Canadian Seniors Network

Across Canada there is a new and growing form of marriage breakup. It’s not your average trial separation, It’s not your average dissolution of marriage by divorce, It’s of elderly couples being challenged, stressed, and being forced to separate from each other because of how our long-term health care facilities have limited and restricted availability. Because the baby boomer generation has added a substantial number of health challenged elderly to our heath care system, which has not grown and developed fast enough, it is now causing an unprecedented concern for splitting up, long-term married elderly couples. One might say that this is no big deal. The healthier spouse can just go and visit the unhealthy one in their care facility. But the fact is, some of the unhealthy spouses are being relocated to a different town or city because there is no current availability in their own community. These couples have been married and lived together most of their lives, some for more than 60 years. This kind of forced separation is unconscionable. The Provincial and Federal governments have not been keeping pace with the funding for long-term care for the aging population. It has been reported that in Ontario there are over 36,000 elderly on a wait-list to get into the proper long-term care facility. Also, the individual costs associated with a spouse trying to stay united and supportive, in these health challenged times, is another factor that financially limits the separated couples’ companionship. It’s not cheap to use a taxi to visit your spouse on a long-term basis. It’s not cheap to drive hundreds of kilometers, then get a motel, then feed yourself, and to bring treats and snacks to your spouse, on a long-term basis. You can only imagine the stress and despair if the healthy spouse does not drive or have access through a friend or relative to get to the care facility for visitation. These couples have always had a strong bond with each other and deserve that same right until they both pass away. Why should their lives end in despair, depression, and financial stress? More action and funding are required to address the long-term health care requirements for our aging population, across Canada. Doing a Google search, I can find information, mostly for Ontario and British Columbia, that has identified the problem of preparing for the future demands for long-term care for the elderly. I’m quite sure that the other provinces also recognize the same problems and I hope we start hearing more from them on how they are moving forward with addressing and resolving the elderly health challenges. Unfortunately, attempts to secure government funding and to increase the training and numbers to staff the facilities are not keeping pace with the yearly increases for demand. There are many community and corporate advocates across Canada, but there doesn’t seem to be any serious priority within Provincial or Federal Governments to address this problem. So, what can we do? Well, whenever we here of a couple going through stressful times, due to long-term care and health challenges, then we need to tell their story to everyone involved with the healthcare, the media, and the seniors’ departments within the Provincial and Federal Governments. Our voices need to be heard, and acknowledged, and acted on.

Greetings to all. CSN podcast was created over a year ago, but life got in the way of life, so it didn’t get properly released. Recently, I realized that some information & details within the first few episodes were now out of date. So, instead of re-recording the first few episodes I decided to leave them as they are and just tell you of the minor changes to the podcast. The podcast is still called “Canadian Seniors Network” or “CSN” for short. But all website references to “CanadianSeniorsNetwork.ca” is no longer active. Moving forward, all new website references will now be “RustyRushfeldt.com”. However, you can still use “CanadianSeniorsNetwork.ca” but it will just be re-directed to “RustyRushfeldt.com”. Hope this all makes sense.  If not, send me an email with your questions or concerns, or maybe suggest a topic for discussion. That’s it for the update. Rusty signing off. Wishing you all the best, Now it time for a nap.

Read the transcript ... (#) Today on Canadian Seniors Network Podcast Episode 002 we’ll talk about one possible supplemental income resource, commonly referred to as “Online Surveys”. At first look, online surveys appear to be an easy way to make a few extra bucks. So many internet sites talk about this strategy as an excellent way to subsidize one's income, especially for a senior, because it doesn't require a high-level of any particular skill and a senior may have the required free time to do the surveys, games, polls, or whatever the venue decided they needed to offer. I initially thought that I should test out several of the dozens of online survey companies to make sure that this supplemental income option actually works, and I could give it an official stamp of "Senior Approved". So, Just a heads up: Before committing yourself to something you know very little or nothing about you should always do your research. Go to a search engine like Google, type in "reviews for Canadian Online Surveys" or if you have already found an online survey company then do a google search for reviews for that company, and see what comes up. Don't get overwhelmed by all the search results that come up. Take your time and read thru a few of them. Some of the reviews may actually be sponsored/paid for reviews, but you will eventually find ones that are based more on someone's actual experience. When I did the search for Canadian Survey Companies it became clear, real fast, that there are quite a few of them and the review comments were generally the same for each of them, which are as follows (these are my thoughts and my comments based on how I interpreted the online reviews): • not all surveys will allow people to qualify to be part of them (based on all kinds of weird demographics). • you must be prepared to spend a lot of time for very little reward. • payouts are very small and may be fairly restrictive as to what you qualify to receive (points, gift cards, cash, free gifts, PayPal, etc). • some companies even ask to install their own toolbar onto your computer (don't allow this unless you know what you are doing). So, after I read a few reviews I decided that Online Surveys will not be a way for me to create a few extra bucks. Don't get me wrong, this is just my opinion based on what I feel is right for me. If you do your own research, and you are comfortable with what these online survey companies are asking and expecting from you, and you feel you have the spare time and energy, then by all means do what you feel is best. I wish you all the Best and if you find a survey company that is better than the rest, then please let Canadian Seniors Network know. www.canadianseniorsnetwork.ca www.rustyrushfeldt.com

Read the transcript ... (#) Today on Canadian Seniors Network Podcast we’ll talk about another possible supplemental income resource, commonly referred to as “Mystery Shopper”. Mystery Shopper Definition: A mystery shopper is someone hired to pose as a customer and report on the quality of service received and how well a store or chain of stores is being run. The mystery shopper poses as a normal customer and is given a specific task, such as purchasing a particular product or asking certain questions. Mystery Shopping ...what it is & what it isn't Regardless to what you may have heard or read, mystery shopping is not a quick way to make a lot of money. It's not a quick get-rich scheme, nor is it a way to "get paid to shop". Mystery shopping is a serious enterprise intended to gather information about the customer experience in a specific environment. It requires personal time, personal attention, and concerted effort. Mystery shoppers are in business for themselves. They get paid for the work they do while posing as shoppers (as a contractor not an employee). Their main focus is to gather data and complete the task as instructed. (If you are asked to pay to become a shopper, you should be EXTREMELY leery of the offer... there are thousands of opportunities to do mystery shopping that do not require the shopper to pay anything!) In some cases, the shopper may be expected to purchase an item (or a meal, theater ticket, etc.), in which cases the shopper is likely to also be reimbursed for that item, within the stipulations given by the shopping company when the shopper accepts an assignment. In every case, the shopper should strive to ensure he or she fully understands the scope of the shop, the anticipated time required, and the benefits, if any, that will result from doing the shop. Go to http://rustyrushfeldt/canadian-seniors-network/mystery-shopper/ Watch this video about how to avoid mystery shopper SCAMS I joined a Canadian mystery shopper company and did two assignments. As in this podcast, you will hear how I was not impressed with the difficulty to prep for and complete the assignments. I will not give mystery shopping my stamp of approval. It may work for some seniors but it is not a choice of creating supplemental income for me. If you want to discuss this option further, then drop me a line and we can continue the conversation. Check out the "Avoiding Mystery Shopping Scams" video. (https://rustyrushfeldt.com/resources/)

Read the transcript ... (#) Today on CSN Podcast we’ll talk about Supplemental Income and the 5 “W’s”. Starting early on in our younger years we found ways to make some extra money, so we could go to the movies, upgrade our bike, go to the corner store to get some candy/treats & a soda, to buy the latest comic book, or buy that special toy we always wanted. Because our allowance would only go so far, we had to be creative in order to add to our piggy banks. We would dumpster-dive, dig through garbage cans & ask the neighbors for pop bottles so we could take them to the local corner store to get some recycle cash for them. Yup, I said pop bottles. Real glass, not plastic or aluminum. Back in the day, almost all drink containers were made of glass & the only place you could return them for a deposit would be at the local corner store or at the larger grocery stores. To make some extra money in the spring & summer we would mow the neighbor's lawn & clean their yard. In the fall we would do more yard cleaning, which was mostly racking leaves, but sometimes, we would help the neighbors with their garden. So many potatoes to dig. In the winter we would shovel the neighbors snow & maybe even scrape the windows on their cars. This was hard work because where I lived it snowed lots. Have I ever told you how much I hate winter? That’s winter in Canada of course, not winter in Hawaii. A Hawiian winter I definitely could tolerate. The money rewards weren't that great because the neighbors didn't have much extra money themselves. But every little bit helped to fill the piggy bank. Also, throughout the year we would gather up newspapers & cardboard, tie them up in neat bundles & take them to the recycler for cash (that's when the Government actually paid the general public to do the recycling). Then, as we got older we found new ways to make some extra bucks because there was always something that we wanted that we just couldn’t quite afford. But now, in our senior years, & in today's challenging world, it has become vastly important to find ways to supplement our income. Company pensions aren't what they used to be. Some people lost their pensions. Some people have had to take massive reductions in their pensions. Many employers didn’t offer a pension. Many have taken reductions in their pay, reduced hours, & reduced benefits. So, here at Canadian Seniors Network, we want to explore what supplemental income opportunities exist for seniors. We want to test and review some of those opportunities that are kicking around on the internet. We’ve all heard about some of the get-rich quick schemes and we know how well they worked, right? We want to help seniors identify opportunities that may be appropriate for their interests, for their morals, for their beliefs, for their ethics, and for their energy levels. If a senior needs to have a supplemental income to be less financially stressed, to have a more fulfilling life, to help support other family members or friends in need, the reason doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the CSN Community supports them, right? So, here’s The Five "W's" of Supplemental Income Who? Supplemental income is a welcome resource for all Seniors ... including you. What? Supplemental income is pretty much anything that creates some extra income. There are hundreds of options in the living world and hundreds of options in the online/internet world. Where? Supplemental income can be created from sources outside your home or from inside your home, or you can create some extra bucks from anywhere in the world, even on a beach somewhere. Your choice. When? The supplemental income creation journey can start anytime. You don't necessarily need to be a senior. It can happen through the day, through the night, when you are snowbirding, or on a cruise ... anytime that works for you. Why? This question should only be answered by you. I can't...