Boomer Volunteers

As this active generation of Baby Boomers retire, they aren’t interested in a retiring life.  Many opt to continue working, or seek further education - some even going into a new career.  But a large number of boomers will turn their talents and experience towards volunteer work.  These boomers want to give back to society and fellow human beings, utilizing their skills and making productive changes for a better world.

If you are looking to volunteer your time but don’t know where to find information on volunteer opportunities in your area, here are some resources to get you started:

* AARP Volunteering http://www.aarp.org/about_aarp/community_service/

* Alliance Online
http://www.allianceonline.org/boomers.page

* Senior Corps
http://www.seniorcorps.org/

Self-Publishing with AuthorHouse

As we reported before, more and more boomer women are finding their expressive outlets through writing. Nowadays, self-publishing is becoming more popular and is an acceptable and often effective way to get a first book published.  Many times, it leads to a publishing contract for future writings.

If you’re considering self-publishing, then AuthorHouse will get you on your way. They can help you get your voice into print and show you how to reach your book publishing goals. Publishing your own book can be affordable and rewarding in so many ways.

Come on, boomer authors - let’s publish!

Women Underreport Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are one of the most common symptoms associated with menopause but women may suffer more hot flashes than they report.

A study at the University of Illinois, Chicago, found that women were underreporting their hot flashes by 40%. A group of 29 menopausal women who suffered moderate to severe hot flashes were fitted with monitors that measured skin temperature. The monitors picked up many instances of hot flashes that the women in the study did not notice.

Hot flashes have been previously linked to poor verbal memory. Although there was no relationship between the reported hot flashes and poor memory performance, there was a definite link found with the flashes that were picked up on the monitors.

“When we looked at the relationship between the hot flashes that the women truly had — that is, the hot flashes that the monitor picked up — and memory performance on the cognitive tests, we found a very strong relationship. So, the more true hot flashes a woman had, the worse her memory performance,” said Maki.

“In other words, the hot flash-memory relationship is not all in a woman’s head. It’s actually a physiological relationship that you can pick up on, if you measure hot flashes objectively with a monitor.”

NABBW holds teleseminar for Boomer authors

Boomer women are looking for new ways to express themselves creatively, and many are turning to writing - some for fun and some for profit. Whether it’s journaling, blogging or writing that book, boomer women are increasingly using the written word to share their insights and information.

To assist women in their pursuits, the National Association of Baby Boomer Women(NABBW), will be presenting a two-part seminar on how to get that book written and published.

For more information and to sign up for the NABBW’s ‘Writing in the Middle Years, for Fun or Profit’ teleseminar series, visit the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, www.nabbw.com.

The teleseminar includes:

Building Your Brand by Writing a Book
Sheri’ McConnell - President and Founder of the National Association of Women Writers and the Association of Web Entrepreneurs
Tuesday, July 8th at 3:00 pm (EST)

Journaling Your Way to Health, Freedom, and Creativity
Linda Jo Myers, Ph.D. - President and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers. Author of Don’t Call Me Mother: Breaking the Chain of Mother Daughter Abandonment, and Becoming Whole: Writing Your Healing Story
Tuesday, July 24th - 3:00 pm (EST)

Credit Cards Guru - Seek and you will find

Two important things to have when it comes to managing your personal finances are education and information. Knowledge about financial matters will empower you to make better decisions. It can also keep you from making some costly mistakes. The wrong financial move can have repercussions that last years.

The Credit Cards Guru thinks you should have all the information you need on the pros and cons of Credit card deals. The website is designed to educate consumers and expand their knowledge of credit cards and the world of credit. Need answers about 0% APR balance transfers? The Credit Cards Guru has the answers you need about the credit situations that you face.

