Quarter of over 50s 'cheat on their partner'

In addition a sixth of them never use contraception when embarking on a new relationship, the highest of any age group, found the poll.

One in three 51 to 55-year-olds said they had "slept around" and had an unprotected one-night stand, while one in four admitted to having more than one ongoing sexual relationship.

The poll of 3,000 people, commissioned by The Co-operative Pharmacy, found that today's young people are less promiscuous than their elders were at the same age.

A fifth of teenagers over 16 delayed having their first sexual encounter until the legal age of consent, the survey found, compared to only one in 20 of those now aged 20 or older.
Lisa McCreesh, a pharmacist for The Co-operative Pharmacy, said: "Our research challenges the belief that teenagers are more promiscuous than older generations.
"They unfairly get a bad name, while those in their fifties, who grew up in the sixties and seventies, are living up to the era’s care free image as they take greater risks with their sexual health."
Natika Halil, director of information at FPA, the sexual health charity, said: "The message is the same for teenagers as well as people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s – don’t take a risk with your sexual health over the festive period. There is only one protection against most STIs – wearing a condom."

Unemployment: over-50s most likely to be out of work.

The number of over-50s out of work for 12 months or more remains the highest for any age group, while employment levels among the over 65s continue to rise, according to the latest official Labour Market Statistics released today.
According to the data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), despite 38,000 more over-50s finding work between June and August 2010, 387,000 still remain out of work.

Despite the gloomy figures, the number of over 65s in full- or part-time work rose by 0.4% to an all-time high of 846,000 in the three months from June to August 2010, up by 42,000 from the previous quarter, and a rise of 89,000 from the corresponding period in 2009.

Over 50 and humourless.....

Oh dear! A new study of 2000 people conducted for Dave - the TV channel suggests that we really do get more humourless as we age and that we spend more time moaning than when we were younger. You can see a fuller report in a Daily Mail article.
I would interpret the complaining as being more positive in that we are less prepared to put up with poor service, inadequate products and useless bureaucracy. There is of course no details as to how the study was carried out so maybe I might just complain about a newspaper reporting findings uncritically. So there!

More over 50's using social media

Money is the biggest worry for the 50+'s

According to new research from Scottish Widows. Although one does not wish to be cynical there is always a potential conflict of interest when you have pension providers telling us that we all need to save more in pension funds.However, that said data from their inaugural retire-easy report showed that 56 per cent of over 50’s are worried about financial stresses when they retire.

Around 30 per cent of over 50’s were worried about missing the structure in life that came with retirement and 22 per cent in the same age bracket enjoyed their job and didn’t want to stop working.

Scottish Widows recommend that from the age of 30 to retirement age, at least 12 per cent of your salary should be put in your pension pot to ensure an adequate income when retired.

Middle-aged, middle class, with top CVs...so why can't they get a job?

Excellent article in the Daily Mail by Steve Boggan which explores this topic with some extraodinary case studies. Not pleasant reading but sadly fits in with the reports that we are now getting regularly from TAEN and from Age UK. It also does not show up Job Centre Plus in a good light which also is far too common.

Too old to change careers?

According to press reports, a survey conducted by HSBC shows that 30% of the UK’s 21.3 million over 50s have changed careers in their later working years and that 41% of those aged 60 to 70 have done so. While 21% of those who have changed their career did so as a result of being made redundant, 15% chose to "career shift" for a change of direction, and 11% because they were looking for a career that was less pressurized and demanding. 30% of  50+’s have changed careers in their later working years.

So - no! You are never too old.

How are the over 50's managing their finances?

A new study from Saga Equity Release today reveals that a fifth* (17%) of over 50s have little money left over to enjoy their retirement once they have paid off their debts and more than two fifths (41%) of retirees find clearing their debts difficult**, highlighting how hard it is for many people to fund their dream retirement. However, an increasing number of over 60s are now using equity release to unlock money so they can enjoy a better quality of life in retirement. With more than one in ten** (13%) over 55s retiring in debt, equity release is being used to clear these and alleviate financial worries, leaving people better off in real terms and free to get on with enjoying their retirement. The research shows that two fifths (40%) of this age group have used equity release to clear borrowing, whilst a third (31%) use it to re-mortgage.
Over half of over 60s (52%) use equity release to carry out home improvements and transform their homes, while a third (34%) fund the holiday of a lifetime. A generous 20% give the money as a gift to family.
Andrew Goodsell, Executive Chairman, Saga Group, comments: “This study dispels the concept that equity release is the last resort for those who have nowhere else to turn. We have found that people are increasingly likely to use equity release to clear debts, enabling them a better quality of life in retirement.”

