Elderly Problems Archives - Dr. KarenTurnerPhD

Downsizing Without Feeling Like You Are Losing

Karen Turner — Thu, 05 Mar 2026 20:56:26 +0000

Downsizing has become a smart lifestyle choice. It can reduce stress, lower upkeep, and free
time and resources for travel, hobbies, or family.
If you are selling a longtime home, look for a Realtor with an SRES designation from the
National Association of Realtors. These professionals focus on older adult transitions and
practical planning.
For sorting and organizing, the National Association of Productivity and Organizing
Professionals can help you find a professional organizer. For full service moves, Caring
Transitions supports downsizing, relocation, and estate sales in many areas.
To compare communities, the AARP Livability Index is a helpful tool. Many peocple also use
local senior living advisors to explore independent living and active adult options. Downsizing is
not about losing a life. It is about choosing the next one.
Boomer Yearbook Blog | karenturerphd.org
Downsizing has become a smart lifestyle choice. It can reduce stress, lower upkeep, and
free time and resources for travel, hobbies, or family.
If you are selling a longtime home, look for a Realtor with an SRES designation. These
professionals focus on older adult transitions and practical planning.
For sorting and organizing, professional organizers can guide the process. For full
service moves, downsizing and transition services can support relocation and estate
sales.
To compare communities, livability tools can be helpful. Downsizing is not about losing a
life. It is about choosing the next one.
Resources mentioned
SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) designation
National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (professional organizers)
Caring Transitions (downsizing, relocation, estate sales)
AARP Livability Index (compare communities)

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Dating Younger People – Male and Female Senior Boomers

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 20:02:06 +0000

One of the reasons why many senior boomers might find it rather difficult to toss themselves into the dating game again is due to the fact that there are not many people in their age group who are interested in a relationship. Further, there are health factors to consider as the effects of aging kick in.

For the few, however, who are young at heart and would not mind getting back into the game, albeit with someone younger, here are tips that will guide you on your quest for that special someone.

Be yourself

Do not lie about your age, or be self conscious when in public. Be confident, even though you can expect more than a few curious glances to be thrown your way.

Appearance

Always maintain good personal hygiene. Wear clean, well fitting clothes, groom yourself and have your hair cut and styled.

Fitness

Dating is an energy sapping activity. Therefore you will need to get those energy levels up by starting a fitness regime which will have to be complemented by a good diet. Aerobics is a good way of keeping fit and improving your confidence and appearance.

Chivalry

For the male, do the things that you used to do. Pull out chairs, open the door for her, pay the bill and most importantly, buy her flowers.

Act Your Age

Avoid attempting to do things that are not in tandem with your age. Attempting to out drink everyone in a bar or wild dancing is not the right thing for you to do.

Be Prepared

Be open to the fact that your younger date might one day decide to be with someone their own age. Therefore, do not stand in their way. Encourage your younger partner to live to their full potential.

Be the Leader

Whether you are male or female, the younger person will be looking up to you for leadership. Use your experience to offer solutions to challenges. You should, however, avoid mothering or fathering your date as this is not what they are looking for.

For the females, you should let your younger date take up some manly roles.

Want to learn more dating tips? Come join our forums!

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Dating someone Younger – Male and Female Baby Boomers

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:58:14 +0000

By BoomerYearbook.com

Did you know that male and female baby boomers date younger people for totally different reasons? This is because life is divided into stages. These stages mean different things to both males and females.

Sexual Peak

For the male baby boomer, the sexual desire at this age will be waning and thus the need for a partner who can boost his confidence levels. Therefore, a relationship with a younger female will require some concessions for both parties. Unlike the female baby boomer relationship with a younger male which can be centered on sex, the relationship between a male baby boomer and a younger female is centered on emotional fulfillment. Other differences between the two relationships are:

Goals

A female baby boomer who has never been married before does not waste time on relationships without clear cut goals. At her age, she has probably had a fair share of marriage proposals thrown her way. The fact that she is single says a lot about her. Therefore, when she decides to date a younger man, it is because she has not found anyone who can meet her expectations within her own age group. That means that the young man should get his act together in the relationship or will be cut off.