For a better understanding of the website and its goals, read the press release:

Today everyone knows that it is really important to know everything about plastics you apply for in order to be financially secured. Unfortunately, very often people find the financial fees and charges in the fine print when they first open their account. In the fine print people can find unpleasant information that can hurt their financial future. There are several important things that you should know about credit cards:
• Mind that not all best plastics have a grace period. Today credit card companies shorten the grace period, and some plastics have no grace period at all.
• The second point is that you will have to pay balance transfer fees even for zero APR balance transfers. Remember that balance transfers are not completely free. Though there are credit cards that offer zero APR on balance transfers, you will still have to pay 3-5% as a balance transfer fee.
• The next thing that you should remember is that your credit company can change your fees and interest rates any time they want. However, you will receive 15 days notice before it.
It goes without saying that plastics give people buying power, they are safe and convenient… However, you should know all the hidden pitfalls of credit cards to avoid credit card debt.

Timing of Estrogen Therapy Determines Affect on Brain

Researchers now believe there is a narrow window of time in which estrogen therapy may be beneficial for menopausal women. When it comes to stroke and damage to the brain, it appears that the older a woman is when she starts estrogen therapy, the higher the risk of stroke and the more of the brain that could be damaged.

Studies with rats indicated that the timing of the estrogen treatment is crucial. According to a lead author of the study, they found that:

“estrogen treatment is not beneficial to the brain once the animal is in an acylic state, but is effective when given earlier. This acyclic stage in animals shares similarities with the menopausal stage in women.”

Read more about the study here.

The Menopause Impact Tool

Menopause impacts every woman in a different way.  For some, the symptoms are mild and of short duration.  Others may have severe symptoms that are limiting and have a serious impact on their lives.  Not all women will have every symptom commonly associated with menopause, and some will experience one or two symptoms to a greater degree.

How much are your menopause symptoms affecting your life?  You can find out through this short questionnaire at http://www.copewithmenopause.com/.  The Menopause Impact Tool can help you assess which symptoms you experience and the impact they have on your life.  You can then view and print your results to take with you to your doctor so that you can discuss your options for treatment.

The site offers information on menopause symptoms, treatment and of course, coping with menopause as well as this nifty tool for assessing your symptoms.

Health Insurance Quotes Online

Buying health insurance can be a complicated and confusing task. Many people who do not have health insurance through an employer or are self-employed need to purchase health insurance but how to choose the right plan? Would a copayment plan or one with a deductible best suit your needs? How do you know if you are getting a good price?

At Kaiser Permanente you can get quotes online for insurance polices for all states nationwide. For instance, if you reside in California, you can get quotes on the type of California health insurance that’s right for you, saving you both time and money.

Kaiser Permanente can give you quotes on health care coverage for you as an individual or policies that will cover the whole family. Don’t make this important decision until you have checked it out and reviewed your online quotes.

T-Shirts for Boomers With Attitude

Are you a Boomer with Attitude?  If you are and you’ve got something to say, you can wear your attitude daily with one of these nifty Boomer with Attitude tee-shirts available at
http://www.boomerswithattitude.com/.

Come on, you see message Tees everywhere but who has more to say than you do?  I liked the sassy, in-your-face attitudes of the slogans and the shirts come in a variety of colors and styles to suit anyone’s mood or taste.

Like the shirt says “Graying = Old is even more absurd than Young = Smart”.  The Boomers are the generation with something to say, and who invented slogan tee-shirts anyway?
Hey, attitude isn’t only for the young, let’s get our boomer attitudes out there.  Remember all you hippies getting hippier, there’s still time to change the world, one tee-shirt at a time.

Read the press release here 

Women May Be Helped by Reconstructive Surgery

Women who have had children often face unique medical conditions in later years. Uterine or vaginal prolapse may affect women in their 50s and 60s who have had one or more vaginal deliveries. The supportive tissues can be stretched and damaged during pregnancy and childbirth. This weakening of the pelvic floor muscles can lead to uterine or vaginal prolapse. One way to treat vaginal prolapse is vaginal surgery performed by a physician specializing in urogynecology.

With the advent of laparoscopic surgery, procedures are minimally invasive, leave much less noticeable scars from the smaller incisions made and the risk of infection is decreased. Because of this, recoveries are generally quicker.

For some women, this type of elective surgery can greatly improve quality of life, both physically and emotionally. If you are interested in the benefits of vaginal and reconstructive surgery, you can find important information and answers to your questions at http://miklosandmoore.com/, the website of Dr. Miklos and Dr. Moore, international experts in laparoscopic vaginal reconstruction.