The Seniors Thread :-)

[darksideofthemoon]

"This is for the Senior members of CS, those born before 1947. Baby Boomers and Generations X & Y are welcome providing you are over 18 🙂

But this is definitely for people who are facing the last long haul.  We have survived babyhood, childhood, being teens and twenties... We have learned to read and write, to drive, have probably been married and the women have survived child birth.

The challenges are constant and the near misses of death are also there.  If we have become a senior we have learned to survive so much, and along the way we have, of course, gathered a great deal of knowledge about life.

The  belief that age diminishes us is not true, it changes us and not all of it is bad.  Yes there can be various forms of dementia for some, but that is also a disease that can happen in younger people.  Alzheimer's can also occur - it is another form of dementia and generally occurs in people over 65, although that can occur much earlier too and not everyone is going to get it.

Most of us keep our mental alertness up to the moment of death, even if we lose our hearing and our eyesight, but of course this can happen at any age too.

What changes is our physical strength, which diminishes but our mental strength and patience grows, it has to of course, to deal with this aging thing.

Arthritis, heart trouble, strokes - all these things associated with age can happen at any time in your life - arthritis can happen when you are a child but they don't like giving out new hips and knees until you are in your 50s and 60s or later.  We can talk about that too.

Cancer can happen any time and that is also something we can discuss here if you like.

The point of this thread is to give the Seniors a chance to talk about how they are coping with age, the challenges it presents and the fears that can come with it... loss of hearing or sight, aging spouses, living alone, retirement villages, even death...

So I will ask that the Juniors treat us in kindly fashion and remember, all this is going to happen to you too - providing you avoid death before you get here 🙂

So, onward and upward.  Let's go...."

[kengillard]

yes i used to cook a lot    .......heaps of stuff..Parties and Christmas stuff and stuff and stuff.

Can't  be bothered any more..which is a shame,as I used to enjoy it so much.  Used to have parties for 80 people...catered by me. Loved it.   But after 40 years of cooking , must admit I got a bit sick of it.

[grandmoon]

Morning All

Its warmer today just minus 1 with a top of 16. 

It should be a good day to do some gardening.

[serendipityricho]

Morning seniors.

Hi Grandmoon--warmer start for you than the past few days.

Its 12 degs here--max 16---ok for this time of year.

Would like to thank the poster or posters who alerted

me to the----work bonus scheme.

Made a couple of visits with no success.

My eldest daughter got on the net and made a few phone calls.

The form should be in my PO box today.

Will be a handy bonus each fortnight...............Richo.

[freshwater-2]

Richo, I did a search on Centrelink on that Pension Bonus Scheme and this is what I came up with.  These amounts are paid in a lump sum and are tax free.

Payment amount

These payment rates are effective from 20 March 2012.

Years in the scheme Single—maximum rate Partnered (each)—maximum rate

(I THINK THE FIRST FIGURE IS FOR A SINGLE PERSON AND THE SECOND ONE FOR A PARTNERED). 

YOU HAVE TO REGISTER FOR IT AND IT STARTS FROM THE DATE YOU REGISTER.

1 year      $1,750.60        $1,323.70

2 years    $7002.50        $5,294.70

3 years    $15,755.70     $11,913.00

4 years    $28,010.20     $21,178.70

5 years    $43,765.90     $33,091.80

Payment dependencies

To get a Pension Bonus you must be in the Pension Bonus Scheme for at least 1 year. You can only be paid for 5 years in the scheme. You cannot include any work you do after you turn 75 years of age.

The bonus amount you get depends on:

the amount of basic

Age Pension[1] you are entitled to, and the length of time you have been in the Pension Bonus Scheme...

Note: If you are not entitled to any Age Pension, you cannot be paid a bonus

[freshwater-2]

I wonder how many people approaching pension age don't know about this?

[kengillard]

we didn't until receiving the pension and closing down the Co we had been working in.   Too late.

morning gerries :-x

[freshwater-2]

Me either, Gilly.  I didn't qualify anyway (through my good luck in life).  They weren't exactly letting the info. out into the community were they?

[kengillard]

yup.. no they've been very quiet about it.  it's the same with any welfare tho...it's soooo difficult to access, that sometimes you just give up, especially if you are a gerry.

[purple_haize]

Good morning everyone.

I have found with my dealings with c/link.........if you dont ask, they dont volunteer any info.

I am on the age pension now and have very little to do with them, thankgoodness.

[serendipityricho]

The pension bonus scheme finished on 20th sept 2009-

for entry.  I believe anyone on the scheme before that time,

and still woking fulltime gets it.

The new one is -the work bonus scheme.

Over 65 and working full time may enjoy some aged

pension added to their wages.

The lower the wages -the more bonus is added.

Its designed to keep folks in full time employment

and not have to pay the full pension.................Richo.