Cantissimo Senior Living Blog

Pen pals are a wonderful way to connect with people from around the world, build friendships, and learn about different cultures. While letters are a classic and timeless way to correspond with your pen pal, there are many creative ways to take your friendship to the next level. From virtual tours to online games, there are countless opportunities to deepen your connection and have some fun.

This blog post will explore 13 unique and creative ways to connect with your pen pal beyond just letters. Whether you're looking for a new hobby, a fun activity, or an educational experience, you'll find plenty of inspiration to keep your friendship strong and vibrant. So, grab a notebook and a pen, and let's dive in!

Personal security risks rise as the population using the internet grows. Cyberthreats have grown so common that the US federal government has set up a research and development agency to come up with a strategy for developing technology and establishing rules to reduce the hazards in cyberspace. Sadly, older adults are a popular target for online scams as a result of generally having higher net worths and less familiarity with modern technology. Fortunately, there are simple steps you can take today to reduce the risk of encountering threats to your online security.

As social media continues to grow as media technologies improve, influencer culture is growing too. An influencer is someone who obtains a large following on their social media platforms by connecting with their audience. Influencers frequently use their following to promote themselves or sponsor brands. Although the vast majority of influencers are young, senior social media stars are rising. Unlike many of their generation, senior influencers “get” social media and use it to promote their personal brands.

Linda Malys Yore is an influencer with a blog called “Linda On The Run”, where she writes and inspires others about travel, fitness, vegan cooking, and health. After starting her blog in 2018, she began using Instagram and Facebook as additional platforms to share her stories. Today, Linda has 73,000 followers on Instagram. Experience Beyond Measure correspondent Mike Lawson recently interviewed Linda about her transition from retirement to an influencer.

After retirement, many seniors look for purpose in life outside of work, whether that be spending time with family and friends, finding part-time employment, volunteering, developing new skills or hobbies, and more. For 82-year-old Steve Austin (otherwise known as Old Man Steve), he began making TikTok videos in his apartment in a senior living complex. After a few months of posting TikTok videos, he quickly gained popularity among young users and now has 1.7 million followers. Experience Beyond Measure correspondent Mike Lawson recently interviewed Steve to learn how he became TikTok famous and how this experience has impacted his life.

What is Digital Fatigue?

Digital fatigue is a state of mental exhaustion that is a side effect of our modern, ever-connected life. We are rarely more than a few inches from our mobile devices. We use them for every conceivable purpose. We are always "on" and constantly connected through social media, email, text messages, calls, and more. For many people, work or other forms of digital entertainment follow them on digital devices all hours of the day. This constant deluge of information leads to a feeling of being overwhelmed and burnt out.

Signs of digital fatigue include:

If you're over the age of 50, single, and ready to mingle, get ready to meet your soulmate! The old ways of finding love are out the window. While the traditional way to meet singles was to go out to social events, speed dating, or mixers, modern dating has transitioned to the internet. Especially during pandemics like COVID-19, it can be challenging to safely go out and meet new people. Nowadays, singles find love by browsing the millions of people using dating websites available worldwide.

However, this presents a challenge to seniors. Many dating online dating services can be gimmicky and designed to appeal to students and much younger individuals. Fortunately, several dating websites have realized this issue and provided a solution - excellent dating websites that connect singles over 50:

Free Websites

We understand that spending your hard-earned money on a dating website can be quite daunting. Some people just don't feel comfortable with it! That's completely fine because we've got you covered. Find your true love without spending a dime. Below we've listed the best free dating sites that are geared towards seniors.

Cellular phones and access to the internet has drastically changed the lives of people across the world. For the first time in history, humans can communicate with each other and access answers to questions instantly, from pretty much anywhere. The benefits are vast and incredible. At the same time, while older adults are using the internet and smartphones more frequently, there are risks.

Internet and phone scams have become a growing issue as technology has evolved and become more advanced. Scammers use internet software to take advantage of people by using fraud schemes that trick people into giving them money. In 2018, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center received 351,936 complaints of internet and phone crimes, accounting for more than 2.7 billion dollars in losses. Of all scam victims, seniors are targeted more than any other age group because they tend to have more time and willingness to listen. They are also often more sympathetic and trusting than younger generations.

Scammers use various tactics, such as acting friendly, helpful, or sympathetic, to get people to fall for their schemes. In some cases, scammers inflict fear on their victims to scare them into paying them. Scammers are aware that many older adults have a lot of money in their savings accounts after retirement. They are also considered low-risk targets because these scams often go unnoticed and unreported due to the lack of technical knowledge.

The best way to avoid internet and phone scams is to be aware of common scams, including the top ten scams targeting seniors, found by the National Council on Aging (NCOA). It is then easier to identify and avoid falling for these scams:

In our recent blog (Participating in the Gig Economy: Part 1 - Driver and Delivery Jobs), we reviewed the gig economy and job opportunities involving driving and delivery. In this blog, we will outline gig economy jobs related to corporate and freelance work. While driving jobs can be a great way to get out of the house and make your own work schedule, there are many work opportunities within the gig economy.

Within the past five years, the number of freelance workers in the United States increased from 53 to 57 million. 61% of those freelancers went into this work by choice for the many benefits. Twenty-five percent of freelancers say their ideal work environment is at home. Twenty-five percent also say they can find work within 24 hours. More than half of freelancers say they will never go back to traditional work because of the vast opportunities and flexibility.

In recent blogs, we have reviewed social media and how to get started with popular networks. Although social media has been continuously rising in popularity for the past sixteen years, web forums were an early way to communicate online, and they continue to be widely used today.

Web forums are sections of a website that allows users to post messages to an online discussion board. Most web forums can be viewed by anyone anonymously without having to create an account, making it easy to find help online through advice from real people. Although web forums are most commonly used online by random users, they are also becoming a more common mode of communication for work and school as private web forums rise in popularity.