When you are raising your kids in your adult years, it seems you will never know a minute’s peace.  Each day was another explosion of yelling, running and wild activity in the house from the moment the kids are born until they are grown and moving out.  It was when the last one finally made their way into the world that you actually knew what is was to be alone, at least the two of you. 

A full life such as this makes the adjustment to senior citizen status, retirement and the time you may spend alone and with time on your hands a bit of an adjustment.  The adjustment is even more profound if you enter your senior years alone and you find yourself alone much of the time.  The problem of loneliness is chronic in senior citizens so it’s good to get out ahead of it so it doesn’t cause serious problems the longer it goes on.

The negatives of loneliness in senior citizens are well known.  Excessive loneliness can easily lead to a sense of isolation, desperation and depression.  This can result in substance abuse or worse if the senior citizen doesn’t find a way to fight back against that feeling of being alone.  It is easy if you are in your house that used to be filled with children to feel abandoned and resentful when your day passes with no human contact.  If you have relocated to an assisted living center or nursing home, the problem may be even worse as you don’t have the comfort of familiar surroundings.  

But to feel sorry for your self and blame your children for not coming to see you is not a healthy way to fight this enemy.  Yes, your children should call or come see you more often.  But short of moving in with you or you with them, the problem of loneliness will have to be solved by you and using other means.  It may seem like a simplistic answer to loneliness but the beginning of solving these problems is a simple prescription which is – Get Out of the House!

If waiting in your house or apartment for people to bring companionship to you has not worked so far, it probably isn’t going to.  So you have to get out there and engage life directly.  If you can become proactive and take command of the situation, you will find the opportunities to find friendship and companionship are diverse and abundant.  Among some of the ways you can get in the company of other people are…

. Senior citizen functions.  If you are in an assisted living or retirement home, there are events being planned all the time for you to get out and meet your neighbors.  But even if that is not your living arrangements, most local communities have senior centers that have as one of their primary missions in life to provide social outlet for senior citizens.  So use that resource to its fullest.
. Volunteering.  There are so many excellent ways for you to volunteer at church, with civic groups or in the arts that you can stay continuously busy.  Not only do you get the gratification of doing something good for others, you get out and meet people which is a sure cure for loneliness.
. Church.  If you are active in your church, they always have ways for you to be involved during the day.  Some of them will be volunteer opportunities but others might just be attending a good bible study or social time with your Sunday School class.
. Pitch in with the grandkids.  This is a wonderful way to get out.  You love those grandkids and by giving your children a way to get out and leave them in a trusted place, you do them good and get tons of great play time with those sweet children.

These are just a few great ways for you to get out and meet people who will welcome you with open arms.  These are areas of life that are eager for an enthusiastic Grandma or Grandpa to jump in feet first and get involved.  Getting involved means staying busy and staying busy means never feeling lonely again. And that is the permanent cure for loneliness.

Are you planning for your retirement?  If you are expected to retire within the next year or two, you may be on the hunt for retirement communities.  With so many options to choose from, many seniors are wondering, how they can start familiarizing themselves with their options.

The first step in finding a retirement community is to decide on a location.  Do you want to stay in your current community?  Have you always dreamed of moving to Florida or another location with beautiful weather?  If so, now is the time to make your decision.  Targeting your retirement community search to a specific location can save you time.

Once you have decided on a destination, you have a number of different options.  If you will be staying in or around your local community, you can turn to your local phone book.  There, you will find a number of retirement communities located in the yellow pages or business directory section.  These centers may be listed under “retirement,” “housing,” or “assisted living.”  Your phone book should provide you with the telephone number of the establishment in question.  Contact them for more information.

If you are internet savvy, you can use the internet to find retirement communities.  If you already have the name of a retirement home or community, like one that was recommended to you, perform a standard internet search with that company or community name.  If the place has an online website, you should be directed to that website.  Not only can you get the needed contact information, you will also be provided with other valuable information.  This information may include a summary of rates, pictures, room layout plans, a detailed list of onsite services, facilities, and scheduled activities.

