RetirementHomes.com - Books and Movies

Dustin Hoffman Makes Directorial Debut with "Quartet"

aadmin — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 19:45:33 +0000

Quartet, about four opera singers in a retirement home for performers, will be released in theaters to the public on December 28. It will be Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, an appropriately sweet achievement for the 75-year-old American actor.

The film features Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins and Tom Courtenay as retired opera stars. Retired musicians and accomplished stars are employed by Hoffman to serve as the other residents in the retirement home, including Grammy-winning opera singers and a former conductor of the London symphony.

The movie's main characters reminisce about past rivalries, love affairs and good times and their aging lives at the English countryside Beecham House. A Christmas opera is created as a benefit gala to financially save the old-age home from closing.

The script is by Oscar-winning screenwriter, Ronald Harwood - The Dresser, The Pianist - and is based on his stage play of the same title.

Variety wrote about Quartet: "An ebullient encore not only for its central foursome - Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins, Billy Connolly and Maggie Smith - but also for the distinguished musicians who comprise the rest of the ensemble, Quartet shows retirement hasn't diluted the drama one bit."

Quartet should become a staple at assisted living and continuing care residences.

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Marketing Financial Services to Seniors

aadmin — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 05:39:13 +0000

Marketing Financial Services to Seniors: A Program for Tapping the Most Affluent Market in America Today

by Larry Klein
NF Communications Inc.: Walnut Creek, CA
$24.95
(Hardback: 176 pages)
2000

Reviewed by Jon A. Ford, CFP

"Forget about the baby boomers," says Larry Klein—"It's the seniors who have the wealth." This is a book for financial services salespersons. It promises to reveal marketing practices to increase sales to people retired or very close to it. The author presents facts about seniors that are helpful to understand objectives, fears, and other very strong emotions that accompany retirement, which Klein views as a fundamental, life-altering event when new values take center stage.

In nine chapters, he describes who is a senior, why sell to them, senior psychology, what works and what doesn't work when advertising to seniors, a model for selling to seniors, important products and services for them, how to position yourself as an expert, and setting up your office. The chapters are straightforward and founded on sound sales principles, and suggestions are easy to implement.

Klein states the goal is to identify what solution will improve the prospect's financial situation, be emotionally and psychologically acceptable to the prospect and get the prospect to take action. He clearly intends, however, for the ultimate action to be the purchase of annuities, long-term care insurance or another financial product. Don't use reason, use emotion, the author encourages. He provides scripts for many difficult situations in which a salesperson may become immersed. For example, when selling long-term care insurance and the customer balks, ask, "Do you want to be a burden on your family?" and "How long before you have to sell your house?"

The book is filled with useful understandings, but it often borders on condoning exploitative methods to take advantage of a particular population. Klein encourages the reader to make the most of seniors' strong feelings like "a need to be wanted," "fear," "desires for security," "guilt" and "greed." His "therapist" sales model, which he contrasts with the win-lose and consultation models, appears to be a simple proximity control behavioral tactic. The primary difference with the therapist model is that the salesperson sits at right angles to the customer, rather than across the table or beside him or her. Supposedly this increases the chances of "having the prospect turn money over to the advisor." I would recommend the book to those who find this description to their liking.

Jon A. Ford, CFP, is president of Commission Free Financial Planning Solutions Inc. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Reprinted with permission by the Financial Planning Association, Journal of Financial Planning. For more information on the Financial Planning Association, please visit www.fpanet.org or call 1-800-322-4237.

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Getting what you want

aadmin — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 08:07:15 +0000

Jane Juska wrote a book about her quest for a fulfilling sexual relationship. A year earlier she placed an ad in the literary section of the New York Times.

Jane had little idea how dramatically her life would change by this action.

Her attempt to introduce a fulfilling sexual relationship into her life led her to a thorough examination of her life to date, and the writing of her best-selling non-fiction book, A Round Heeled Woman.

Jane's book spoke to many women, young and old, about their own experiences of both romantic and sexual relationships. Film rights have now been purchased and she is writing another account of women and relationships.

YL asked her about her transition from a lonely, retired teacher to a busy author and speaker.

What is A Round Heeled Woman about? Love? Sex? Companionship?

No, it's really about going out and getting what you want.

What made you want to share your adventures in print?

I was writing small pieces in my journal, to try to get control over things that were happening to me - trying to get control over chaos. I thought it was too good to keep to myself, that I needed a wider audience, so I wrote half of a really bad novel; I became a character called Norah. Everyone should write a novel and call herself Norah.

I have had an adventure...
Sometimes I just don't recognise my life.

I sent it to a good friend, Matt, and he said, "Well, nobody's going to believe this is fiction! You have a story to tell, why don't you sit down and tell it?" It was as though I'd been given permission. So I sat down, and wrote it in four months.

I was still teaching writing classes at St Mary's and I would look at the students and think, "If only you knew what I was writing about". Then the day came when a publisher bought my book. I was just so excited, I told them. We all cheered - it was such a lovely moment - and then they asked what the book was about!

Was it difficult to navigate the fine line between putting your frank confessions into print and having these sexual adventures misrepresented by a publisher?

I objected to the original cover. It was lurid. At first I thought, "Oh my god, the marketing people have definitely taken over!" But if you write a book, people are always going to make of it what they need to, and in some ways, different people will get very different things out of it. Happily, the reviews have been remarkably positive, and often emphasise that the writing is good.

It's going to be a movie, as well?

Yes. I've signed over all creative control. The studio has bought it, and will do what they want, although I'm really pleased with the casting of Tyne Daley (ex Cagney & Lacey). I think she'll be terrific. She took me to lunch in New York, and gave me an original copy of a work by Trollope - very kind, very appropriate.

You are very tough on yourself regarding your parenting. Was it difficult to write about your experiences as a single parent?

So many readers are single parents, so I included a chapter about bringing up my son. I sent it to him and said, "If you don't like this, I'll remove it or change your name". And he replied, "I would be proud if you used my name - and, by the way, I thought I had a happy childhood." But no, he hasn't read the other chapters. He really doesn't want to read about his mother having sex!

How do people react when they've read your book? Are men less respectful?

I don't know if I could say that. No, they certainly don't act disrespectfully. Women are warm even before we meet. A certain barrier has gone down, as has the necessity of small talk. They share amazing stories and the most intimate details. If fact, many men approach me now. One local man who has read my book greets me with "Hello Jane, I love your spirit - how are you doing today?"

So how has your life changed?

I have had an adventure, which has had a ripple effect. It has blown my cover. Things happen everyday. I never knew there were so many men in the world. They've become good, sometimes remarkable, friends. Sometimes I just don't recognise my life, but there's nothing like doing the laundry to ground you. I am also able to devote more time to writing, so I am looking for a bigger house to store my stacks of paper.

Would you advise other women to place a personal ad?

No. I don't advise anyone to do anything. That would be presumptuous. I do give talks. I did one for 19- and 20-year-old students whose college had put my book on their reading list. I remarked that I think about sex all the time, and they were nodding their heads like crazy. It's not an age thing.

My favourite response of all was a woman who called me and said "Please have coffee with me - your book has changed my life." I met her - she was in her early 60s, sad, undernourished, divorced for a long time. She said, "I want to find someone. How do I do it?"

Sometimes I think we all jump to the end, when we don't understand what we should do in the middle, to achieve what we want. So I just said, "Lighten up. You'll scare people away." She contacted me two weeks ago and said, "I did what you said. I lightened up, and I'm having a fine time, thank you".

A Round Heeled Woman,
Random House 2003

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