For the male baby boomer, dating younger females calls for different rules all together. A female belonging to the echo boomer generation is probably trying to prove herself to the world. She wants to prove that she can take care of herself. She is still developing her adult identity. Less is expected of her at this age.

Best of two worlds

The female baby boomer will date a younger man who can support her decisions in life. One of these decisions may be career support. A younger man will be less likely to be in a hurry to start a family. Dating a younger man provides the perfect opportunity for a female baby boomer to build her career and be in a relationship at the same time.

Want to learn more dating tips? Come join our forums!

Boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit

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Dependency Between Elderly Partners

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:44:36 +0000

Dependency can be a king pin in an elderly relationship, especially one that has been established for many years. Elderly problems may be experienced by elderly partners both individually and as a couple, as a result of the deep rapport that exists between them.

‘So what is wrong with long term devotion?’ You may well ask. Absolutely nothing is wrong with a long serving and loving relationship that mutually benefits two elderly people. However, extreme dependency can lead to elderly problems in one or both partners as a result of their long term reliance on each other.

In cases where the individuals are of a similar age, elderly problems are likely to be easier to deal with. Where one of the partners is very much older, the younger will often experience enormous pitfalls when trying to adjust to a life without the other in the event of death or serious illness.

Lengthy partnerships or marriages of forty or fifty years are usually deemed to be highly successful, simply by virtue of survival! Some people cannot imagine spending an entire lifetime with one partner. As extremely long partnerships continue into the sixty year bracket, living a single life must be unimaginable for both parties and when it becomes necessary through death or illness, elderly problems result.

In traditional marriages, either the husband or the wife takes responsibility for carrying out tasks such as household accounts, getting the car serviced, making tax returns, and so on. Left to tackle such things alone, a bereaved partner struggles against a mountain of difficulties and related elderly problems that are a direct result of being dependent upon a long term personal relationship.

The solution to such elderly problems is hard to define, as elderly couples often see no reason to change their lifetime habits. Why would they? Gentle encouragement might be shown to exercise a little independence, however, as a safeguard against a lonely and frightening situation to come, where grief and isolation are aggravated by not being able to deal with day to day routines previously handled by a partner now departed.

Elderly couples sometimes share a devotion rarely found in modern relationships and often this devotion itself becomes an emotional support for individuals experiencing elderly problems. While the other partner is safely resident within the relationship, all is well: the loss of this relationship can send a perfectly balanced and grounded elderly person into a tailspin when they are required to survive alone in a world they no longer recognize or feel comfortable in.

Dependency between elderly couples is a plus while both partners are still living and free of elderly problems but a little self sufficiency does not go amiss to allow for future isolation.

This Psychological Article on Dependency Between Elderly Partners is part of Boomer Yearbook’s continuing series of coaching suggestions on how to alleviate elderly problems. We believe knowledge is power. We’d love to hear what you think.

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Depression – one of the principal elderly problems of our time

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 19:23:41 +0000

Of all elderly problems, depression is one of the most lethal. There are around six million Americans who are above the age of sixty five and suffer from some degree of depression. What’s surprising and saddening is that only around ten percent of these elderly people receive professional help. There are all sorts of elderly problems nowadays and many of these problems sprout from the fact that when people reach old age their spouses, friends and family either die or drift apart. Elderly problems such as depression cause one to experience an overall lowering in the quality of life and stark decrease in productivity and joy.

Studies have shown that depression is a huge factor that contributes towards the development of various other elderly problems – both physical and psychological. That’s precisely why it is pivotal to treat your loved one, parent or grandparent for depression as soon as mild symptoms of depression start to crop up – and this is not only true for depression, it is true of all elderly problems.

