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Seven Tips for Building a My Time Friendly Nation
by Abigail Trafford
1. Reframe the Workplace
What’s so sacred about the 40-hour work week? Phyllis Moen of the University of Minnesota suggests breaking down the work week into ten hour units—some will work 8 units, some 2 units. My Timers want flexibility: part-time jobs or projects that last for several months at a time. There’s a natural alliance between My Timers and parents of young children who also want more control of their time in the workplace. But where are the jobs for older Americans? It is tough for people over 50 to get a job because of underlying age discrimination and a rigid full-time work structure. You may have to start your own company or nonprofit organization to get a good job.
2. Wake Up the Government.
Remember the moment when President Kennedy told a generation to ask what you could do for your country? We need a president to launch a major Peace Corps type initiative to tap the talents of older Americans in a wide-ranging community service program. Meanwhile the government—federal, state and local—should be the model employer of a more flexible workplace, setting the stage for reforms in the private sector.
3. Shake Up Education.
Why limit education to young people? That made sense a century ago when life expectancy was less than 50. But the imperative of longevity is regeneration—and that means acquiring new knowledge and new skills to make the most of these years. What about a degree in the art and science of life at age 60? Education is about dreaming; it helps you envision your life over the next decade or two. Dreaming is hard because we’ve been successful in our adult lives by sticking to a to-do list. But now it’s time to loosen up. Take a course in water colors or graphic design. Go on Elderhostel to Mexico. Get training for a next career in health care or the law. What did you enjoy doing in the past—that you put aside to make a living and raise a family? Go back to school to dream again.
4. Redefine Volunteer.
A few years ago, a magazine headline summed up the revolution in the nonprofit world: Candy Striper—My Ass! People want meaningful volunteer jobs. Your ambitions shift at this stage: instead of getting ahead, you want to get whole. Instead of a promotion, you seek significance. Psychologists talk about “generativity”—the desire as you get older to give back to the community and make a difference to others. For many people, giving back involves working in schools, hospitals, libraries, churches and the like. But you also want to be rewarded for your work. That may be a modest stipend, education credits that could be given to a grandchild, or help with medical expenses. The national program of Experience Corps, for example, trains retirees from police and fire departments to mentor students in schools. They receive a stipend, illustrating the concept of the paid volunteer.
5. Fight Ageism.
Discrimination against older people in the workplace is prevalent. Stereotypes are perpetuated in the media. Television targets viewers between the ages of 18 and 49—as though the swelling population of 50-plussers didn’t exist. Changing the image of aging means changing the language: Retire—retire the word. You may officially retire, but chances are you will continue to work. The majority of boomers say they want to work, at least part-time, in these years. Senior—who wants to be called senior (except those in high school). In Arizona, state officials found that people who retired to the state wouldn’t go to senior centers because they didn’t think of themselves as senior. So the state created life-option cyber cafes in public libraries to help older men and women re-do resumes and find jobs, choose education and travel programs, engage in exercise classes and select services from home-health agencies to plumbers. Elderly—a newspaper reported that an elderly woman, 62, had been robbed, prompting an angry reader to write: “Who are you calling elderly?” Beware the adverb, still—as in: He’s 70 and still goes to the office. Or they’ve been married 60 years and they still hold hands. Isn’t that cute. . . . and condescending
6. Watch out for Depression
You know about the importance of diet and exercise. Vitality and function are the elements of good health. But it’s not all physical. Well-being also includes psychological development and a spiritual agenda. A major risk in these years is depression. Many people experience a clinical depression for the first time after age 50. The highest suicide rates are in white men over 65. Depression may be associated with another illness or triggered by the death of a spouse or close friend. Grieving is normal, depression is not. But too often when an older person is sad, the response is: well you’re old—of course, you are sad. That is medical ageism. In recent years the National Institute on Mental Health has launched a campaign to make people aware of depression in older men and women.
7. Put My Time on the Political Agenda
Political leaders focus only on the problems of a graying population. They don’t see the talents of an unprecedented generation of healthy, experienced men and women who could be the solution to many problems in the country. We need political action: A legislative agenda that encourages employers to retain and hire older workers? An education initiative to train older people in such fields as health care and engineering, where there is a shortage. A nationwide community service program for older Americans. To be sure, problems in Medicare and Social Security need to be addressed to preserve these programs for future generations. Many older people cannot take care of themselves and depend on these programs. But the frail are a minority among those over 65. To ignore the healthy majority is another form of ageism. Longevity is a social movement like the civil rights movement and the women’s movement. Longevity is the New Frontier
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