Tag: WBHM seniors series
Connecting With Seniors One Phone Call at a Time
Birmingham has a service for seniors that’s like few others in the country. It started in 2002 when the Crisis Center noticed older residents would call its emergency hotline because they were lonely. The organization developed the Senior Talk Line. Through the service, volunteers connect with people one phone call at a time. Read more.
Read earlier stories in the series:
Birmingham’s Senior Population Rises While Affordable Housing Remains Limited
Seniors Find Opportunities and Challenges Trying to Return to Work
Uncovering Elder Financial Abuse? It’s Tricky.
Birmingham’s Senior Population Rises While Affordable Housing Remains Limited
Greater Birmingham’s senior population is rising faster than all other age groups and is expected to double by 2025. But federal money for senior housing has been cut in half during the past decade. Read more.
Read the first two stories in the series:
Seniors Find Opportunities and Challenges Trying to Return to Work
Uncovering Elder Financial Abuse? It’s Tricky.
Uncovering Elder Financial Abuse? It’s Tricky.
Timothy Townsend offers loans for a living in north Alabama. It’s kind of like a middle ground between a payday lender and a bank. He remembers one time when a 19-year-old applied for a truck loan. The young man didn’t have any credit and had only been working a few weeks. So he got his grandfather to co-sign the loan application.
“When I talked to the older gentlemen he was like ‘Well, I guess. I really don’t want to, but they’re saying it’s the only way he can get it,’” Townsend says.
That hesitation was a red flag for Townsend, but it’s awkward because, as much as he wanted to do right by the young man and his grandfather — and follow the law — he’s in business. Read more.
Read the first in the series:
Seniors Find Opportunities and Challenges Trying to Return to Work
Seniors Find Opportunities and Challenges Trying to Return to Work
It’s a good time to be in the market for a job in this state. That goes for older adults, too. Alabama’s overall unemployment rate is low – just 4 percent. It’s even lower among seniors. But the older adults who are most likely to be hired are those who are willing to adapt and learn new skills or try on a whole new career.
“I’m a 25-year-old. I’m just trapped in an 81-year-old body,” said Johnny Ward. “I’ve got a lot of energy, and I’m saying, why waste this knowledge and experience I have. Why not use it?”
Here in Alabama and across the U.S., there are many like Ward. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, senior citizens represent a growing demographic in America’s work force.
Many still need jobs. It can be difficult to make ends meet with a Social Security check or disability payment. And some want to work because they enjoy it. Read more.
