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With just over 10,000 Americans turning 65 each day, a new wave of the most educated, experienced generation of workers with vast amounts of knowledge is approaching traditional retirement age.

The Cleveland Foundation anticipates that in Cuyahoga County alone, between the years 2000 and 2050, the percentage of individuals age 50 and older is expected t increase 66 percent. At the same time, Americans are living and working longer than ever before.

People work for multiple reasons: they need the money, they love what they do or employers do not want to lose the institutional knowledge employees possess. With so many reasons to remain employed, no wonder encore careers have gained a foothold in Northeast Ohio.

WHY PURSUE AN ENCORE CAREER?

Having the ability to transfer both professional skills and sometimes personal skills or hobbies into a flexible part-time job can be rewarding. Skills can be parlayed into work for local nonprofit and government agencies that match social interests. Enjoy animals? The local animal shelter may need fundraising or marketing help. Did you work in education? A local nonprofit providing adult education programs may use your assistance in their resource library.

If you have been retired for an extended period of time and need to re-enter the workforce for financial reasons, networking can help you connect with other professionals.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

Most nonprofits and governmental agencies depend on federal and state funding or private foundation support. That can mean lean budgets and even leaner staffing while struggling to acquire experienced staff to help build and sustain programs. A passionate and experienced encore employee can provide skills that have been put to the test on a day-to-day basis, helping to grow a business and its funding.

With years of real-world professional skills, encore employees also know how to develop and manage people.

If you’re ready to jump ship to a new job, there are plenty of ways to kick-start your journey.

You can find help locally and online. Grab a computer (and a cup of coffee) and start your brainstorming with online resources you can access at any time.

Have career options in mind but are not exactly sure what the job entails? Start with The Occupational Information Network at onetonline.org, a free database containing hundreds of occupations and their definitions.

FREE WORKSHOPS, ONLINE HELP

Now that you’ve narrowed your focus and done your research, it’s time to prepare for the job search, write a resume and sail through an interview. Try free, local workshops and events and go back online to guide you through the process.

Jim Ahern is director of Hudson Job Search, a nonprofit group that teaches clients how to find jobs.

“Many 50 and older job seekers are concerned that they will appear overqualified and therefore employers will see them as a flight risk if they are hired at any position lower than the one they last had,” Ahern says. “Resolving this issue can only be done by the 50-plus interviewee making their case for why the position is the one for them.”

Ahern says joining the online professional networking group LinkedIn is vital for job hunters.

CHECK THESE OUT:

Hudson Job Search invites mature job seekers to meetings on the first and third Mondays of each month at Christ Church Episcopal, 21 Aurora St., Hudson. hudsonjobsearch.org

Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) is offering workshops February through April. Topics include the following: Resumes that Get Results; Ace That Interview; New Job: Tips for Success; and Leveraging LinkedIn. Registration is required. tri-c.edu/careerservices, 216-987-4913

Many libraries offer basic computer and email courses, but most also add career-related workshops a few weeks in advance.

Debbi and Rick Sands’ lives are busy and fulfilling with a dose of fun thrown in to keep things interesting. Their jobs suit their interests and abilities.

Married for 37 years, the affable couple raised and launched two kids.

Rewarding? Sure.

Chance? Maybe.

The Sandses are a good example of people who have the confidence — and faith — to make mid-life career shifts. They’ve parlayed past jobs, current goals and an ongoing optimism into lives that work not only for themselves but for others, too.

BREAD AND MORE

Rick Sands is the kind of guy who doesn’t seem to be in a hurry. He gives off a mellow vibe that’s both unexpected and appealing — a vintage Volkswagen bus-owning sort of guy. In fact, he did have one, but sold it awhile back.

Rick and his wife, Debbi, own Great Harvest Bread Company in Stow in Summit County. Both worked hard to grow the popular franchise bakery into a must-visit stop for local bread lovers. These days, Rick is likely to be the one floating between the front counter and the ovens, offering up conversation and bread to customers. Baking bread and being a small business owner seems like a long way from his years working in warehouses and running forklifts.

