An interesting article in Newsweek this week speaks to the growing number of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) retirement communities in America. Although the article throws around the commonplace “LGBT” tag, it really only discusses lesbian and gay communities and makes no mention of other orientations. Either way, there are now 25, apparently, though they don’t typically disallow non-LGBT people (and in most cases it’s not legal to do so anyway). There’s some interesting insight in the article. A couple of gay friends of mine recently mentioned the idea of gay/straight retirement communities to me, and I was surprised only because I hadn’t heard of them. I wouldn’t imagine that when my generation grows older it would be an issue to co-mingle, but I suppose in any generation there will might be discrimination, and LGBT people may prefer to just keep it simple. Either way, check out the article!

in the news

Just a fun note from the day: a couple celebrates their 60th wedding anniversary by being treated to the same price as their night stay at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on the night of their honeymoon.

fun, in the news

An article at the University of Texas at Dallas’ website yesterday tells the story of 90-year-old Helen Small, who has just now graduated with her Master of Science degree in Psychological Sciences from the distinguished university, known for its excellence in that very field. I encourage y’all to check it out –- from the sound of it, Helen is truly an inspiration for living life to the fullest into one’s later years. I’ll need to brush up on my undergrad neuroscience so that if she and I meet up we’ve got a few things to talk about! Thanks to my friend Flora for pointing me to this article about her classmate.

in the news

I highly recommend reading Marc E. Agronin’s article, “Old Age, From Youth’s Narrow Prism”, which a friend of mine forwarded to me after reading it and thinking of Life’s Waltz. As a doctor, he writes about how our (and his, as it’s a first-person story) perspective and presumptions about old age were upended when he visited a newly widowed woman of 93 years of age at a nursing home in Miami. It’s brief, and it’s spot on, carrying the same message that Life’s Waltz aims to demonstrate.

in the news

In an article at Mashable, a social media news site, they reported that in 2009, whereas Millennials (Ashley and my generation) maintained the same levels of internet/social media (Facebook) site engagement, only increasing by 1% of the demographic, Baby Boomers and Seniors led the pack far and away, with a gigantic 47% of Baby Boomers now maintaining a social media web profile, 73% of those on Facebook. And, of all of the Seniors (older than baby boomers, and the subjects of our documentary) using social media on the internet, 90% are on Facebook. Check out the article for more here: http://mashable.com/2010/01/28/baby-boomers-social-media/.

Do you use any social media sites, such as Facebook? If you’re a Baby Boomer or at least older than us Millennials, how have you found the experience? If you’re a digital native (most Millennials pretty much are – we grew up with the internet for a good enough chunk of our lives for it to be a natural/native thing), how has it been having your family, parents, grandparents, etc. join Facebook and find you in the social media realm? Personally, I’ve discouraged my parents from joining, not because I would care if I were friends with them, but I don’t think they’d get anything out of it. But a few of their friends have friended me on Facebook, which is fine with me; I just warn each of them: “What you are about to experience may shock you.”

fun, in the news

in the news, senior eSource

Self-explanatory: click here for the comic. Sometimes, life inside of a retirement community does take you back to your high school days.

Ceil and Dorothy told us not too long ago of a major spat they got into with another resident at TVN who accused them of stealing her seat at BINGO. In character, and to put it nicely, let’s just say Ceil told her no. “You’re in my seat!” I remember saying that way back when. Guess I’d better get ready to start saying it again in about 60 years.

fun

As summarized in a recent article from the Dallas Morning News, seniors are getting online. The Baby Boomer demographic saw the greatest percentage increase in online use since 2005, from about 25% to 45%, and as they get online more and more into retirement communities and become “seniors”, the use of the internet and social media is only going to keep growing. The article talks about communities in Dallas that are getting their residents onto the web. As you may know, for instance, one of our main characters, Sam, is on Facebook. Whenever we talk about it, he says, “I get on Facebook, but I have no clue what I’m doing on it!” Of course, that joke is betrayed by the fact that every now and again he writes on my wall and sends me a message. Did you see the video of us helping Sam sign up for Facebook?

fun, in the news

Looks like the senior bowling scene is about to get a brand new ball…

And I bet if Jared and I introduced the Wii to TVN, some of the folks over there would LOVE it.

Here’s to the lady featured in the article and her 213 scores (my bowling scores are almost always <100)!

Feel free to share any stories of your grandparents or of seniors you know who are engaging in technology.

Does your grandpa email?

Does your great aunt have a Blackberry?

Is Ethel, your 80 year old neighbor, using a GPS box in the car?

How do you perceive seniors in our increasingly techno-fied world with all of the ever-emerging technologies? Are these technologies really user friendly or are they just for the young whippersnappers?

in the news, senior recreation

We don’t have any showgirls in our film, but this woman is worth noting. 85 years old and still dancing in the Palm Spring Follies!

fun, in the news