For the first time, those 65+ outnumber teenagers (16-19) in the labor force.
 

Ideas for a more productive life -- volunteering, working, contributing.

May is Older Americans (not Senior Citizens) Month.  The Administration on Aging notes that this 'acknowledgement of the contribution of older Americans' was launched in 1963. Prior to 1980, it was known as Senior Citizen Month, but was renamed and became a 'tradition' during the Carter Administration. Looking through the list of themes, some seem to be efforts to acknowledge the forgotten: "America, a Community for All Ages" and "Honor the Past, Imagine the Future: Towards a Society for All Ages".  But today the term "senior citizen" has been erased by the AoA and the theme "Age Strong, Live Long," reflecte lengthening life span and unprecedented multiple generations of 'older Americans'.  Assuming that 'senior' is 65+, there will be 71.5 million by 2030 -- life span and baby boomer encroachment are driving other changes as well... >>> Read more . . .

About the 2 million people over 55 who are unemployed.

Thinking about 'recareering?' You and many others.  In April 2009, AARP published a report called 'Older Workers on the Move: Recareering in Later Life', a term the study equates with 'occupational change' and 'career change.' This Urban Institute research noted that 43 percent of Americans working full time at ages 51 to 55 subsequently change employers, and 63% of those job changers move into new occupations, including less demanding, lower paying, and self-employment, and also as part of a gradual transition into retirement, 'placing a high premium on escaping from the 9-to-5 grind'. Okay, hold that thought. >>> Read more . . .

48 career fairs set in 19 states.

References a Johns Hopkins study on how tutoring not only helps kids, but boosts executive function aspects of the brain.

How is a market entrant doing? I have spent much of the past year looking at websites of tech companies in the aging-tech or digital health-tech areas. As part of this look, I am always trying to figure out how these companies are doing. Talking to the company executives is interesting, but the website, to me is very revealing and sometimes contradicts verbal descriptions of momentum. To me, these are visible indicators of company health: >>> Read more . . .

Ok, I'll admit it. I went and saw Avatar last weekend and I loved it. Yes, the tree-hugger message was a little overplayed. And the 3D left me a little nauseated more than once. But there was also a lot there and I think I'll be unpacking this one for a while. What do big blue aliens have to do with aging in place? Beyond the respect for elders and communal living environment, there was one other concept that the aging-in-place market can latch onto: "I see you." For the uninitiated, this is not a simple statement meaning "you are in my line of sight" or even "hi." It means, "I see and acknowledge who you are." >>> Read more . . .

Multiple websites for online learning.