Thelma Reese & Barbara Fleisher, authors, The New Senior Woman

This year, and until 2030, 77 million baby boomers will be hitting the milestone age of 65 at about 8,000 a day. A woman turning 65 this year can expect to live until an average age of 85, and bigger percentages than ever are making it to 90, or even 95. Today’s typical 65-year-old woman is healthier, more physically active, better educated…and more restless. What should women do with their extra time, and how can they make the most of the rest of their lives?

Recently retired professors Thelma Reese and Barbara M. Fleisher grappled with this same question themselves, and have come up with a game plan in their new book, THE NEW SENIOR WOMAN. To learn how other successful women were handling this whole new stage of life, Barbara and Thelma tapped into the wisdom of over 200 women from all walks of life – women who have mastered the art of senior life and are living it with flair, dignity, and a sense of accomplishment. They boil down this wisdom and more in their book, and share their real-life stories so others can learn from their example.

Despite their differences, today’s women over 60 share striking common bonds. As Reese and Fleisher reflect in their final chapter, today’s new senior woman stands out for her remarkable resilience, her tolerance and genuine compassion for all kinds of others, and her openness to learning from, as well as teaching, members of younger generations. Insightful and reassuring, THE NEW SENIOR WOMAN celebrates a growing sisterhood with the power to shatter old stereotypes of older people and transform our culture for the better—for everyone.

About The Authors:
Thelma Reese, EdD, retired professor of English and of education, created the advisory council for Hooked on Phonics and was its spokesperson in the 1990s. In that role and as director of the Mayor’s Commission on Literacy for the City of Philadelphia, she appeared frequently on television and hosted a cable show in Philadelphia. She currently writes the monthly “Family” column for Right SideWire. Together, she and Barbara M. Fleisher created and maintain the www.ElderChicks.com blog. They also have weekly interviews on the Armstrong Williams show on Sirius Radio as he plumbs the wisdom of the “ElderChicks.”

Barbara M. Fleisher, EdD, is a retired professor of education. She is the author of many articles in professional juried journals and has presented her research at national and international conferences. She has conducted many workshops for and about women in their sixties and beyond and has interviewed hundreds of women about their concerns as they face new challenges in this stage in their lives.