Debbi, with an accounting and bookkeeping background, manages the bakery’s finances. More than a decade ago she transitioned away from daily bakery operations to focus on her own midlife career change: working as a Christian counselor.

Anyone who needs a nudge to make a mid-life job or career change would do well to take a lesson from the Sandses. They’ve been open to opportunities, willing to take risks and determined to make their work reach beyond the borders of Summit County.

Debbi grew up in Mentor and graduated from Lakeland Community College with an associate degree in business the same year she married Rick.

Life is a river, and we’re all in it together. Some people float merrily along with the current. Others get stuck in motionless eddies, and yet others find themselves in rough rapids, fighting to stay upright.

It’s only those who assess their current position while keeping an eye on the obstacles or preferred tributaries ahead who can successfully use their paddles to choose a new direction.

That’s how clinical psychologist Dr. Mary Malek illustrates the way people handle trauma (defined as “anything unexpected”) in their lives. From her practice in Twinsburg, she specializes in helping clients “cope with the challenges of life, transform relationships, achieve personal goals and gain a sense of hope for the future.”

GET READY

Malek recognizes that the period after midlife is inherently traumatic. Children grow up, become independent and leave home; the work environment forces us to adapt or move on; relationships can stagnate; and the physical body ages, offering up unwelcome wrinkles, weaknesses and possible illness. All of this can be summed up in one word: pain. Pain forces us to either give in to the power of life’s current or to seize the opportunity to set new goals and to experience a new season of fulfillment.

“Pain gets a bad rap. It’s the single biggest motivator for change,” Malek says. “We’re wired to be stubborn and stick with old patterns long after they have outlived their usefulness. We need to listen to our pain. It’s telling us to change direction.”

GET SET

When we get to the point of acute pain, we need to stop pretending we can muddle through all alone. “Humble yourself enough to ask for help,” Malek advises. “You don’t have to be such a rugged individualist; community matters. We all need someone to come alongside us as we go through life.

REMEMBER GETTING CARDED? We couldn’t wait to be old enough to see an R-rated movie or buy a beer without showing proof of age. “The Exorcist” is on TV and 3.2 beer is a relic from the ’80s. But an I.D. is still fun to flash if you’re looking for a deal. Check out aarp.org for member discounts at national chains. We’ve got plenty here in Northeast Ohio, too. Savings on food, fun, travel, services and more abound for older adults. We’ve put together a local list of places that are free or have reduced prices or other benefits. Don’t be shy; it never hurts to ask about senior discounts.

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

U.S. residents 62 and older can purchase a lifetime pass for admission to over 2,000 sites for $10. The pass admits the owner and passengers in a noncommercial vehicle to pay-per-car sites, or admits the owner and three adults (under 16 is always free). Passes can be purchased online (nps.gov) or at sites.

GET ENTERTAINED

Concerts, plays and sporting events at local high schools are often free for seniors. Come and watch these hard-working kids turn hours of practice into great performances. The Cleveland Institute of Music (cim.edu) also offers free concerts by students and faculty throughout the year.

Community and even some professional theaters such as Karamu House in Cleveland and Ensemble Theatre in Cleveland Heights offer ticket discounts for seniors.

Churches also sponsor free concerts. The Rocky River Presbyterian Church hosts an artist series, which during the holidays featured the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Next up is variety show vocalist Logan Wells.

GET SMART(ER)

Ever want to learn a foreign language or create a masterpiece? Ohio’s four-year universities and two-year colleges allow residents 60 or older to audit classes at no cost depending on space availability (paying students get the first chance) and instructor approval.

A cavity or decay is the main reason for a dental visit. Every patient wants to feel comfortable, be without pain and have the decay stopped before it damages a valuable tooth.

In addition to the health of their teeth, many patients have a major concern for the appearance of fillings.

Having a mouthful of visible fillings can make patients self-conscious, and they may avoid smiling openly. Having multiple visible fillings could suggest that a person is unhealthy or that they have been irresponsible with their dental health. This, of course, may not be the case.

Ceramic and/or composite fillings solve this problem gracefully.

