A month or so ago, as my husband walked into one of his branches — which just happens to be in a long-term care retirement community — he was stopped by the sight of a flier. . . advertising the need for the elderly members of this establishment to participate in a flash mob.
That’s right — a flash mob. Just like high school cheerleaders and college glee clubs the world over, these folks were planning to surprise everyone at a local mall with spontaneous dancing and hopping.
The Husband and I laughed about it and both agreed it was cute, but we also wondered just how well people of advanced years (most of the clients he deals with at this retirement community are at least 70 and some in their 90s) could pull off such a stunt.
Then, a few weeks ago, THIS showed up in my Facebook feed:
THAT is a how folks at Houston’s Eagle’s Trace represent!!!
*I* can’t even do “The Wobble” and there were people sixty years older than me in that crowd, shuffling and hopping and raising their hands with enthusiasm.
Well, most were. There was one adorable little elderly lady — who didn’t look any taller than 4’8″ — who struggled raising her arms past her shoulders but, at her age, I think she’s doing just fine.
Eagle’s Trace is one of my husband’s favorite places to visit and we (the Kidlets and I) have joined him there on occasion . . . whenever I have felt up to a “Let’s Visit Daddy at Work” day.
These senior citizens have lived through nearly unfathomable changes over the past 60-90 years. Vehicles, planes, jets . . . wars and atomic bombs . . . space exploration and the discovery of DNA . . . the internet and cell phones.
Yeah, they have seen it all and they have “kept up” with an ever-changing world. Even my grandmother — who is entering her mid 80s — has taken computer classes, does all of their accounting on the computer and has a Facebook account. And the Husband’s grandmother is the same. They have to keep up with the world around them . . because each of these ladies (like others in their older shoes) is determined to play an active roll in her own life.
Regardless if you come from a line who “historically” lives a long time (one of my great-aunts turned 96 this month and STILL walks 3 miles a day), the fact is most of today’s senior citizens are living years longer than most have in the past. Since the Husband works with retirement age people nearly every day, this is a topic discussed a lot in our home.
What are we going to do when we retire? How are we going to save for those years? What do we need to prepare for now? What will it cost?
The need for long term care insurance is something my Husband deals with each day; he watches elderly couples, one or both of whom is twisted with arthritis, shuffle into his office and they begin the conversation, looking for help making pennies and dollars stretch.
From the tales he tells, for a good many of these older adults, it is nearly too late to do a lot. The older you get, doors close, leaving you with fewer and fewer options when it comes to life insurance, health insurance and other investments.
Living to see your 80th, 87th, or 92nd birthday is expensive. The time to begin preparing for your golden years of doing The Wobble was yesterday.
This post was inspired by Genworth Financial. The story and opinions expressed in are my own, and this true story is 100% from my life and that of my family’s. For additional information about the different life insurance types, visit Genworth Financial.
