– William Carlos Williams

Today I am going to write about unusual, new or different things happening around the area. I notice there are businesses with several older workers. There is a graying of the workforce. Hmm, that gave me food for thought. Employers are beginning to recognize the benefit of hiring older people and drawing from their knowledge and experience. Also, there are seniors who are old enough to retire, but love their jobs and have no immediate plans to retire. Many work past the traditional retirement age.

With age comes wisdom, and organizations are turning to older employees for the deep breath of knowledge and expertise that many years in the workforce have given them. I came across an article written by Julie Cook Ramirez titled “Betting on Older Workers” that happened to fit in with my thoughts.

She writes and shares stories about older workers. In June 2015, Jim Godwin, vice president of human resources for Bon Secours Virginia Health System, testified at a U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, examining the challenges and opportunities facing older Americans. He spoke about the importance of attracting and retaining older workers and shared stories about them.

“One of the biggest and most enduring reasons companies want to hold on to certain older workers is they have institutional knowledge that is very hard to train in someone,” says Tay McNamara, co-director of the Sloan Center of Aging and Work at Boston College. “They know how to get things done, they know what channels to go through, and they seem to have this magic way with people because they’ve built up relationships over time.”

It is good news for an organization in which people are truly experts at what they do. They are an important part of the workforce, having the experience that sets a good example of maturity dealing with circumstances that may not be in a textbook.

Moving on … the traffic leaving Maine on a Sunday afternoon in July is unbelievable. My granddaughter and husband invited us to their home last Sunday. They live in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is not a long ride. But I was amazed: The traffic was bumper to bumper on the turnpike. Judging from the number of plates, the traffic was mostly from out of state. Two of my granddaughters went the back way, thinking it would not be so busy. Well there was extremely heavy traffic there. Thank goodness for cell phones; we kept in touch.

After a great visit, we left at 6 o’clock. I was surprised to see all the traffic going south, three lanes, bumper to bumper for miles and miles. My goodness, I thought, were all these people in Maine? City folks must find relief in the simple beauty of our state. But we live near the sound of the ocean and the best beaches and may seldom enjoy them ourselves!

And … the Saco Parks and Recreation Department, with other rec departments, plans a bus trip for seniors Aug. 18, 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to Weirs Beach in Laconia, New Hampshire, for a cruise aboard the MS Mount Washington on Lake Winnipesaukee. The coach bus departs Saco Community Center.

The cruise will drop folks off in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, for 21/2 hours of shopping and lunch. Cost: $65/members; $68/non-members. For more information, call SPR at 283-3139 or visit www.sacorec.com.

— Zaffie Hadiaris of Saco is the host of “Zaffie,” a weekly television talk show on Channel 3 Biddeford public access. It can also be seen at biddefordmaine.org. Contact Hadiaris at [email protected].