Finding a job after 50

We do get many requests on this topic and we of course do not provide services as such. The latest Government website is now available with much advice and links to resources if this is an issue for you. Have a look.

More 50+'s using the internet

The UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) found that the net audience now stands at 38.8 million, up from 36.9 million at the same time last year.

The majority of internet newbies were made up of over-50s, with more men than women joining up.

Net services are increasingly targeting the older generation.

"The internet is getting older in more ways than one. Not only is the medium itself maturing but the audience is shifting towards older age groups," said Alex Burmaster, speaking on behalf of UKOM.

"There is a still a perception that the net is youth-centric but this is clearly not the reality," he added.

Over-50s account for 31% of the UK net audience. Men over 50 accounted for 38% of the 1.9 million new surfers.

Women over 50 accounted for 15%, women aged 21-34 for 14%, while girls aged 12-20 made up 12% of the total.

The older generation are attracted to a range of sites, including travel, genealogy, fashion, video and community sites, according to UKOM.

TV station just for the over 50's

Yes we are to get our own special TV station!

Vintage TV will focus on music and popular culture from the 1950s to 1980s and feature some original programming.

The station, due to begin broadcasting on Sky and Freesat on 1 September, will also show new music videos for 500 songs recorded before the video age.

Music pundit and broadcaster Paul Gambaccini will be the principal presenter for the new service.

The station will also broadcast rare concert and performance footage and revisit news and entertainment shows from numerous TV archives.

Among the new programmes will be a show based on The Antiques Roadshow and aimed at music collectors.

I am sure it will do well but are we really interested only in nostalgia as we get older? Some of us like to believe that we also enjoy participating in current cultural activities.

The male menopause

Do read a wonderfully funny and pithy article on male menopause by Nicholas Lezard. Basically he makes the point that biologically we can't have one - but its the way that he says it. Enjoy!

Over 50's love driving gadgets..

...according to new research by Saga Motor Insurance. Far from being afraid of trying out new gadgets, the baby boomer generation believe they help them to be better drivers.

As you would expect from the safest group of drivers on the road, the over 50s tend only to value gadgets that improve their safety or enhance their driving experience such as Sat Nav systems (32%) and cruise control (20%) and are much less likely than younger motorists to have distracting devices such as iPods and Blackberries or Smartphones in the car with them.

Over 50s also prove to be the most responsible when it comes to using hand held mobiles in the car.  Just one in ten (12%) of the over 50s say they have used a handheld mobile while driving since it became illegal in 2003, this is compared to over a quarter (28%) of those under 50 and a third (33%) of 18-34 year olds.  What is perhaps even more worrying is the 22% of 18-34s who text while driving and 2% of all motorists who admit to emailing behind the wheel.

The survey has also found that some drivers find gadgets designed to aid driving a distraction.  A third of all drivers (31%) said they find hands free mobile technology distracting and 35% also said sat nav systems were off-putting.

So you now have total permission to go and buy some new toys!

Windscreen water infection risk

As if we didn't have enough to worry about in our advancing years. We are now told that if we are over 50 we stand a chance of contracting Legionnaires Disease if we don't use a proper screenwash in our cars. I promise I am not making this up. Look at the piece on the BBC news.

50+ - the latest statistics

Saga have commissioned a new report on the over 50's which has produced some fascinating stats.

• ONE in eight of the people who turn 50 this year will live to the grand old age of 100
• One in seven of the runners in this weekend’s London Marathon will be aged 50 or older and  46 per cent say they are taking more exercise than they have ever done before.
• Three-quarters of the age group say they are more concerned about being healthy than they have ever been. By comparison with their parents’ generation, today’s over-50s are less than half as likely to smoke cigarettes – 40 per cent in the mid Seventies, down to 15 per cent now.  
• They are also four times more likely to take health supplements and vitamins and six times more likely to be on a low-fat or low-cholesterol diet. One in five 60-year-olds say they have climbed a mountain in their 50s, and almost a quarter, or 23 per cent, have run or jogged at least a mile in their 50s. 
• One in six 70-year-olds claims to have run more than a mile at some point during their 60s. Six in 10 over-50s have tried “brain training” computer games and one in eight men over 50 claim to have taken Viagra in the past five years. 

'I'm never going back to the job centre'

Look at an excellent article on todays BBC news online by Joanne Babbage with the above title which brings home dramatically the problems faced by the over 50's when it comes to finding a new job. There are so many initiatives that providers yet alone the end user are getting confused.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases In Over-45s Increasing

Well - after all of the good news in the last posting about happiness and ageing this should bring us down to earth.

