ShAARP Session: Observations from AARP

As more and more boomers near retirement age, they are forced to deal with the gap between what they've saved and the cost of living. Many people have no choice but to put off retirement and go back to work. One common reaction has been to start up a business in the hopes of bridging this gap with some extra income. This is actually becoming an increasingly common option as many boomers struggle to make up for losses in the stock market. Start ups offer the chance to inject some creativity into your job and also allow a great deal of freedom. Of course there are risks involved in starting your own company so be sure to do your homework before diving in.

So President Obama has taken to the road to promote health care reform. Along the way he held a town hall meeting in Green Bay Wisconsin where he got an interesting request. His questioner mentioned bringing his daughter to the event, causing her to miss the last day of school. In response, President Obama offered to write a letter to the girl's teacher to excuse the absence. In fact, the President did write the note which is pictured above. You can see the exchange right here:

Here's a good summer treat. Mango ice cream. Delish!

This is not to say that older people don't sleep! But a lot of folks do like play into the stereotype that older adults are constantly falling asleep, whether it be during meetings or their grandkid's dance recital or that they just go to bed at 3 pm. However, a new study shows that older folks actually deal with sleep deprivation better than their younger counterparts:

"The older adults -- ages 59-82 years -- showed more resiliency to total sleep deprivation than young adults -- ages 19-38 years -- on a range of measures of cognitive performance, including working memory, selective attention/inhibition, and verbal encoding and retrieval. Performance of young adults significantly declined on all three tasks during total sleep deprivation while that of older adults did not change significantly."

So next time your kid makes fun of you for falling asleep at the TV, challenge them to a sleep deprivation contest to see who handles it better!

Sorry to be a downer guys, but this AARP Bulletin piece was too important not to highlight; while folks may think the economy may be on the up and up, the unemployment rate is still hitting older workers, and hard:

"The unemployment rate for workers age 55 or older hit an all-time high of 6.7 percent in May, a level 116 percent higher than at the start of the economic downturn in December 2007, according to an AARP analysis of the latest government employment data. The jobless rate for younger workers also grew precipitously over the same period--63 percent among those ages 16 to 24, and 110 percent for workers 25 to 54.

Among all workers, the unemployment rate climbed to 9.4 percent in May, more than double the 4.5 percent reported in December 2007. An estimated 15 million people are without work."

The article also highlights differences between younger and older workers' experience with unemployment (and employment) during the recession; it's definitely work checking out.

Well over the past few months, bad headlines from the auto-industry have been pretty easy to find. Between bailouts, bankruptcies and plant closures, it has been one calamity after the other for American auto-makers.

However, a look through the news today shows a few bright spots. The courts cleared the way for Chrysler to be bought out by Fiat. G.M. has a new chairman in former AT&T executive Edward E. Whitacre. Also, the House just passed 'cash for clunkers' legislation that would incentivize consumers to trade in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks to buy new more fuel-efficient vehicles.

They certainly aren't out of the woods yet up in Detroit, but it's nice to see something positive coming from the auto industry for the first time in a while.

The American Journal of Medicine just released a new study which seems to show a steady decline in healthy lifestyles amongst middle-aged Americans. In comparing the results of two National Health and Nutrition, one from the 80's and the other from the first half of this decade, the study finds reductions in the amount of middle-aged Americans who exercised regularly, and ate a well-balanced diet. It is thought that the rise of the sedentary lifestyle and more demanding work schedules have contributed to the abandonment of healthy behaviors. The news is particularly troubling because at this point, the health ramifications of a poor diet and lack of exercise are well known.

Surf, sand, sunny beaches and stress - one of these isn't typically associated with summer getaways. Yet a survey by global staffing firm Randstad reveals a surprising cause of employee stress - taking time off for a vacation.

When asked what they found difficult about taking time off from work for vacation, 84% of workers over 55 said the first day back was the most stressful, significantly higher than Gen Y, Gen X and Boomers.

So what can be done to alleviate some of the stress - tons of emails, a desk piled high with reports and paperwork and a full voicemail inbox - that comes with the first day back in the office from vacation? Below, Eric Buntin, managing director for Randstad US, suggests the following tips for making your first day back from vacation productive and stress free:

Get a Head Start - go through your email inbox the day before you return to the office. After deleting the junk mail, scan for emails from your boss, employees and clients, assigning priority for follow-up upon your return to the office. This will create a more focused environment once you arrive to work the next morning.

Ask for a Status Update - if you work on a team or have staff that reports into you, ask someone to send you an email updating you on your projects. By doing this before you get into the office, you'll have a head-start on your first-day priorities.

Be an Early Bird - arrive before normal office hours to ensure you get some quiet time to prioritize your to-do list and review and return voicemail messages. Once co-workers begin arriving, chances are you're more likely to engage in conversation and be met with distractions.

Take Your Boss To Lunch - taking your boss to lunch on your first day back gives you time to catch up on projects and discuss important matters in a one-on-one atmosphere.

Gas Up - be sure your car has a full tank of gas so you don't have the added stress of stopping at the gas station on your way into work, which can sometimes alter your morning routine.

For more employment tips check out Randstad's website here.