Tooth-colored fillings — sometimes also known as porcelain or composite restorations — are designed to match the color of the tooth or teeth they are used on, unlike fillings made of silver, gold or amalgamations of silver and other minerals.

Porcelain is the primary material used in ceramic fillings. It can be mixed to match the exact color and hue of any tooth. Ceramic fillings can be used in teeth that are under great chewing pressure such as molars and bicuspids.

Because of improved technologies such as “directed shrinkage” of the ceramic polymer material used to fill cavities, porcelain fillings are reliable and are fast becoming a standard dentistry material.

Composite fillings, which are a type of reinforced plastic, also do a wonderful job in restoring teeth in an esthetic manner. Conservative tooth preparation, following removal of decay, is a major advantage of these restorations, and it costs less than porcelain fillings. The porcelain fillings, however, are extremely durable and may last longer than composites.

A GOOD CHOICE

The biggest benefit of using either porcelain or composite fillings is the completely natural appearance of the repaired tooth or teeth once the procedure has been completed. Many patients are so happy with the appearance of their treated teeth that they may eventually have all their old fillings replaced with ceramic fillings.

In 2003, Elaine Geller moved back to Cleveland after many years in California. Her husband had recently died and she had just retired from her position as a vice president of the Federal Reserve System. She was looking for a meaningful, supportive community to get involved in, and she found it in the National Council of Jewish Women/Cleveland.

Geller liked that she did not have to “put in her time” before she could start making a difference. NCJW has more than 18 community service projects with which she could immediately start volunteering. She also liked that though the organization is inspired by Jewish values, its mission is to help improve the lives of all women, children and families throughout Cleveland.

VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP

Elaine Geller is the embodiment of the Jewish philosophy to “speak up, judge righteously, champion the poor and the needy.” She’s been NCJW/Cleveland’s vice president of finance and treasury (four years), and recording secretary (two years), among other work. In recent years, Geller has felt that her responsibility as a NCJW/Cleveland volunteer extends beyond the community in front of her, to the wider community in which she lives.

This ideal drove her to learn about — and then lead — the Stop Human Trafficking committee two years ago, the first Jewish Cleveland organization aimed at advocating for and protecting trafficking victims, a $32 billion annual criminal industry.

Each year an estimated 1,078 Ohio children become victims, and 3,016 more are at risk.

BATTLING A SINISTER INDUSTRY

Geller and her committee drive to local hotels monthly to drop off pictures of missing children, to distribute posters listing signs to look for to identify trafficking victims, and to hand out free soap — labeled with the human trafficking hotline — to cleaning and hotel staff.

Geller and her committee have spoken to more than a dozen local organizations and businesses about human trafficking.

Leasing a car is a popular option for many of us. Others steer clear because they fear what will happen at the end of the lease contract.

It doesn’t need to be stressful if you understand your options. You will get a ton of mail saying that the dealership can release you from your lease six months early or that “they want your car.” That’s not usually true.

I call that “fly fishing.” Car dealers spend a lot of money to send advertisements and letters to customers to see who is going to bite. There are occasions when a leaseholder can get out of a contract about three months early, but it depends on the bank, the buyout and the condition of the vehicle.

DETAILS MATTER

Depending on condition, market demand and miles on a vehicle, some retain much of their value throughout a lease period. The dealer can wholesale or trade in the vehicle at the end of the lease for more than the residual amount printed in the lease contract.

This benefits consumers who lease because that retained equity can go toward another lease or back into their pocket.

Some manufacturers waive payments or have so-called pull-ahead programs to keep customers loyal to a carmaker. It’s important to clarify that some payments really are being waived and not just rolled into another lease or loan. This is a marketing ploy some dealers use, often as seasonal promotions.

Many manufacturers have damage waivers in the contracts. Check on damage waiver allowances before spending money on repairs prior to the vehicle turn-in deadline.

Consider getting the lease-end inspection if the manufacturer offers it ahead of time. This inspection, completed before turning in a leased vehicle, is usually by a third party and is free of charge. The person doing the service will come to you.