New Beginnings

June 25, 2:04 PMBaltimore Senior Issues ExaminerJanet Dickinson

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Before I moved to Baltimore as an unemployed, unpartnered, senior, a friend gave me a small colorful poster with the words “Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods, nothing will ever happen, and your life will never begin.”

Often when adults make a significant move to a new place, they have a partner, or a child, or a new and exciting job or a graduate program to go to, but often seniors make these moves without any of these supports.  New beginnings may include a combination of these life changes.

I recently chatted with one woman who moved to Baltimore after divorcing, selling the home in which she had raised her children, moving far enough from her old home that she had to develop a new social network, and recently retiring. She was experiencing a major new beginning. With these new beginnings, come new challenges, fears, and excitement. A senior can view this as too scary to embrace or as a journey with much potential for excitement.

Today’s senior is often very different from our parents’ generation.  Women have more often spent much of their lives in the workforce, contributing significantly to the household income. They also may have been single parents for some of their parenting years. Their health tends to be better than that of their parents’ generation and they tend to be better educated.

Often social networks are easier to form when one goes to a job every day and has younger children. Developing that social network is very different as a senior.  Seniors may need to redefine themselves since their roles of parent and employee are no longer as time-consuming. 

This journey is something most of us face at some point. This journey often includes the challenges of many issues: the Medicare maze, applying for jobs as retirement annuities dwindle in these hard economic times, selling a house and buying a new one, making new friends, finding new healthcare providers, etc.

Where to start? Different seniors will be drawn to different places to start. Some who enjoyed swimming, hiking, or yoga before this transition can find these activities in Baltimore. Some may want to start by finding a book club. Seniors who found a social network through a spiritual community in the past can find a new church or synagogue in Baltimore which reflects their values.