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Glory Days & maturity SACRAMENTO (MCT) — In a spirit of grat- itude and giving back to the parents who raised them, Bill and Jackie Merz's daughters have extended a generous invitation. "They both live in Chica- lifestyles Seniors say 'no thanks' to living with kids MCT photo Joree Nielsen, left,works on computer skills with Shirley Mayor of Senior CompuCare, on June 20. Senior Compucare was started in 2010 as a com- puter-learning computer "for seniors, by seniors." These computer lessons are puters, but about a year ago, she didn't know how to use either. 'for seniors, by seniors' ORLANDO, Fla. (MCT) — Claire Cox has two com- computer-learning company "for seniors, by seniors." The company, started by Didier Nicholas in Longwood in Feb- ruary 2010, enlists independent contractors to help clients 50 and older figure out how to use their computers and smartphones. Cox, 73, turned to an instructor at Senior CompuCare, a go now," said Bill Merz, 75, a retired Sacramento State psychology professor. "One was willing to put an extra floor on her house and install an elevator for us so we could live there. The other wanted to convert her basement for us. "I told them we'd have somebody shoot us before we did that." their own home in Roseville, adore their extended, close-knit family, which also includes two sons in California and 11 grandchildren. But the idea of living with the kids in their older age leaves them cold. The Merzes, who live in Nicholas, 47, said he came up with the idea of seniors helping other seniors because he thought clients would find it easier to learn from somebody like them. Senior CompuCare meets clients at their homes to help one-on-one with anything from organizing digital photos to signing up for Facebook. Nicholas said he also has a certi- fied repairman available. don't want you telling me what to do,'" said Jackie Merz, who is also 75 and a retired teacher and coun- selor. "My first reaction was, 'I "A lot of our customers don't even know how to turn on their computers, let alone check their email," Nicholas said. Cox said she liked having someone her age teach her. She said she didn't need to know how to do anything advanced, but she was interested in learning basic programs and navigating the Internet. An instructor helped Crouch select a Hewlett-Packard laptop to purchase and spent three hours teaching him how to use the new device. Crouch said he probably only turns on the computer once a week at most, but he likes being able to search Google. Nicholas also wants to help seniors by giving them the opportunity to own a business; he recently started franchis- ing Senior CompuCare, with new businesses set to open in Las Vegas and San Diego in July. As of April, 53 percent of American adults age 65 and older use the Internet or email, and one in three online seniors uses social-networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn, according to the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Center. "(Young people) think you (already) know something. Either that or they think you're dumb as a box of rocks," Cox said, adding that her instructor made her feel confident she could learn. Nicholas said convincing seniors to use computers is one of the biggest obstacles his company faces. A lot of older people have an "I don't know how to use it, and I don't want to know" mentality, Nicholas said. Nicholas discusses the convenience computers can offer to seniors, including the ability to pay bills and make doctor appointments online, videoconference with grandchildren up North and research health-related concerns. He said he finds seniors to be skeptical, and he includes testimonials on Senior CompuCare's website. Tom Crouch didn't even own a computer when he signed up for computer lessons from Senior CompuCare about a year ago. The 69-year-old from Astatula said he wanted to be able to search for things online and learn how to email, but he was "computer-illiterate." that serve Central Florida, and lessons start at about $35 per hour. Nicholas said he has about 10 independent contractors Beware of travel bargains (MCT) — Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. DISCOUNT TRAVEL Summer travel season brings with it a variety of scams to watch out for, the Better Business Bureau said. Travelers should be wary of deals that sound too good to be true. They should also ask detailed questions about travel arrangements and get all details in writing before agreeing to buy, the BBB said. Travelers who have questions about travel com- panies can check with the BBB to see whether they have a history of com- plaints. online listings for bargains, the BBB said in a recent alert. The FBI reported receiving nearly 14,000 complaints from 2008 to 2011 from consumers who said they were victimized in online car-buying scams. One of the most com- mon scams involves sellers who require payment up front but do not deliver cars as promised, the BBB said. Warning signs of