks with Monahan’s two doctors to “revisit” those days. “I told them how guilty I felt about so many things about Jay’s illness and that we never really discussed, you know, even entertained the idea that he might die. I was so afraid to give up hope, and make him give up hope, that we never discussed the alternative, which I really regret,” Couric said. Is Dying About Control? Is Dying About Hope? To read further, go to https://tinyurl.com/y46qsjd5.
A Little Culture is Good for Your Mental Health Active and passive engagement in the arts can be antidotes to depression
Eve Hammond, 76, a retired scientist in the Bay Area, has a steady diet of museum and gallery shows, plays and/or concerts each month. She has also taken craft classes, from jewelry-making and pottery to mosaics, and is a member of a local museum. “Since my husband died, my only live-in companion is a cat. And while he is wonderful, I enjoy getting out and participating in what this city [San Francisco] has to offer,” says Hammond. “One of my favorites is Pop-Up Magazine, which is multimedia performances and has a sister magazine. I try to never miss a performance, and I’m always amazed by the young people telling their stories. There is so much enthusiasm, idealism and creativity; I leave on an emotional high, which lasts for weeks.”
Research shows that both active and passive cultural engagement (i.e. singing, playing a musical instrument or making a craft vs. visiting a museum or watching a movie) are strong antidotes to depression. A study of the effect of professionally conducted, community-based cultural programs on the physical and mental health of older adults in the U.S. found that those who engaged in active cultural pursuits regularly enjoyed better overall physical health, fewer doctor visits, less medication usage, fewer falls, less loneliness and better morale one year later, versus those who didn’t. Learn more at https://tinyurl.com/y4ywnhyn.
Click to return to the Issue Highlights
Resources
How to Maintain Financial Security in Retirement Making solid investments is important, but that’s just one facet of the equation
Retirement is your reward for an industrious life of service. After putting in decades in your chosen career, it’s time to hang up your hat, put up your feet and finally relax. Yet while transitioning into retirement means you no longer need to work for a living, it doesn’t mean your living expenses miraculously disappear. Between inflation and the cost of living, Social Security benefits are unlikely to cover all retirement living costs, so you’ll need to consider how to ensure financial stability in retirement. Making solid investments ahead of time is one way to set yourself up for financial success, but that’s just one facet of the equation. It’s also crucial to take steps to maintain your financial security over the course of your retirement. Doing so will allow you to leverage that retirement income of yours to the fullest, providing you the financial security you need to enjoy yourself without fear and anxiety. Here’s how you can bolster that process. Read further at https://tinyurl.com/yxax4h6w.
Five Obstacles to Happiness (and How to Overcome Them) Mindfulness can help us maintain our well-being in the face of difficult situations.  In Mitch Abbett, PhD, (https://tinyurl.com/y67tc48j) book, The Five Hurdles to Happiness, he describes five problematic and reactive habits of mind (or hurdles) that were originally identified in ancient contemplative and meditative traditions, and explains how they affect our happiness, peace, compassion, clarity of mind, and effective action. Though these habits evolved for important reasons—to keep us safe from danger, for example—many of us find them less than useful in our modern world, where they can wreak havoc on our well-being. To learn more about the five hurdles to happiness, go to https://tinyurl.com/y5rfm5o3.
Are you caring for someone from far away? 
Check out these tips to make your job a little easier: 1. Learn What You Need to Know as a Long-Distance Caregiver 2. Plan Your Visits with an Aging Parent or Relative 3. Activities to Do When Visiting an Aging Parent or Relative 4. Get in Touch, and Stay in Touch 5. Help an Aging Parent Stay in Contact from Afar 6. Organize Paperwork 7. Get Caregiving Training 8. Gather a List of Resources in your Aging Relative's Neighborhood
Searching the Internet is a good way to start collecting resources. Check with a local library or senior center, Area Agency on Aging, or Eldercare Locator to find out about sources of help.
Get more information about these tips and other caregiving resources on our website. What should I do if I fall? Whether you are at home or somewhere else, a sudden fall can be startling and upsetting. If you do fall, stay as calm as possible and follow these steps: · Take several deep breaths to try to relax. Remain still on the floor or ground for a few moments. This will help you get over the shock of falling. · Decide if you are hurt before getting up. Getting up too quickly or in the wrong way could make an injury worse. · If you think you can get up safely without help, roll over onto your side. Rest again while your body and blood pressure adjust. Slowly get up on your hands and knees, and crawl to a sturdy chair. · Put your hands on the chair seat and slide one foot forward so that it is flat on the floor. Keep the other leg bent so the knee is on the floor. From this kneeling position, slowly rise and turn your body to sit in the chair. · If you are hurt or cannot get up on your own, ask someone for help or call 911. If you are alone, try to get into a comfortable position and wait for help to arrive. · Carrying a mobile or portable phone with you as you move about your house could make it easier to call someone if you need assistance. An emergency response system, which lets you push a button on a special necklace or bracelet to call for help, is another option. Learn more about preventing falls and fractures on our website. | | Come Join Us In Transforming Retirement | | 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. | Tell Us Your Story | | Share News, Activities, and Events of Your Retirement Organization Please send us a note about the activities, events, and news of your retirement organization for inclusion in AROHE Matters. Send your information to our newsletter editor at pcullinane@berkeley.edu by December 11th for the January 2020 newsletter. | About AROHE | | AROHE's mantra is "Transforming Retirement." AROHE is a nonprofit association that champions transformative practices to support all stages of faculty and staff retirement, their mutually beneficial engagement, and continuing contributions to their academic institutions. By sharing research, innovative ideas, and successful practices, AROHE emphasizes the development and enhancement of campus-based retiree organizations and programs which support this continuing engagement in higher education. | | |
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