Jezebel: Senior Citizens

People, let's give it up for Mildred Heath, ...

Jessica — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EDT

People, let's give it up for Mildred Heath, 100, of Overton, Nebraska, the nation's active oldest worker. She's a reporter at the Nebraska Beacon Observer, and has been a journalist since 1929. She has no plans for retirement, the New York Observer reports, because she says, "I enjoy the work. And I'm needed." [PR Web via Observer]

The Baby Borrowers: Teen Bathes, Then Bonds With Senior Citizen

Tracie — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Last night, on the season finale of The Baby Borrowers, the teens were given their final assignment: Caring for the elderly. Morgan — the SoCal chick who took on the role of being a single mother after she and her boyfriend broke up and he left the show — really bonded with "her" senior citizen, both emotionally and physically. (She also had to bathe her, and she was a really good sport about it.) Later, the thrice-married woman talked about love and marriage with Morgan, explaining to her that life is better when lived as a single. Then Morgan asked her why her generation doesn't file their nails into a square shape. Seriously. Clip above.

Senior Citizen Steals Hearts, Gems

Dodai — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Meet Doris Payne. She is 77 years old, and for the last fifty years, she has been a jewel thief. She stole her first diamond at age 27, and she never used a gun. Instead, charm and wardrobe were her weapons. "I knew how to dress," says Ms. Payne. "I never did like ruffles and frills. I just like a simple-cut fine material that moves when I move." She would try on lots and lots of jewelry, then manage to pocket one piece. The items she stole? "They were not that great in number," she says. "They were great in value." Ms. Payne lifted a five-carat diamond ring from a Neiman Marcus in Denver and a $31,500 three-stone diamond ring with a platinum band from a Neiman Marcus in Palo Alto. When she was busted, on her booking sheet, she gave her occupation as "jewel thief."

Her son, now 61, was raised mostly by his grandparents. He says he understands his mother, though: "I realized she was very good at what she does and had fun doing it." Ms. Payne, who is currently serving time in Colorado, will be 81 by the time she gets out. She doesn't like jail ("I could kill myself in here," she says) but she doesn't seem to have regrets, either. "I had lots of fun," Ms. Payne says. "I did."

Too Elegant To Be A Jewelry Thief [LA Times]

Poverty Is A Major Problem For America's Older Mothers

Jessica — Fri, 09 May 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Women outlive men, but in their twilight years, they're much more likely to fall below the poverty line. In fact, according to the Women's Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER), the largest segment of the population living in poverty is made up of elderly females. (The average Social Security benefit for women is $800 per month, compared to $1,177 for men; this is due to less time spent in the workforce overall, explains UPI.) Says Cindy Hounsell, President of WISER: "With more years out of the workforce to care for family, combined with lower wages and a greater life expectancy, it's clear that simply being a woman in our society may jeopardize your financial security." And as a second new study shows, young women — and rightfully so — are much more anxious about being able to save for retirement, pay bills, and provide for children than their male counterparts.

Reuters reports: "Three of every 10 women were worried about their economic security, compared with two of every 10 men," according to a study funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and analyzed by the Institute for Women's Policy Research. "Two-thirds of women fear they are not saving enough for retirement, but only half of men share this concern." (Not surprisingly, single mothers and women of color are most likely to be anxious about their ability to pay bills; 48 percent of African-American women have had trouble getting their bills paid, compared to 42% of Hispanic women and 26% of white women.) Perhaps those who are late acquiring Mother's Day presents should take advice from UPI and forgo the flowers in favor of putting some hard cash in mom's IRA?

Caring For Family Can Make Women Poor [UPI]
U.S. Economic Anxiety Hits Women Harder: Study [Reuters]

Grannies Convicted Of Murdering Homeless Men For Insurance Cash

Jessica — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Lately we've been bemoaning the state of the nation's ultra violent youth, but teens aren't the only ones plaguing society. Meet Hollywood's "black widows", Helen Golay, 77, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 75. Yesterday, Golay, the big-haired broad on the left, was convicted of killing two homeless men —Kenneth McDavid, 50, and Paul Vados, 73— for $2.8 million in life insurance. (Rutterschmidt has been slammed with conspiracy to kill, reports the L.A. Times.) As has been widely reported, Golay and Rutterschmidt would approach homeless men and offer them food, money and friendship. Then they'd start needling them for personal information — their ages, their Social Security numbers, and, after winning their trust, would take out accidental death life insurance policies on the men, claiming to be their cousins or fiancées. The final blow: Golay and Rutterschmidt would hit the homeless men with Golay's Volvo and make it look like a hit and run.

In his closing arguments, Los Angeles D.A. Bobby Grace said, "They didn't need this money. They weren't poor and destitute. They went out of their way to target men who had nothing." (Golay is a former real estate agent, while Rutterschmidt used to own a local coffee shop with her husband.) Rutterschmidt's lawyers tried to paint her as a "simple minded" woman whom Golay took advantage of and, in a last ditch effort to save his client from jail, Golay's lawyer tried to blame one of the hit and runs on her daughter, Kecia.

Best of all, the jury was shown a video of the two women in a holding cell just after they had initially been arrested. Golay and Rutterschmidt turned on each other almost immediately. "It's your fault," Rutterschmidt told
Golay, according to CNN. "You can't have that many insurances. ... You were greedy. That's the problem." Hmmm, she doesn't sound that "simple minded to me!"

Woman Convicted Of Murder In Homeless Men's Deaths [Los Angeles Times]
Women Convicted In Murder-For-Profit Case [CNN]

Earlier: The Meanest Girls At School Are Often The Most Popular