potential scams include prices that seem too good to be true, sellers who won't allow a buyer to view a car before the sale and sellers who ask the buyer to send payment by bank wire, the BBB said. travel agencies and bureaus that offer good deals on vacations," said Steve J. Bernas, president of the bureau in Chicago. "Con- sumers need to research all companies before doing business with them to help ensure safe transactions." ONLINE CAR SALES Car buyers should be careful when searching "There are many reliable K W I K K U T S Family Hair Salon $200 REGULAR HAIRCUT off with coupon Not good with other offers 1064 South Main St., Red Bluff • 529-3540 Reg. $13.95 Expires 7/31/12 Most older adults tend to be a bit more euphemistic about it: Typically, they say that they don't want to be a burden to their kids, or that they don't want to impose. But statistics show a plainer truth. In huge numbers, seniors relish their freedom, and they want to live on their own as long as they can. region, U.S. census figures show that almost three- fourths of people 65 and older live in same-genera- tion (as opposed to multi- generational) households. National figures are even higher, with nearly 80 per- cent of older adults living in their own households — more than triple the number from the 1940s. A recent survey from the research firm Gallup & Robinson highlights that sense of independence. While 53 percent of people below age 65 said they would take in an aging par- ent who needed their help, only a quarter of people older than 65 said they would accept an invitation to live with their grown chil- dren. In the Sacramento face of a stubborn cultural cliche, in which the grand- parents, kids and grandkids grow older together under one roof — a holdover from the days when there was no choice but for the genera- tions to live together, like it or not. exists because we continu- ally look retrospectively," said Bill Merz. "It becomes a museum piece. Look at TV shows and movies about Christmas, the nuclear family they show. "It hasn't been that way "I think the stereotype Those attitudes fly in the which for the first time allowed millions of older people to continue living in their own homes. And that financial stability has grown in the years since. In the quarter-century ending in 2007, the number of low-income and poverty- level older Americans decreased to 36 percent from half of all seniors, according to Administration on Aging data. Today's economy, not sentiment or obligation, largely drives multigenera- tional households _ but with a twist, aging experts say. With the recession hitting families hard, many grown children have moved in with their elders, or invited their parents to live with them – not because the older adults need help but because they themselves do. "I unfortunately hear pretty often from our clients that their adult children have moved back in, and the par- ent who's in their 80s does- n't want them there," said Rosanne Bernardy, execu- tive director of the Ethel M. Hart Senior Center in Sacra- mento. "I never hear our clients say, 'I really would like to live with my children, but they don't want me to.'" They've earned their freedom. For many seniors, retirement and older age are "me" time. After a lifetime of diligence and responsi- bility — raising children, working and taking care of their own elders — they cherish the time to them- selves. Take Carmichael resi- dent Jeannie Obrien, 71, a retired real estate appraiser who's divorced. She volun- teers at the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, belongs to a pho- tography group, gardens, reads and spends time with her friends. alone. "We've passed our And she loves living prime, but we're out enjoy- ing what we've never been able to do," said Obrien. "I don't have to check in with anybody. I'm out and about and doing my own thing." Even so, she has a stand- Saturday, July 14, 2012 – Daily News 7A ing invitation to live with her son in Sacramento. And in a decade or two or three, depending on her health and how vulnerable she feels living on her own, she might take him up on it. "It's a reciprocal thing," she said. "I've helped him when he needs help, and he'll help me." The key, aging experts say, is knowing when to make the move – and when the upside outweighs what many older adults think of as a considerable downside. After living on their own, content in a comfortable routine, older people often find their grown children's households chaotic, noisy and confining. big, happy family. It's not necessarily one since World War II. GIs did- n't come back from the war and move to Mom and Dad's neighborhood. They moved to the suburbs or across the country." It's been a long time since the grandparents lived one farm away, just across the prairie. Along with postwar geo- graphic mobility, the advent of Social Security seven decades ago provided a reli- able retirement income, Sierra Sound Car Audio 35th $ 226 So. Main St., Red Bluff 527-3735 All CD's 13.99 Anniversary Sale or less