A friend has to move her mother, with Alzheimer’s,  from Florida to their home in Vermont. 
However, there has been a delay because Mother doesn’t have a Motor Vehicle issued ID or a passport. 
It’s impractical to drive Mother those many miles, so they planned to fly.  Because Mother doesn’t have the proper ID (never thought of getting one when she didn’t renew her driver’s license), she can’t fly on the airlines in this day and age.
(I recall several years ago having to get my mother-in-law an official ID so we could take her and Dad on a flight across the country …read more

As my mom developed Alzheimer’s, she became Jim’s and my responsibility. I had to juggle the role of caregiver with a writing business, substitute teaching and helping Jim operate an Internet based business.  At first, Mother lived in her home 275 miles from us.  Then we moved her to our home, and finally she lived in a nursing home near us.
We learned to care for her in all these stages and still keep our businesses going.  It wasn’t easy, but in looking back, I wouldn’t have done otherwise.  Some of our work slowed down as we traveled weekly to her home.  Then …read more

My husband and I have a favorite restaurant.  We go there at least once a week, usually more.  We just realized last weekend that we haven’t been there in two weeks.  The reason – we decided to eat out less.  And it appears that many other Baby Boomers are doing the same thing.
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When we were children, my husband and I remember, eating out was a rare treat.  When we traveled in the summer with my father (a service representative who traveled every week), we thought it was cool to go to Howard Johnson’s for every meal.  …read more

Hiring your children is a good way to help your Baby Boomer business:

You can get some needed part-time jobs done that it would be difficult to hire someone else to do
You can save on taxes
Your child can spend the money or build up money in a college fund.

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If you have children between 7 and 18, you can hire them to do necessary and useful work in your business and you can save money on business and personal taxes.  Notice I highlighted “necessary and useful.”  The work they do has to be of benefit to your …read more

A couple of days ago I wrote about the basics of buying long term care insurance. Today, some more thoughts, in particular about Medicare and Medicaid, so you can think about whether you want long-term care insurance. First, some basics, then a longer explanation:
Basics (I’m generalizing what is a very complicated subject, to illustrate. Please do your own research to be sure you have the full story):

Medicare only pays for acute care, for up to 100 days, after you have been in the hospital 3 days
After that, you go on “private pay” in a nursing home, …read more

What is this trend of calling Baby Boomers “seniors?!” That’s just wrong!

One website for baby boomers has a domain name of http://seniorjournal.com/BabyBoomers.htm
Another website touts a “babyboomer/senior” expo. Yuck!
Every time I try to find photos of baby boomers for posts, I have to type in “senior” to get any photos that aren’t of 20-somethings.
My list of reasons why Baby Boomers are NOT seniors!
1. We are too young. Although some are certainly now eligible for Social Security, the vast majority of boomers are NOT. Some boomers are still in their 40s and early 50s. …read more

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My post yesterday about “brown-bagging it” reminded me of lunch boxes.  Remember when we all carried our lunches to school?  What did your lunchbox look like?
Since many baby boomers are carrying lunches again to save money, maybe we should bring back the good old-fashioned lunch box, including the thermos (soup? milk?)

For all of you Baby Boomers who are also members of what’s called the “Sandwich Generation” (aging parents, children still hanging around), there’s another blog for you over at the Lifestyles Channel: Genbetween.
While I focus on business issues here at Small Business Boomers, Elizabeth over there at GenBetween talks about personal issues that affect those of us who have both parents and children who still need care.
Here are a couple of her recent posts you might enjoy:
The Hula Hoop turns 50.
Tips for Older Job Seekers
 Regular Alcohol Consumption May Cut Arthritis Risk in Half
and more…
I’m putting GenBetween on my Blogroll …read more

Sean Kelly at Franchise Pick commented on my post yesterday on Senior Care franchises. He included more information on the initial investment and some insights you should check out.
I would be interested in what you think about this type of service franchise.
Don’t forget my “50 things to do at 50-something” contest – comment and put yourself in the running for a $30 book gift certificate. Final comments must be posted by June 20.

When my mother was in an “independent” living facility a few years ago, she was in need of someone to help her get to and from doctor appointments, and help her take medications. (Her children were not living in the area.) The facility suggested we call Comfort Keepers. They sent Jane, who was fantastic. She talked my mother into paying for the service (my mother was convinced that she didn’t need anyone), and within a week my mother thought she was wonderful.
I discovered that there are a number of these “senior service” franchises around. If …read more