There are also numerous psychological articles that have rightly suggested that the suicide rate for elderly white men around the age of eighty to eighty four is at least double to that of the general population. To give a further insight into why depression is the direst of all elderly problems, consider the fact that the National institute of Mental Health identifies depression as the most fundamental of all elderly problems for people aged 65 and above. On a financial note, it is worth pointing out that a depressed elderly person will generally consume fifty percent more on heath care costs than his counterparts who do not suffer from depression. The bottom line here is that depression can lead to further physical, emotional and mental elderly problems. Also, physical elderly problems can take a lot longer to cure if the patient suffers from depression.

The fact of the matter is that an unhealthy mind can cause a plethora of other elderly problems. The mind and its negative thoughts can almost always be found at the bottom of elderly problems such as cancer, heart diseases, Parkinson’s and arthritis.

If you think this article about elderly problems has been informative, thought provoking and eye-opening then please join our network of thousands of other baby boomers at www.boomeryearbook.com and let us know.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, catch up on reviews of psychological articles specializing in elderly problems or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping the Baby Boomers optimize our mental and emotional wellnes.

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Does your family practice a specific gift giving tradition?

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:50:19 +0000

Grab bag? Secret Santa? Dirty Santa? Any one of these are great ways to give gifts during the holidays, especially if you have a large family. For those of you who may have never heard of these traditions, let me explain each of them.

Grab bag: This is pretty simple. A name is put on a small piece of paper, and put into a hat or bowl. Each person in the family picks a name and that is the person they buy a gift for. With a grab bag, there is usually a price limit set so that it makes it more fair. The best time to do the name distributing is perhaps at Thanksgiving when the same members are most likely to be together that will be together for Christmas, plus it gives a month for them to buy the gift. It is ok to know who picked your name, then you can give that person some gift ideas you may like.

Secret Santa: Pretty much the same as a grab bag, except that who is buying your gift, is kept a secret. This is fun, because after getting the gift, you might be very surprised how well the person does or does not know you, based on the gift they bought.

Dirty Santa: This has to be my favorite of all time. Everyone brings a wrapped gift (again this usually has a maximum price limit set) . The gifts are placed on a table, and each person takes a number from a hat or bowl. The person that has number one picks a gift from the table, however when the person with number 2 picks a gift, they can take from the table, or “steal” the gift from #1. Then the first person has to take another from the pile of gifts. You continue to do this to the last person and the last gift is taken. Its fun, to see what gift you would have had, if someone wasn’t “dirty” and taken the gift from you.

What traditions do you have when it’s time to give gifts? What is your favorite? Why not share them over at Boomer Yearbook, and hey who knows, maybe someone will find a new and exciting tradition to try with their family and friends.

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Dream Interpretation: Using Title or One Line Summary

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:39:31 +0000

Even though no exact formulas for interpreting a dream, many psychological articles affirm common “universal or archetypal” dream symbolism. However, as we’ve stated before,

http://boomeryearbook.com/blog/2009/01/13/how-unique-dreams-and-their-symbolism-can-be/
general guidelines about dream symbolism can never adequately reflect any one person’s individualistic significance represented by a dream figure. For instance, while psychological articles may give a generic interpretation to seeing a black cat in a dream as a symbolic omen of bad luck, it would be absolutely incorrect to make that a universal archetype for “all” dreams. Additionally, while it would be incorrect to collectively interpret that anyone who dreams about a black cat has had some type of bad luck in their past or will have in their future, if the black cat in the particular dream was in some way foreboding or scary, what you can interpret, but with caution and not certainty, is that it is possible the person dreaming about a black cat may be experiencing anxiety or worrying that a particular situation may be doomed for a bad outcome. This would be an even more reasonable interpretation if the dreamer proclaimed to “being superstitious” and fearing black cats, as in this individual’s case, the archetype might indeed “fit” and be meaningful symbolism for the dreamer.

