Nancy Gregory describes herself as a type-A personality.
After talking with her for some time, though, you would conclude that’s she’s
far more than simply driven: she’s upbeat, caring, and at a good place in her
life.
“I’m a
homegrown Nebraskan who has lived in enough places to know that the Midwest is
where I belong,” Gregory explains. “I went to graduate school in Boston and
really liked that experience, then lived for a while in West Virginia, not far
from Washington, DC. But I must admit that I really came to appreciate living in the Midwest. Life seems less
complicated and moves at a little slower pace. And, it’s a great place to raise
kids.”
Having a great
place to raise kids has taken on new meaning for Gregory ever since the birth
of her first grandchild, Michael, six months ago. And it will take on even more
importance when her second grandchild arrives next June.
The 50-something
retiree now spends her days caring for her grandson and three toddlers – and Gregory
loves what she’s doing. “I have two passions in life: children and elder care.
When I was a career woman, I was a health-care administrator with Veterans
Affairs, working primarily with older adults,” she notes. “Now that I’m retired
I get to indulge my other passion, working with children.”
But that’s only
the beginning of Gregory’s encore career. Right after she retired in 2012, she
took courses to get certified as a health care administrator for elders. Once
she takes her certification exam, Gregory intends to blend her two passions by
finding ways to connect older and younger generations through her work and
volunteerism.
“I would love to see more connection and involvement between
generations. My kids grew up away from their grandparents; it wasn’t until they
were teenagers that my sons became close to their grandparents. They missed out
on a lot of years of sharing time with their elders, particularly when they were very young and
most impressionable. I
know I learned my most important life lessons from my grandpa.
“It’s critical
that older adults be around to be a soft landing for kids, to spoil them and be
there for them. We now know that reading and talking to kids from a very young
age is critical for early brain development and functioning. Most young parents
are so busy worrying about putting food on the table, they don’t have all the
time they would like to nurture their children’s development, especially in those important first five years of life. Grandparents and
other older adults have the time, the life experience and the passion to spend
nurturing them.”
That’s where
volunteering comes in – as does Gregory’s type-A personality.
“I joined the
Nebraska Early Childhood Grandparent Network because I passionately believe
that older adults’ life experience is critical to their ability to effectively
advocate on behalf of children and youth. They can reflect on what they’ve
learned over the years and put that experience to good use. Furthermore, older
adults tend to have the time to devote to being strong advocates for children of all ages, whether they’re
newborns or older adolescents.
“I also think the
recent government shutdown was an eye-opener because it showed us how involved
the government is in so many aspects of our lives, yet that it has limited resources.
We need to look instead to our retiree population to get involved and build a
strong legacy for future generations. As I contemplate my future role as a
health care administrator for elders, I want to explore ways I can meld my
passion for older adults with my passion for kids. I plan to spend more time
volunteering and encouraging others to get involved. I also plan to spend a lot
of time determining how I can help intersect the generations to bring older and
younger together and share life experiences.
“I’m not exactly
sure how I will bring all this about, but I do know that I intend to spend the rest of my life thinking about it – and
trying to make a difference.”
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