by Linda Joyce

Created on: January 08, 2009   Last Updated: July 18, 2009

It was Bette Davis who quipped, "Getting old is not for sissies," and I have to agree. Truer words were never spoken.

There are many concerns when it comes to growing old, some of which include loneliness; retirement issues including Social Security, pensions, health insurance; job-hunting for seniors, etc. Oh, where to begin?

Some people believe loneliness is the most important problem senior citizens face. Although the idea of isolated seniors is heart-wrenching, I wholeheartedly disagree. In my mind, finances, or lack thereof, is the ultimate problem, particularly now with our economy falling apart.

And, although I've never been one to concern myself with age (it's just a number), I must admit that I'm a lot more concerned than I was in the past about my financial future.

Simply stated, I wish I could retire. I think of all the things I could do with that extra time on my hands. However, like millions of Americans, I need to continue working out of necessity. I am a single woman and my own sole support. Seeing where the economy stands now after some of the most horrendous financial disasters in our country's history, I have to face the fact that I may never be able to retire, after all.

And it's not that I want to retire full-time. I'd like to work at least part-time as it's a good thing to get out, be with people, and continue to learn and grow. It keeps you fresh. Many older workers who remain in the workforce feel the same as I do and do so for those same reasons, not out of economic concerns.

On the darker side, I recently read that younger workers aren't that thrilled to have us working alongside of them, which makes me feel bad. I like being with them; why don't they want to work with me? I thought as we grew older we were supposed to be appreciated for our wisdom and experience? So much for that.

Almost everyone who hasn't been living under a rock will admit things have changed drastically in our country, and we're at a place now that no one would have foreseen decades ago.

Financial retirement used to be based on a three prong principle, the first being Social Security, the second, a pension from the company where you worked, and the last, personal savings.

Today, we all know the state of Social Security, and we can only guess how long we'll be able to depend on it being there for us and future generations when they retire.

Pensions in a lot of companies have gone by the wayside, and some companies (think Enron) have even sold their employees'

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