Having decided to retire last Fall from the U.S. Senate staff after 38+ years, I have become increasingly interested in the journeys other colleagues have taken with their newly acquired daily/professional flexibility. As a group, psychologists seem to be resilient folk, even though few had seriously thought about what they might do until the time to retire suddenly arrived. The musing of a favorite mentor from my Ft. Logan internship days: "Now, after 51 years as a practicing psychologist, I have again confronted the 'retirement' issue. I even announced to friends that I was 'about' to retire. Many were already retired, some for 25 years. I began to stop taking new patients and just planned to finish with those lingering cases that were also not ready to retire…. I found that giving up what I liked to do and felt proficient at was not as attractive as others had found it. So now, here I am, accepting a couple of new clients and enjoying it for now. The challenge and good feeling is still there, so I am only semi-retired. Thus, I can keep doing what I like and still play golf and travel. And then there was the book that I was going to write – about the oft overlooked issue of differing life tempos from one person to another that are usually the basis for most human conflict and emotional illness. No one's rhythm is 'right' or 'wrong' though many try to tell each other they are 'wrong,' hence try to change the tempo of another. That is a truly useless effort in which many engage. That too is another book in the direction of 'I'm OK, you're OK.' Who knows, maybe one of those dictating programs like 'Dragon Speaks' or some such can help me over the hurdle of increasingly stiff fingers at the keyboard" [Jay Benedict].
Our nation's elderly population is steadily growing, providing new challenges and opportunities for psychology. The Obama Administration's budget for the coming year notes three health professions shortfalls identified by the Institute of Medicine: 1.) The health care needs of older adults will be difficult to meet by the current workforce. 2.) There will be severe shortages of geriatric specialists and other providers with geriatric skills. And 3.) There will be increased demand for chronic care management skills. With visionary leadership from APA, psychology has been deemed eligible for support under several initiatives which are to increase the supply of quality, culturally competent geriatric clinical faculty; retrain mid-career faculty in geriatrics; and support career development in academic geriatrics providing training in clinical geriatrics, including the training of interdisciplinary teams of health professionals. For many of our colleagues, this will represent a fascinating new frontier. Former APA Congressional Fellow Greg Hinrichsen worked during the 2007-2008 Session of Congress with the Senate Special Committee on Aging, already having 25 years of experience in the aging field. He helped craft legislation for a Medicare demonstration program, the Independence at Home Act, providing a new model of coordinated care for chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries. End-of-life issues were also part of his portfolio with U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, for example hospice benefits and a joint Senate-House resolution on advance directives. "Being on Capitol Hill was especially meaningful since I was a Senate page as a teenager – an experience that was transformative. In the same way, the APA Congressional Fellowship has been a pivotal point in my professional life leading me in new professional directions." We would only add that it is an experience which everyone should consider. "You better keep truckin' on…. Whoa yeah!" Aloha,
Pat DeLeon, former APA President – Colorado Psychological Association – March, 2012
