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Mapping Your Future - RelationshipsThe nature of your relationships changes over the years. You will probably have more time for family and friends. Although geography may prevent you from seeing important people in your life as often as you would like, e-mail makes keeping in touch easier than it has ever been before. As you grow older, you need to continually develop new relationships and include as many people as possible in your support system. It is important to remember that all during our lives we need help from others. Asking for help is different than being dependent. In fact, asking for help helps you maintain your independence and helps prevent you from becoming a burden on others in the future. Relationships Issues to ConsiderWhat are some ways you can meet new people and make new friends? How can you develop a support system? Do you need or want to improve your relationship with your family? Have you communicated with those close to you your desires for your future? What sorts of professional support services are available to you? Are you affiliated with any organizations that can provide support (i.e. fraternal and services organizations, places of worship, etc.)? |
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Relationships ResourcesAARP (Nationwide): AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization for people age 50 and over. AARP is dedicated to enhancing quality of life for all as we age. We lead positive social change and deliver value to members through information, advocacy and service. AARP also provides a wide range of unique benefits, special products, and services for our members. These benefits include AARP Web site at www.aarp.org, "AARP The Magazine," the monthly "AARP Bulletin," and a Spanish-language newspaper, "Segunda Juventud." Active in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP celebrates the attitude that age is just a number and life is what you make it. A Touch of Grey Resources, forums and more. Awakenings: Simple Solutions for Life's Problems (Web Resource Only): An "awakening" is a moment of clarity in which a new insight or understanding is gained. With this new awareness the experience of life is seen differently, and new possibilities are opened. Changes in patterns of thought, emotions, and behavior occur. An awakening allows the possibility of growth to new levels of psychological and spiritual maturity. Chiff.com Information on family relationships. Elder Web (Web Resource Only): This award-winning site is designed to be a research site for both professionals and family members looking for information on eldercare and long term care, and includes links to information on legal, financial, medical, and housing issues, as well as policy, research, and statistics. Thousands of other sites link to ElderWeb, and it has received numerous Web awards and press mentions. ElderWeb has been used extensively by journalists and students doing research, and by professionals looking for Internet resources, as well as by family members looking for help for their elderly relatives. Experience Corps (Nationwide): Experience Corps® offers new adventures in service for Americans over 55. Now in 14 cities, including Chicago, Experience Corps works to solve serious social problems, beginning with literacy. Today more than 1,500 Corps members serve as tutors and mentors to children in urban public schools and after-school programs, where they help teach children to read and develop the confidence and skills to succeed in school and in life. Check out www.experiencecorps.org for more information. Grandloving.com Building special relationships with grandchildren. Lifespan: Take It On! (Rochester, NY): Lifespan is a non-profit agency dedicated to providing information, guidance and services that help older adults take on both the challenges and opportunities of the second half of life. We provide many direct services, we advocate and we guide. We also provide community and professional education. Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly (Nationwide): A national, non-profit, volunteer-based organization committed to relieving isolation and loneliness among the elderly. We offer to people of good will the opportunity to join the elderly in friendship and celebration of life. Mather LifeWays (Evanston, IL): Mather LifeWays' Community Initiatives is dedicated to encouraging a sense of community and belonging, affirming the strengths and gifts of each person, and supporting the growth potential of individuals throughout their lifespan. Mather LifeWays' works within selected communities to help neighborhoods become better places for seniors to live, work, learn, contribute and play. To do this-we hope to bring innovative services and community-based programs that will promote lifelong vitality and successful aging. This website will describe specific programs ranging from Caregiver programs to Cafés to Information and Assistance. Metropolitan Family Services (Chicago, IL): The mission of Metropolitan Family Services is to provide and mobilize the services needed to strengthen families and communities. For over 140 years, Metropolitan Family Services has been at the heart of Chicago’s city and suburban communities – encouraging family strengths and investing in a comprehensive range of programs which balance caring, professional services with practical measurable outcomes. Positive Aging Resource Center (Web Resource Only): Check out positiveaging.org for helpful information on maintaining emotional health, enjoying a healthy lifestyle, staying connected, making life changes, and caregiving. PrimeSingles Matching service for singles over 40. RelationshipWeb Links, discussions, book suggestions and more. RISE: Referral Information and Support Services for the Elderly (Mineola, NY): RISE is an outpatient program designed to help older people and families who must care for an aging relative while coping with the day-to-day pressures of work and family. RISE provides professional assessment of emotional and social needs; outlines options and helps people make the right choices; provides counseling around the issues of aging; offers support groups; and designs a personalized plan to assist with finding appropriate, good care, housing, health professionals, out of state care managers, and answers to clarify complex social systems. Seniors Connect (Cleveland, OH): North Coast SeniorsConnect isn't just a web site! Staff at the Cleveland Public Library are dedicated to helping you access information and connect to the tools and services that can enrich your lives. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions regarding the web site or simply need assistance finding what you are looking for, please do not hesitate to contact us. Senior Web Solutions (Web Resource Only): Senior Web Solutions is in the business of keeping people connected. Our mission is to enhance the lives of the 60-plus population through the use of technology, in particular e-mail and the Internet. SeniorsMatch.com Matching service for singles over 50. Time Slips (Nationwide): Developed by Anne Basting (PhD) in 1998, the TimeSlips Project has generated hundreds of stories, produced plays and art exhibits, and rekindled the hope for human connection among people struggling with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia. TodaysSeniorNetwork Tips and stories on relationships. The Transition Network (New York, NY and Nationwide): In the last few decades, women have had the advantage of vastly greater career opportunities. Many of us, in fact, were pioneers in professions considered off limits to women. We are now reaching the age when we think about transitioning into the next phase of life, eager to make it financially secure, healthy, gratifying and productive. But many of us find the traditional models of retirement wanting. The Transition Network (TTN), recognized the dearth of alternatives and was formed to create new models to help women transition from the career and/or family phase to eagerly embrace the next stage. White Crane Wellness (Chicago, IL): White Crane Wellness Center is an independent, non-profit organization whose objectives are to offer health and wellness services to older adults seeking ways to improve their health, and to serve as model for a new approach to health and aging. Woman Sage (Orange County, CA and Nationwide): WomanSage is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering, educating and fostering mentoring relationships among midlife women with a news-based Web site, a quarterly journal, annual conferences, monthly salons and small special interest groups. |
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