Basic HTML Version
E-2
THE HERALD,
Sharon, Pa.,
Sunday, February 19, 2012; HUBBARD PRESS,
Hubbard, Ohio,
Saturday, February 25, 2012 í
Outlook 2012
www.sharon
By Beckie Erwin
St. Paul’s Marketing Specialist
Because of its committed
vision to create a sense of
belonging and purpose by
providing a place to call
home for everyone who
chooses to become part of
its family, St. Paul’s, A Con-
tinuing Care Community in
Greenville and the Shenango
Valley, enjoyed steady
growth during 2011.
The Colony, which offers
independent, community-
style living, built a new home
and welcomed 18 new resi-
dents to newly-renovated Es-
tate homes and apartments.
Frank and Gerry McElree
constructed a new home,
moving in just before Christ-
mas.
“We feel very much a part
of the St. Paul’s family,’’ they
said. “Mov-
ing here has
been one of
the best de-
cisions of
our lives.’’
Existing Estate homes of-
fer new residents the oppor-
tunity to redesign the layout
and décor to suit their indi-
vidual needs and tastes.
Homeowners select from a
variety of options to make
their home their own.
The Ridgewood at both
Greenville and Shenango
Valley, as well as The Her-
itage in Greenville, provide
aging-in-place apartments for
individuals and couples want-
ing private living arrange-
ments along with personal
care options. In 2011, each of
these buildings welcomed
new residents to their com-
munities.
Volunteers are the core of
any successful organization.
Volunteer Services Director
Rose Hoffman reports 63
new volunteers were trained
in 2011 at St. Paul’s.
Volunteer Adele Lehosky
said, “Knowing that I am
needed gives me a reason to
get up in the morning,’’ she
said.
“When residents feel so
much better because of any
little thing that I can do to
help them, then I feel so
much better, too.’’
More employees were
also added to the ranks. Ac-
cording to Human Resources
Director Lynn Chuey, a num-
ber of full-time staff positions
were created in 2011.
As the census grew, staff
hours increased at The Her-
itage and nursing staff in-
creased at The Ridgewood.
St. Paul’s saw
growth in 2011
WEST SALEM TOWNSHIP
The
Outlook
A community
point of view
The Seattle Times
At 68, Joy LaJeret has ap-
plied for enough jobs to rec-
ognize some of the code
phrases potential employers
use.
They don’t come right out
and say, “You’re too old.”
But they might say some-
thing subtle such as: “We’re
looking for someone who
would grow with the compa-
ny.”
She’s even heard this:
“With all your experience,
you’d probably be bored
with a job like this.”
But LaJeret, of Redmond,
Wash., has kept working
part-time office jobs while
training for something bet-
ter. She can’t afford to retire.
Americans, in ever-increas-
ing numbers, are staying on
the job past the traditional
“retirement age” of 65. The
percentage of senior citizens
who are employed has
jumped in recent decades,
from 11.4 in 1990 to 16.2 per-
cent in 2010, Census Bureau
data show. The trend is ex-
pected to accelerate as more
baby boomers approach re-
tirement age.
In some professions, such
as teaching, veteran workers
staying on the job reduce the
number of openings for new
candidates. And in some en-
try-level jobs, such as fast-
food restaurants and coffee
houses, senior citizens are
doing work that used to be
done by teenagers.
For the first time on
record, senior citizens out-
numbered teens in the U.S.
labor force in 2010, accord-
ing to a compilation by
Bloomberg News of data dat-
ing to 1948.
The reasons people work
past 65 vary. Some love their
work. Some hesitate to walk
away from the security of a
paycheck or health coverage.
And some stay because
the troubled economy of the
past few years pulled the rug
out from under them.
“Unless I win one heck of
a big lottery, I’d like to keep
doing this,” said Randy Mc-
Dougall, 65, taking a break
from directing big trucks up
the loading ramps at the
Washington State Conven-
tion Center, a part-time job
he’s had since early 2010.
For 17 years, McDougall
worked at a small company
that specialized in aerial pho-
tography. The firm’s most
dependable customers, he
said, were companies doing
large-scale developments in
commercial or residential
real estate.
“When the bottom fell out
of real estate, it hit us hard,”
said McDougall, who was
laid off in 2008.
At the convention center,
workers 65 and older make
up 17 percent of the 211-
member staff, and are valued
for their dependability, posi-
tive attitude and ability to
work flexible hours.
“They bring a wealth of
life experience and that ben-
efits us,” said Jeffrey Blosser,
the center’s chief executive
officer. “They like to be help-
ful and it shows. We get a lot
of great reviews from our
clients about how friendly
our staff is.”
Older workers have a low-
er unemployment rate than
the overall workforce, but
when they lose jobs, they
take longer to get new ones.
November data from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics
put the national unemploy-
ment rate for 65-and-older
workers at 6.7 percent, be-
low the overall mark of 8.2
percent, not seasonally ad-
justed.
But senior citizens out of
work took an average of 62.7
weeks to find a new job,
compared with the overall
average of 41.1 weeks.
Paul Valenti, a job coun-
selor with the Seattle May-
or’s Office for Senior Citi-
zens, said seniors are
scrambling to update their
computer and technology
skills, required in an increas-
ing number of fields.
Questions about the future
of Social Security weigh on
those approaching retire-
ment age. As the baby-boom
generation exits the working
world -- many to survive well
into their 80s and beyond -- a
smaller pool of workers will
be available to generate the
funds paid out in Social Se-
curity benefits.
“Full retirement age” for
Social Security has gradually
increased from 65 for people
born before 1938 to 67 for
those born in 1960 and later.
Denise Klein, CEO of Se-
nior Services, said her
agency is hearing from more
people older than 65 who are
working -- or looking for jobs
-- to meet basic financial
needs.
Today’s 65-year-olds are
healthier and will live longer
than those of a generation
ago, and have a lot to con-
tribute, she said. Besides
money, many find a “sense
of meaning and purpose” in
their careers.
Scripps Howard News Service
Harry and Marge Heppner are at home at The Colony of St. Paul’s, A
Care Community in West Salem Township, after moving back to the are
caster, Pa. Greenville is home to Mrs. Heppner and the couple had the e
tate home renovated to their personal specifications.
Most people
are working
beyond
retirement age