In keeping with using the internet to find retirement homes and communities, you can also turn to online business directories and online phone books.  Many enable you to search for a business, like a retirement home, by location, such as your chosen destination.  The information that you will be provided with should include an address, a telephone number, and possibly a company website link.  Be sure to visit the website of the retirement community in question or at least call for additional information.

Typically, you will find it easier to find retirement communities online.  In fact, you will likely be provided with more options.  Your local phone book may be limited in its information or it may be outdated.  If you are not computer savvy yourself, consider asking a friend or trusted family member for help.  An afternoon spent together can produce a large list of retirement homes and communities in or around the location of your choice.

Remember that moving into a retirement community is a huge decision.  In fact, you will need to do more than just find a retirement community. You will also need to choose one.  When making your decision, keep affordability in mind.  It is a must to choose a retirement community that you can afford.  Also, examine your needs.  Do you need assistance with living day-to-day?  If so an assisted living retirement community is advised.

The above mentioned methods are all ways that you can go about finding retirement communities.  As an important reminder, don’t just find a community to live at; choose the one that is the perfect fit for you.

Meditation became part of the vernacular of lifestyle choices and a source of a lot of conversation as far back as the 60s for baby boomers when there was a big interest in eastern religions and things that were exotic and new.  But while many of the flash in the pan interests in exotic religions during that time frame faded away in the life style of baby boomers, meditation has endured and become a common practice and resource that has benefited this generation in every decade of their lives.

There is a good reason meditation has endured and even grown in popularity far beyond any religious context.  Meditation has tremendous benefits for virtually every aspect of life and those who integrate it into their daily lifestyles can experience those benefits virtually as soon as they start.  You don’t have to be a guru at meditation to realize benefits from the very first time to give it a try.  Some of those benefits include…

. Meditation is calming.  Because the act of meditation calls for you to bring your thoughts into captivity and to still your mind and focus it, that sense of your soul being in turmoil eases and you are able to address the cause of your anxiety and see a solution more clearly because your emotions are not clouding the issue.

. Meditation helps you focus and concentrate.  The great thing about meditation is that the effects of meditation continue past those few moments when you are meditating.  Those few moments of calm create an atmosphere of focus and clarity of thought that goes on throughout your day helping you focus your mind and more easily concentrate when you need to.

. Meditation reduces stress and mental anxiety.  So often the stress that comes out of problems and difficulties is dominated by emotional reactions even more than by the problem itself.  Meditation clears away the effects of the stress making it easier for you to solve the problem itself.

. Meditation helps reduce physical anxiety.  The process of meditation involves extended periods of quiet deep breathing.  This simple action floods the brain with oxygen and energizes blood flow throughout the body which refreshes tired muscles and causes your entire physical system to relax and release pent up anxiety.

. Meditation helps you sleep and digest your food.  The refreshed blood flow, rich in oxygen that comes from the session of meditation, takes action immediately on the digestive system often reducing or eliminating digestive problems and even easing the symptoms of ulcers.  Because the mind is relaxed and well supplied with vital oxygen and blood flow, sleep comes more easily and is more recuperative.

Some successful role models in all walks of life that come out of the baby boomer generation credit meditation to why they are able to accomplish such great things.  In addition to all of these benefits, meditation is easy to integrate into your lifestyle and you can go at your own pace learning to become better at meditation and grow in your ability to use it.

Meditation is profoundly easy to do.  The image of a meditation practitioner in painful “lotus position” going into a virtual trance is the extreme of the discipline.  Because meditation has been adapted so that any of us can benefit from the health benefits it brings, you can begin meditating immediately and see the benefits from the very first session.

Small wonder many baby boomers have continued down through the decades to be enthusiastic proponents of meditation.  And there is no reason baby boomers cannot continue to enjoy the tremendous benefits as they move into their late middle age and retirement years as well.