Tag Archives: baby boomers

Not Ready To Be Old

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I recently encountered a new blog in which the writer intends to explore the “third act” of life, i.e. the time past age 55. She begins by telling that her grandmother at age 65 wondered how she had gotten so old, … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche | Tagged aging, baby boomers, change, elderly parents, older adults, uncertainty | 6 Comments

The Two Phases of Retirement

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Work and leisure patterns late in life are changing. The ideal of taking full retirement in order to live a life of leisure is giving way to phenomena such as partial retirement, active retirement, or, as I labeled what I’ve been … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Psyche | Tagged aging, baby boomers, meaning, older adults, retirement, retirement income, seniors, Steve Vernon | Leave a comment

A Middle-Aged Suicide

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Andrew Solomon wrote recently about Robin Williams’ suicide. He mused about the unique features of this particular death: “In public appearances, he never showed the callous narcissism of many actors; his work relied on the interplay between riotous extroversion and nuanced … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Psyche, Uncategorized | Tagged aging, baby boomers, dying, middle age, midlife, psychotherapy, Robin Williams, suicide | Leave a comment

Why Belong to a Church Where Everyone Is Younger Than Me?

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Why belong a church whose members are all younger than me, most by several decades? The first time I visited Square Inch Community Church, I thought, “Not only am I older than everyone here, my kids are older than most … Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit | Tagged age differences, aging, baby boomers, Christianity, church, faith, God, seniors | 3 Comments

Why Are Boomers Working Longer?

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

I recently ran across an interesting article about boomer retirement. The author, James J. Green of Summit Business Media, summarizes a report by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. In 1993, 29.4% of adults 55 and older were in the workforce, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged aging, baby boomers, elderly, elderly parents, Family, older adults, purpose, work | Leave a comment

My Life Story: Becoming a Practicing Psychologist

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

In a previous post about changes in midlife, I described several significant changes that I underwent. The first of these was that, at age 32, I decided that I wasn’t satisfied teaching what I hadn’t practiced, and sought part-time (later full-time) clinical … Continue reading →

Posted in Psyche | Tagged aging, baby boomers, Calvin College, faith, life review, life story, midlife, psychology, Spring Arbor University, work | Leave a comment

Interview: Caring for an Elderly Parent

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

As discussed in a previous post, in 2012 39% of adults in the U.S. served as a caregiver for an elderly family member. The numbers of caregivers are expected to increase as the population ages. I sat down recently to … Continue reading →

Posted in caregiving | Tagged aging, baby boomers, caregiving, elderly parents, independent living, older adults, parents | Leave a comment

Hi, I’m Bob and I’m Redeployed

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Bob Ritzema

Recently, as part of a series of posts about leisure and retirement, I relayed that today’s older adults are less likely than those in the previous generation or two to quit working entirely, and those who do quit working or switch to … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Psyche | Tagged aging, baby boomers, change, elderly parents, older adults, older workers, retirement, semi-retirement | Leave a comment

If We No Longer Retire, What Will We Do When We Get Old?

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve been writing about retirement and leisure. First, I considered the fact that the majority of older workers don’t have the money to permit them to totally leave the workforce. I then looked at the history of retirement, discovering that … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Psyche | Tagged aging, baby boomers, elderly, leisure, older adults, older workers, purpose, retirement, seniors | 2 Comments

Retirement Is Changing: Is That Good Or Bad?

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Bob Ritzema

Most of us who have reached midlife but have not yet retired can’t count on an employer-provided pension plan to provide for us in retirement. Social Security benefits by themselves provide only a bare-bones financial skeleton to support us, so … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture | Tagged aging, baby boomers, elderly, leisure, older adults, retirement, savings, the good life | Leave a comment