Psychological articles, such as the ones cited in previous Boomer Yearbook dream articles, suggest a few methods to aid in interpreting your own dreams, and report a higher incidence of psychological self awareness in persons who are able to unravel their dream imagery and its significance. For instance, in one psychological article on dream interpretation, Jane Teresa Anderson suggests that you can start by summarizing your dream in just one sentence, or as the famous dream researcher, Galye Delaney suggests, give your dream a one line title. Both authors recommend this one line dream summary as an excellent step in understanding your own dreams; explaining that even if your dream was long and complicated, try summarizing the part that you remember the most, or the most vivid visceral “feeling” you were experiencing in your dream as an aid in finding meaning and interpreting your dream.

After summarizing your dream in a one line sentence or title, psychological articles suggest the next step is to ask yourself how that sentence applies to your waking life. You may find that your dream title, “I had an extreme fear of a black cat crossing my path and bringing bad luck” is representative of your fear of something bad interfering with your relationship and causing a break-up. You may then realize that a relationship rupture or break up has been on your mind and your dream is painting you a vivid picture, in the form of the black cat, as a way for your subconscious to communicate with your conscious mind to alert you to your anxiety. Once you interpret your mind’s “alert signal” as presented in your dream, you are in a much better position to understand how you truly feel about the waking life situation and how you want to deal with it.

The more you practice this technique, the better you will become at utilizing it. Remember it is just one possible technique, but it may be the one that works for you!

At Boomer Yearbook we recommend you keep a dream journal, and record your dreams, or whatever fragments of your dreams that you remember, as soon as you awaken. You will find that with just a little practice, usually a few nights or one week’s time, that you will have better dream recall and greatly improved subjective psychological understanding of your dreams and their significance to your waking life.

Boomer Yearbook is a Psychological-Informational Social Network Website for Baby Boomers, Echo Boomers and Booming Seniors. Connect with old and new friends, or expand your mind and ward off senior moments and elderly problems with dream analysis and online optical illusions and brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join now to discover the many ways this website for boomers can contribute to optimal physical and emotional wellness.

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Drastic Increase In HIV/AIDS Among Baby Boomer Population

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 18:20:37 +0000

It’s hard to believe, but sadly it is true. There is a growing number of cases where Baby Boomers are contracting this life-altering disease. According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2005 persons age 50 and older accounted for 15% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. What many do not know is that sexual activity among seniors has increased over the years, especially with the introduction of Viagra.

A study from the University of Chicago found that “60 percent of men and 37 percent of women 50 years old and above report engaging in sexual intercourse a few times per month.” The problem with that is many do not use any form of protection because they feel that are past the age of worrying about pregnancy. Many times it is hard to even detect the disease due to the fact that many symptoms are similar to associated with common ailments that affect everyone.

In addition to contraction through intercourse, there has been a rise in HIV transmission through injection drug use. The CDC reports HIV transmission through injection drug use accounts for 16% of AIDS cases among those age 50 and older. Hard economic times and lack of marketable skills play their part in contributing to a large number of Baby Boomers being homeless with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Many, therefore, are on the streets or in shelters. When race is taken into consideration, the numbers are even more staggering. The CDC states that the rates of HIV/AIDS among persons 50 and older were 12 times as high among blacks and 5 times as high among Hispanics compared with whites.

To add to this problem, many Boomers find it accept this fact that they have contracted HIV/AIDS. Then come the issues of how do they tell their families and friends? How long will they have to live? Many questions run through their heads and force them to hide the truth from those they love. Simply coping with this secret alone can make them sick and depressed.

It is important that this age group be educated just as much as younger age groups. There are many that do not have knowledge about the risk factors of unprotected sex, the disease itself, and the fact that there is hope. Many healthcare professionals do not discuss these facts with their patients because they are under the impression like most, older persons are not as sexually active and therefore they do not need to discuss that. Likewise misdiagnosis is prevalent because the symptoms resemble those of ageing and therefore the disease is detected at a later stage than with younger patients.

