Retired baby boomers welcome here.

Whether in the workplace or volunteer section, "young" seniors aged 64-75 are in demand.

Major Byron Jacobs of the Hamilton Salvation Army said there's definitely room for an influx of volunteers.

The more volunteers the charity has, the more good work it can do, Jacobs said.

And this generation is bringing something very valuable into the nonprofit sector -- experience and education.

"It's interesting to see young retirees -- the baby boomer generation -- stepping to the plate, getting involved (and) the expertise that they bring ... We couldn't pay for that resource."

Many employers, though, are still willing to pay. Fernie Black, a partner with human resources consulting firm HR-Fusion, said she's heard that employers may start tempting boomers with bonuses to stay working in the future.

The boomers bring skills and knowledge to the table which could help combat the upcoming anticipated labour shortage, Black said.
"It appears there's more than ample room for these individuals to stay in the workforce."

However, older employees often cost more in benefits and dismissals and managers may not invest as much time in their performance management as with younger employees expected to stay longer, she said.

Meet Jean

Jean Duff, 69, has a part-time job for two reasons: to help someone and to have a little extra money to pay for her dancing lessons.

"When everything's paid, I don't have much left," says the retired bookkeeper. Duff returned to work six months ago in a part-time job for Home Well Senior Care. She works as a companion to seniors like herself who are not in as good shape as she is.

She takes them grocery shopping, helps them make supper and do little chores, and sometimes is just there to be with them.
The dance lessons she started at 52 have blossomed into four classes a week for clogging (a form of Appalachian hard step dancing), tap and jazz.

"1 always wanted to be a dancer," says the grandmother of four, who sometimes come to watch her dance. "Except for my bad knee, I feel like I'm 30."

Being a senior is exciting because there's always something going on, she says.

"There is more out here for seniors to do ... There's no reason for a senior to be sitting at home and saying their life is finished."

Meet Bernie

Bernie Bonehill, 73 burns his own CDs, surfs the Net, books travel flights and arrangements online and keeps in frequent touch with his Royal Air Force buddies through e-mails.

"The computer has helped a great deal in communicating ... I have a sister in England and another in Virginia," says the former Oakville principal.

Yesterday, he was up until the early hours at his Beamsville home working on a presentation document for the Golden Age Variety show.

He has parts singing, dancing and telling a few jokes. He sang a little before, but much more since his retirement 14 years ago when he was 59.

"I am totally enjoying my retirement. 1 should have started it earlier," he says.

He can't believe the talent of seniors putting on the show in March. "They put me to shame.

"Seniors are much younger in spirit these days," he says, mainly because on average their health is better at least until a later age.

"We tend to live longer. We're healthy and we're always looking for something to do."

Meet Barbara

Barbara Rogers says she didn't have a social life until she retired. The former elementary school teacher was just too busy before that with work and raising two sons on her own.

Now, Rogers, 69, is out an the time, going to Pilates classes, catering at her church, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, walking two miles every morning with a group from her neighbourhood, singing with the choir and solo performances and still taking singing lessons.

She has also developed a passion for quilting since she retired and makes quilts for the Linus Project for children who have been traumatized either with illness or something else. And she bakes and in the spring, sells daffodils for the Cancer Society.

And she is taking better care of her health, exercising and skipping to strengthen her bones and keep her body flexible. She has actually gained bone mass this way.

It's a different life from seniors 20 years ago.

"We used to sing (with the choir) at seniors homes and they were all 65. Now, look at your 65s. They're really 85s doing things."

Meet Winston

Winston Eng, 65, volunteers in Hamilton to stay active. He retired seven years ago from information technology management and felt he needed to keep busy and "to give back to the community some of what I've enjoyed."

Eng volunteers with a senior volunteers placement agency where his duties include a job as editor of the quarterly newsletter. He's also a volunteer tutor at Hamilton Central Library classes that help immigrants learn English. And he served with Canada's association of people over 50 before the local chapter folded.

At the agency, he's seeing a drop in seniors who are looking for volunteer jobs but says it's because a lot of seniors are independent and finding them on their own. Seniors also have more diverse interests than volunteering, he adds.

"I think the interests are changing. Seniors are much more computer literate than five years ago, mainly because we're exposed to it at work. When we retire, we have those skills with us."

Eng gets a lot of satisfaction from his volunteering. "I never had the time or the opportunity on a long-term basis before."

by Dana Brown
Reprinted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator