Celebrate National Employ Older Workers Week!

Orlene Grant • August 11, 2023
an older man wearing a hard hat and safety vest

It was in the early fall of 2019 when I met S. Orlene Grant, President, and CEO of the Juanita C. Grant Foundation. We It is timely that National Employ Older Workers week is celebrated September 24th – 30th. A whopping 150 million jobs will shift to workers over the age of 55 by 2030, according to a new global study from Bain & Company.


 I think of my family which seems by heredity to be averse to retirement. My father, who was two generations from slavery, fought for his path to become a surgeon and establish a medical practice in Gary, Indiana which at that time had the highest per capital income for African Americans.. That pathway was hardscrabble in cobbling together finances and overcoming health challenges to graduate from Howard University Medical School in 1942. My father maintained his medical practice for as long as possible while putting equal efforts into the civil rights movement. For the Grant kids, it was understood, work was one means to realize your potential and a conduit to meaningfully impact the community.


 In the Group of Seven countries, Bain predicts, older and experienced workers will make up more than a quarter of the workforce by 2031 led by Japan having the older workforce. Bain research shows worker motivations evolve with age, with attributes such as work and autonomy rising to the top around age 60. That is no less astounding because of the numbers, but also the changes anticipated in the work culture, retail marketing, investments, retirement strategies, and healthcare coverage. Our interviews with older adults seeking work have a frequent refrain of desiring to work in an environment that offers creativity, respect of experience, and growth.


 The Juanita C. Grant Foundation was proud to conduct two very successful 50+ Refresh Bootcamps in 2022 and 2023. These intense 7-week Bootcamps were conducted under a grant in partnership with Employ Prince George’s. The individualized instructor support refreshed and invigorated the participants with competitive transferable business skills. This approach allowed each participant to pursue the employment area of his or her choosing. These 23 Bootcamp graduates exemplify the seismic shift in how older adults perceive the next 15-20 years ahead of them. What was revealed through interviews, group learning exercises, and personal stories were individual desires to present themselves in a “new light”. This required the graduates to dig deep into their reservoir of resilience to reposition themselves with the goal of employers recognizing the value of lived experience, loyalty, and commitment that older workers infuse into the workplace. We will continue through outreach and workforce training to advocate the value of hiring older adults.


 We are happy to announce in our Fall program schedule a presentation on the 50+ Returning to Work by Donna Satterthwaite, Board Vice Chair on September 23rd at Kettering Baptist Church Our Countywide Fall Elder Abuse and Fraud Prevention Trainings Fall schedule will convene on September 27th at Suitland Community Center and October 17th at Southern Regional Technology and Recreation Complex.


 We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!




S. Orlene Grant

President & CEO, JCGF 

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Regaining Our Groove After Being Cooped Up (Part 1)

By Bernice Lowe Flowers • May 2, 2022
I enjoy going to the gym, exercising, outdoor activities, and walking the neighborhood when the weather is good. For so many of us, these activities were halted because we were housebound and instructed to adhere the social distancing mandate to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Being an avid walker, I was not too thrilled about these restrictions, so I maintained my exercise routine the best I could indoors. Believe it or not, many of us felt confined and are still struggling with the effects of physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges following months of being cooped up indoors. Do you agree? Stopping normal activities, or even mingling with other people can have a tremendous bearing on older adults especially when many of us are postponing going to the doctor for routine medical checkups because we are still afraid of becoming infected and gravely ill from the virus. Well, if we don’t address or confront these fears and issues, we are likely to face poorer health challenges and increased medical problems. So, what are our next steps? Since most of us are vaccinated and boosted, and anxious to venture outdoors again, let’s begin with scheduling our medical appointments to make sure we are physically ready to be active after being housebound for almost two years or more. If we have concerns about going to the clinic or doctor’s office, another option is to schedule a virtual visit, which is a new and convenient way to connect with healthcare professionals. Stay tuned for Part 2-Tips To Get Us Moving! Bernice Lowe Flowers, Board Member

Are We Being Unsociable While Socially Distancing?

By Carla Pettus, J.D. • July 23, 2020
 During the coronavirus pandemic, we have become overly concerned with maintaining the six feet distance designations and wearing our masks. We are annoyed when individuals do not follow the markings for six feet; ignore the directional markings in stores; or simply refuse to wear a mask for their own or loved ones’ protection. Conscious of our potential exposure to the virus, most of us are not spending a lot of time in grocery stores. We have a list and we hurriedly go through the aisles collecting our items and rush to the checkout. We avoid eye contact with anyone, i.e., other people in the aisles, stockers, workers, etc. If anyone sneezes or coughs in our immediate area, we are devastated and give the individual the “evil eye”. While I must admit, some of my actions resemble some of the above. However, I decided that I must consciously work on undoing some of these responses. I am a social being and realized that it was not sustainable for me to continue behaving this way. (My friends have tagged me the “Pied Piper” -- knowing no strangers.) So, I have made it a concerted effort to reverse some of these unsociable behaviors while socially distancing. Even under our current conditions, mask wearing and all, we can still smile with our eyes. Eyes have been called the windows into our hearts. So, I challenge you to just imagine how your sharing a small twinkle or displaying that gleam in your eye can bring calm and joy to those you encounter. Also, think of engaging in small mindful gestures such as a little wave of acknowledgement to someone you encounter or waiting a few feet away to allow someone to grab a grocery cart in isolation. I think if we each think of how we can restore some of the social niceties that are missing in today’s environment, that we would come up with endless possibilities that will work while socially distancing. Let us take the challenge by each of us trying to restore some civility or nicety into our society by being sociable as we are socially distant.    

Is it Just me?......

By Carla Pettus, Esq. | • July 23, 2020
 Is it just me that think a lot of advertisements depict the 55+ community as people simply waiting at death’s door? They, in general, seem to send the message that we are lackluster; out-to-pasture; and no longer contributors to society. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some of us are still working, others are volunteering in schools, food banks, and other charitable initiatives (some a little less now due to the coronavirus pandemic); and there are those that are enjoying life by participating in activities such as marathons, skiing, swimming, dancing, cycling, etc. Based on news stories, we see more grandparents are raising their grandchildren and not missing a step to ensure that their grandchildren attend a myriad of activities; and 80+ individuals are living active lives to the fullness in so many ways, i.e., SCORE volunteers providing business advice to new entrepreneurs; obtaining college and advanced degrees; and so much more. I  must admit with much amusement, I witnessed a 90+ woman in my church raise up her walker and do a little jig! Our minds are still sharp, our bodies are able, and we still participate in society in so many meaningful ways. We share our wisdom and knowledge with the next generation(s) while at the same time we re-tool ourselves to keep current with the latest technology. So, let us dispel the myths (or mis-messaging) of aging and let everyone know that, #aging it’s a good thing!     

The Secret Behind The Mask-Be Aware

By Donna Satterthwaite • July 22, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has really turned all of lives upside down, coping with this new phenomenon, wearing a mask. Older adults of late have become victims to unscrupulous predators wearing a mask. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the enforcement of masks wearing has left our older adults vulnerable targets for abuse and robbery. While they are not able to see the entire face of an individual behind the mask, at times this has caused some older adults to be less observant of their surroundings. As result older adults may be caught unaware of someone following them or aggressively moving towards them.  During this COVID-19 pandemic period, please encourage your older adult family member, friends, and neighbors, to stay alert while they are venturing out into the public to take care of whatever need they might have. If you have an older adult relative, or if you know of an older adult who lives alone, please offer to run errands for them or go with them. This will help in increase their safety and ensure they are able to have their daily needs met.        

It’s Physical Distancing, not Social Distancing!

By Donna Satterthwaite • July 12, 2020
 Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19.      On the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) it is referred to as “social distancing.” I was never comfortable with that phrase because of the pictures it brings to the mind’s eye about isolation and especially about older adults in isolation.     There is a difference between being alone and being isolated or lonely. Google the words cigarettes and isolation together and you will see stated many times that loneliness and social isolation can be as damaging to one’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. This statement has been out for five years B.C. (before COVID). With the onset of COVID-19 and older adults being a target demographic to become ill from it, the focus on isolation has become amplified.     It is important to have solutions that help each of us with social isolation while we continue to physically distance from others. And you know what? This also means each of us should commit to taking affirmative steps to help ourselves and others in a post-COVID world as well. AARP provides recommendations to help mitigate the harmful effects of isolation . Some of them are to:     Connect with family, friends or loved ones. Make the effort to do it, even if you must push yourself. Just a few minutes will go a long way. Take breaks from watching, reading, or listening to news stories, including social media. Care for living things like pets or plants Take care of your body: walking inside or out, light stretching, eat as healthy as possible. Listen to music, find activities that bring joy. Find ways to laugh.  Visit the AARP Foundation’s Connect to Affect to find access to other resources and to learn more about social isolation.