What stereotypes about retirees and seniors do you think are true/false? (conversation, social security)
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Most young people discount older people and some are afraid of them. Silly, silly kids. After all, just because there's snow on the roof doesn't mean there's no fire in the furnace...
Some old people might seem in a bad mood most of the time because of pain. If they have joint pains and other pains, their pain medication might not be quite enough to get rid of those pains. They also might not have the sense of smell of a younger person, and might not be aware that their house needs to be cleaned more and needs more fresh air. And their sense of time gets warped too. They might not realize it's been 9 years since the last time they got their carpets cleaned by a professional carpet cleaner. It might seem like only yesterday to them.
I think the stereotype that old people are cheap is somewhat true. I am 69 myself, and I still blow money like I have all my life, but I get customers all the time who get this shocked look on their faces when I tell them how much a part will cost, and then they leave to try to find it cheaper somewhere else. If I hear the term " fixed income" one more time I am going to gag !
Older people seem to fear being broke as they age, and they squeeze their pennies a lot harder.
How about the seniors who supposedly can't use a computer? Our generation invented computers (didn't they?) or were they invented beforehand and our generation developed and improved them. Anyway, I think that's a silly, outdated stereotype.
How about the seniors who supposedly can't use a computer? Our generation invented computers (didn't they?) or were they invented beforehand and our generation developed and improved them. Anyway, I think that's a silly, outdated stereotype.
No, actually, you would be amazed how many seniors do not own or use a computer. Just yesterday I was looking up a part for an older man at work and he said "How do you know how to use a computer at your age !" I told him I had to learn and that it opened up a whole world of information to me. He scoffed and said he couldn't ever learn to use one........and that happens all the time. I will be showing a customer something on the computer and they say they didn't realize a computer did those kinds of things.
The area I live in (Florida) has a lot of people my age and older, and a good percentage of them can't use a computer, or else they say their wife uses one to email the kids back home and that is about all they do with it.
No, actually, you would be amazed how many seniors do not own or use a computer. Just yesterday I was looking up a part for an older man at work and he said "How do you know how to use a computer at your age !" I told him I had to learn and that it opened up a whole world of information to me. He scoffed and said he couldn't ever learn to use one........and that happens all the time. I will be showing a customer something on the computer and they say they didn't realize a computer did those kinds of things.
The area I live in (Florida) has a lot of people my age and older, and a good percentage of them can't use a computer, or else they say their wife uses one to email the kids back home and that is about all they do with it.
Don
I live in Florida too- in an area in which the biggest percentage of the population is retired seniors, and find while it's true that any number of these folks don't own a computer and tend to stay away from them, or have computers but limit their use to emails and checking a few favorite sites on the internet, there are some (including my husband and myself), who are computer savvy and use them for business, banking, and other applications. I'm 67, and do contract work for a continuing education company in CA- all the work's done on the computer and online, as is most of my communication with the folks who own the company. I had to learn computer skills at age 50, when I took my last full-time job ( I retired from that nearly 4 yrs ago), after having been downsized from the job I had before that. It's amazing what you can learn when you're motivated to do so!
I fit the eat early stereotype. I always ate early. It isn't because I'm getting old.
I notice 2 main types of seniors. The ones that talk about what they have done and still refer to themselves by their former occupation. Then there are the ones that talk about what they are doing now and are still wanting to learn new things. I try to avoid the first group and thankfully all of my friends are in the second.
The eat early stereotype was especially true with my grandparents, as the grandfather left for work early, ate lunch early, and wanted to eat early when he got home.
Do you wear a sweater when it's 68 degrees in the Spring? Then why do you wear one when it's 68 degrees in the Fall or 68 degrees inside of a building?
However, I'm convinced the skinny little sweater wearers live longer and that why there seems like there are so many of them who are always cold.
Probably true for the elderly - those in their 80s and up. But not necessarily for those of us in our 60s and 70s, unless there's an underlying condition like hypothyroidism, anemia, or circulatory problems.
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