There are many routes that can be taken to inform Baby Boomers about protecting themselves and the possible signs of infection. First, this age group should be targeted with ads and other materials that give them accurate information and encourage them to get tested. There also classes and trainings in nursing homes that inform and not condemn, creating an environment where they feel safe.

It is important for family members to be supportive during this time of uncertainty and fear. Their compassion and care can be the difference between life and death. It is, also, important to realize the effect everyone’s attitude has on the situation. Choose to be positive. Know that this is not necessarily the end. There is hope! Do not give up or give in, instead fight! You are not alone and there are many communities out there that offer strong support for the infected person and family members. Take heart.

This alert was brought to you by BoomerYearbook.com. Come visit and share your thoughts with us.

www.boomeryearbook.com is a social networking site connecting the Baby Boomer generation. Share your thoughts, rediscover old friends, or expand your mind with brain games provided by clinical psychologist, Dr. Karen Turner. Join today to discover the many ways we are helping Boomers connect for fun and profit.

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Dreaming of Celebrities

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 17:48:46 +0000

Some of us have gone to bed on what seemed like a totally normal night only to dream about someone famous that we don’t even know in waking life. That’s crazy, right? Why would you dream about a celebrity when you know nothing about their lifestyle or true nature? Well, it happens and it happens more often than you might think.

There are several reasons a celebrity might appear in your dreams. Sometimes the person is there to symbolize what you wish you were, want to become, or a lifestyle you would like to attain; (i.e. called a wish fulfillment dream in psychological articles). Many people wish and day dream about being famous or about knowing someone famous. Psychological articles and research suggest we frequently take this desirous wish one step further and have it fulfilled in our nighttime reveries.

Alternately, psychological articles have informed us that the famous person may be there to represent a certain hidden part of your psyche, what the famous psychologist Jung would call the “shadow” aspect of your personality. The conscious mind finds the “shadow” parts unacceptable and thus they seek outlet in the subconscious recesses of your dream imagery. For instance, you might dream about partying with someone that has been in the media a lot lately for too much party behavior; thus having the celebrity represent a shadow component. On the other hand, you might also dream about becoming best friends with a celebrity that you idolize or have always wanted to meet. This type of dream might be simple “wish fulfillment”; your dream is satisfying your desire to either become or befriend someone of celebrity status.

Another psychological theory about celebrity dreams is that a person who dreams about a celebrity is expecting a big turning point in their waking life. Psychological articles, tell us that in this type of dream the celebrity symbolizes the excitement and eagerness of it all. It could be a new relationship or a big move, a new job even–anything that is a major change for the future of the dreamer.

Lastly, a celebrity could represent some “real” person in your waking life; not necessarily even a high A list superstar. The “celebrity character” may in fact be left over “day residue” from a random actor or actress you saw on a television show, and subconsciously reminded you of someone with whom you really do interact. In this case, the psychological articles suggest that the characteristics of the role “the celebrity” plays represents some aspect of your real life acquaintance.

It may seem strange to wake up and remember that the person in your dream was not really the person it was supposed to be. Yet, next time you dream about a famous person, we at Boomer Yearbook want you to know that it is not such a strange thing at all.

Boomer Yearbook is a Psychological-Informational Social Network Website for Baby Boomers, Echo Boomers and Booming Seniors. Connect with old and new friends, or expand your mind and ward off senior moments and elderly problems with dream analysis and online optical illusions and brain games provided by clinical psychologist Dr. Karen Turner. Join now to discover the many ways this website for baby boomers can contribute to optimal physical and emotional wellness.

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Driving: An Aging Baby Boomers Alert

Karen Turner — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 17:30:50 +0000

Remember a time when most of us couldn’t wait to be old enough to drive? Well today, due to increases in the life expectancy of our aging population, there are more elderly drivers on the road than ever before and psychological articles and research experts speculate whether there comes a time when one becomes too old to drive. In fact, this has become a series elderly problem

As psychological articles and research has proven, our population is aging; the average life expectancy of a citizen has reached a record high of 77.6 years, and in the year 2009 some of the baby boomers generation will have reached the age of 65. As the baby boomers generation reach their golden years and in light of the statistics for elderly car accidents, we at Boomer Yearbook, the website for baby boomers attempt to assist people in trying to understand the problems of elderly driving in an aging baby boomers generation.