Rates of sexually transmitted infections have doubled among the over 45s in less than a decade, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.

Researchers monitored the numbers of sexually transmitted infections (STI) diagnosed in 19 sexual health clinics and reported to the Health Protection Agency’s Regional Surveillance Unit in the West Midlands.

The period of analysis spanned eight years between 1996 and 2003 inclusive.

In total, 4445 STI episodes were identified among people aged 45 and older during that time. Most of these were in straight men and women.

The most commonly diagnosed infection among the over 45s was genital warts, accounting for almost half (45%) of the episodes. Herpes was the next most common, accounting for almost one in five (19%).

Men and those between the ages of 55 and 59 were significantly more likely to have an STI than anyone else.

Among women, rates were highest among those aged 45 to 54; among men, rates were highest among those aged 55 to 60 plus.

And in 1996, this age group comprised 3.9% of all clinic visits; by 2003, this had risen to 4.5%.

While the numbers of infections identified in younger age groups rose 97% during the period of the study, those identified in the over 45s rose 127%.

“Indeed, it may be argued that older people are more susceptible [to sexually transmitted infections] as they are less likely to use condoms than younger people,” the authors say, adding that as successive waves of people with more liberal sexual attitudes and behaviours age, the problem is likely to worsen.

Wanted: Portfolio workers over 50

Most of you will be aware that the other main project in which I am involved is the study of portfolio careers as an increasingly popular choice of career pattern or work style. We have had a great deal of positive publicity for this and recently in talking to a journalist in Leeds she was especially interested in talking with some people who are over 50 and have chosen to pursue a portfolio career.

This is a request to any reader who fits these 2 categories and would be happy to be interviewed by Tina Walsh who writes articles regularly for a range of national newspapers and magazines. If you live in Yorkshire that would be great but Tina would also be happy to interview you by phone. Just reply to me at barrie@portfoliocareers.net.

'On your bikes' call to over 50s

OLDER Scarborough residents are being encouraged to get on their bikes after the launch of a new scheme.

Free one-to-one cycling training is being offered to motorists over the age of 50 in order to give them the skills and confidence to ditch their cars and cycle instead.

It is hoped the scheme, which has been set up by North Yorkshire County Council, will benefit the environment and ease congestion on Scarborough’s roads, and also improve the fitness of participants and save them money.

The course consists of up to four one-hour sessions and covers coping with a variety of roads and planning routes as well as some theory and traffic law.

The training is being funded from the Government Road Safety Grant, and the scheme was officially launched at Falsgrave Community Centre by Scarborough mayor Bill Chatt.

John Sheader, Scarborough Council’s road safety and travel awareness officer, said: “Most people have a bicycle in their garage or shed, and there are a number of reasons why people don’t use their bikes.

“We can’t do much about the weather, and we can’t do much about the hills, but we all know there are many good days when cycling can be a pleasure.

“Lots of people say they won’t ride a bike on today’s roads because of the traffic and we can do something about that by helping them to build up confidence to encourage people to ride on the roads safely.

“Cycling is good for your health, your pocket and your town, and for many journeys in urban areas it is a very practical means of transport.”

For more information or to sign up for a course contact John Sheader on (01723) 232454

What a great idea and we should encourage more local authorities to do something similar

More on the internet savvy generation

A study has found that not only are more over-50s using the internet, but it's actually improving their mental health.

More than 2,000 silver surfers were quizzed by Dadooda.com about their online habits and the report found that the over-50s spend an average of 26 hours a week online.

Most of their surfing is devoted to checking emails (83 per cent) with almost two-thirds shopping and banking online.Silver surfers are also logging on to social networks - spending more than three hours a week catching up with friends and family.

The study concluded that the majority of silver surfers have easier lives thanks to the internet with browsing the web helping to keep their minds active.

This was in stark contrast to findings in a recent study which found that the average 21-year-old is becoming more depressed with links being made with between mood and internet use. 

As the generation Y users are turning away from Facebook, their grandparents are filling their places on the social networking site.

The 55+'s are the fastest growing group to sign up to sites such as Facebook and MySpace, often using them to keep up to date with the lives of family and friends, especially grandchildren  and overseas - assuming they aren't among the growing number of younger users abandoning the social networking sites.

Figures show that the number of older users of Facebook increased nearly tenfold in America last year, while university-age users declined by 55 per cent.