advancing age to slow him down. Manylike him are helping to shatter the notion of traditional retirement. (NAPSA)—Asthe first of the 77 million baby boomers have begun turning 60, retirement has started taking on a whole new meaning: Namely, today’s seniors wantto stay active, involved—and working. Whether it be due to financial need, a desire to make a difference, or simple boredom, an increasing numberof retirees are returning to the labor force; the U.S. Department of Labor reports a 37.7 percent increase in the number of workers age 65 and over in the past decade. And manyare choosing a new profession: caregiving. According to Paul Hogan, founder and CEO of Home Instead Senior Care, caregiving is an employment option that’s ideally suited to the mature worker. In fact, about twothirds of the company’s own CAREGivers are 45 years orolder. Onesignificant advantage “postretirement” caregivers typically bring to this work is that of being close in age to their clients—thus making it much easier for them to forge a bond and increasing the likelihood that caregiver andclient will enjoy similar activities. Helping to shatter the traditional notions of retirement are people such as 104-year-old R. Waldo McBurney, a beekeeper and author who wasrecently honored as America’s oldest living worker at the Prime Time Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. McBurney was joined at this event—which was sponsored by Experience Works—by the oldest workers in each of the 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. In addition, during the same ceremony, Home Instead Senior Care received the prestigious Experience Works 2006 Outstanding Employer of Older Workers Award. The companyis a sterling example of the strength of seniors caring for seniors, and the tremendous power of tapping the country’s older workforce to meet a critical—and growing—service need in our society. And, very simply, many seniors are just more comfortable having other seniors in their homes, according to Hogan. To learn more, visit www. homeinstead.com/ jobs.