According to the American Association of Retired Persons, (AARP) everyone ages differently, and growing old does not always mean that a person is going to become a safety hazard on the road. However, because of declining age related physical abilities and elderly problems the aging baby boomers generation must recognize that our driving can become a safety risk to ourselves and others. Here are some reasons why:

Weakening eyesight:
Typically vision declines with age which can seriously affect the aging baby boomers ability to judge the speed of oncoming traffic. Additionally night vision can be a serious elderly problem as our aging boomers eyes lose the ability to process light. By the age of 60, psychological articles and research reveal that we need three times the amount of light to drive safely after nightfall than we did when we were in our 20s. Worsening the situation is that psychological articles have also reported that the aging baby boomers eyes become increasingly sensitive to bright light and glare which diminishes the aging boomer from being able to clearly read signs and road markings. If this is an elderly problem that you as an aging baby boomer face, we strongly encourage you to avoid driving at night and to get regular eye check-ups.

Hearing loss

According to psychological article experts, 30% of drivers over the age of 65 are hearing impaired. Hearing is more important to driving than we realize as it can help warn a driver against danger signals such as sirens, horns, screeching tires or the bell of a child’s bicycle. A hearing test can determine any hearing problems that might exist. We urge all baby boomers to get a baseline hearing test at age 60 and to have yearly checkups afterwards.

Medication

As the baby boomers generation ages they will often need to take medications. Many medications can cause drowsiness and impair reaction times, increasing the risk of hazardous driving. A doctor should be consulted on whether it is safe to drive when taking the prescribed medication.

Flexibility

Oftentimes flexibility decreases with age, adding to the elderly problem of increasing driver reaction time. A full range of motions are required on the road which might be difficult for those of the baby boomers generation suffering from the chronic elderly problems of rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease.

Exhaustion

Aging can bring with it lack of sleep and daytime drowsiness which is particularly common amongst the elderly problems aging boomers face. Falling asleep at the wheel or sheer exhaustion leading to loss of attention to driving signals is a major concern. We urge baby boomers to be aware of signs of exhaustion while driving and the baby boomers generation is advised to pull off the road to a safe, convenient place at the first signs of drowsiness or fatigue.

Dementia and brain impairment

Dementia or brain impairment can make driving very dangerous. It can lead to extremely delayed reaction times and confusion, and decreased tolerance to stressful driving conditions. If mental illness is one of the problems the aging boomer is facing, it is a lot safer to let someone else do the driving.
If you are concerned about an aging boomer’s driving, closely monitor their driving and if need be, encourage them to take a refresher course on driving or on giving up their license altogether. We at Boomer Yearbook are concerned with everyone’s safety and attempt to help you understand how elderly problems of the baby boomers generation can negatively impact our ability to drive safely and pose a risk to ourselves and others.

That’s our opinion at Boomer Yearbook. What do you think?

Boomer Yearbook, a free social networking site for the baby boomers or those concerned with the elderly problems of the baby boomers generation, is based on the vision that the baby boomers want to connect and reconnect, but in our own way and on our own terms.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Karen Turner provides free psychological articles on baby boomer relevant topics such as dream analysis, coaching, self-help, baby boomer relevant forums, online optical illusions and brain teasers to help ward off senior moments, Alzheimer’s and dementia, the latest news on baby boomers cosmetic enhancements and weekly updates on the baby boomers generation mental and medical wellness.

Join now to discover the numerous ways in which this online baby boomer social networking website can contribute to optimal physical and emotional wellness. The baby boomers generation changed the world. Now we are reconnecting for fun and profit.

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