Boston area 50 and Over Support Group

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I've mentioned AANE (which now stands for Asperger/Autism Network) in a few posts.

If you live in the area, they've started a 50 and over support group, which will be meeting in Watertown, Massachusetts, 50 Water St. suite 206, the first Monday of every month for the next six months. It runs from 7 to 8:30, cost is $5 and you don't have to join AANE to drop in. It's an open group, so you don't have to commit to every meeting. The first meeting is this Monday, Nov. 3'rd.

We had a preliminary meeting earlier this month to see if there was interest. I didn't expect too many to show up but there were 17 of us and right away we started saying this should be a regular group. I'm hoping it's so successful that it'll go further than six months.

AANE seems like a great organization.

I attend a GRASP over 50 group in New York. We usually get 6 or 7 people which is good as far as I am concerned because smaller groups are less overwhelming. People who go undiagnosed until middle age face a unique set of challenges and have a different perspective then those who have been diagnosed most of their lives

I am inspired by hearing about this initiative. The over-50s are the most neglected of ASD people and it is the same in New Zealand - and probably everywhere else in the particularly ageist Western culture.

Next year when I have less on my plate, I may put out feelers to see if there is support for a group like this in my city. Please let us know how it develops in future and what issues emerge.

They're very good at trying to meet the needs of a very diverse group of people (ages, genders, orientation, and of course that all Aspies are different in their Aspie-ness )

This year they're experimenting with a couple of different types of groups. One is Cohort groups, like the Over 50. The Over 50s wanted to meet regularly and they made it happen, but every month from now until spring, they'll be having more one-time groups, like "Gender Identity," "Newly Diagnosed," "Parenting with AS," "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and AS." I think they may be seeing how much interest there is and maybe will end up with some of those groups meeting regularly also.

The second is Interest groups. They've had a couple so far and they're having one a month, from Sept through May. Some examples: one month is History, one month Manga and Anime, another one Writing and Storytelling.

That's what we think too. We've only had one meeting and most of that was taken up by working out ways we could meet regularly and listing topics we'd like to discuss. I'll know more after this Monday's meeting.

Last edited by OnPorpoise on 01 Nov 2014, 2:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

I totally agree with that excerpt from AsPartOfMe too.

I would be happy to hear from any of the over 50 members anytime by PM in respect of what APOM said.

Is there an organization there already? If there's already a GRASP group or support group there, it might make it easier to find older Aspies through them. You could even try posting to a few forums here when the time comes.

When I was at AANE recently, the facilitator said there were about 11 signed up so far. Monday night or Tuesday, I'll try to remember to write up something about how it went, what we discussed, what we want to discuss in the future.

I just noticed a typo on my first post. I put 50 instead of 51 for the address. AANE is at 51 Water St. in Watertown.

This "In Depth Adult Life Discussion" section has worked well as the unofficial place where threads dedicated to "mature adult" issues have found a home. If we go private, a person in our age group who is just discovering they are autistic and face the same problems won't know there are other people like them and discussing their issues.

The second meeting went really well. There were 14 of us. It was only supposed to last an hour and a half but we ended up staying for over two hours. We had a list of topics that we'd drawn up last month and we talked about more stuff we wanted to talk about since some people were there for the first time. Then we chose topics and split up into smaller groups. One group was about employment for older Aspies, one was about diagnosis later in life and what that meant for us. But then we all met up again to talk a little about what we'd discussed in the smaller groups. While there's still plenty to discuss, we talked about setting some time for just eating and socializing.

Thanks for the update. I am glad to hear that it went so well. I can hardly imagine the sense of identification one would get from being in a room with peers that shared age group and ASD cohort experience in common. Did it feel validating? Was it emotional for people?

It is not like a NT group where after being where after being validated people are hugging, kissing and crying. The monotone and "blank" expression is often still there. There is hesitancy at times because socializing and meeting people for the first time is difficult (people do walk out for 5 or 10 minutes break sometimes, no explanation is needed) . It more just very intense conversation where people are exchanging information and problem solving. It does not mean there is not great emotion it is just we don't express it typically. The only meeting where "typical" emotions were regularly expressed was when the topic was bullying. Lot of raised voices that night.

True, ASpartOfMe, there wasn't a lot of intense emotion, or sometimes even apparent emotion but everyone seemed "up" -- in their own ways -- about being there . It was more a concrete exchange of info, little or no small talk, but since this is a regular monthly group at least through spring, we may decide to have some socializing time. One of the topics people wanted to discuss (which we didn't this time) was socializing and small talk. Some of us need more practice than others.

Hello,

The Boston Region has an ample population of adults with Aspergers in the Technology-related fields e.g, MIT, TECH. related industries. Have people in the TECH. fields help start the AANE support-group?

I'm seeking specific financial professionals experienced with both Asperger staff, and clientele alike in the SF-Bay Area, another region orientated around the TECH. industries.

Here is a discussion-thread (LINK) encouraging the development, and support of professional services such as financial services advisors e.g., Accountants experienced with Asperger clientele; some of whom may have advised non-profits concerned with Autism Spectrum disorders.

Is the AANE support-group seeking professional services experienced with Asperger clientele in the Boston Region? Any recommendations for specific firms serving an overlooked clientele?

LINK: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postp6334794 ... t=#6334794

Thank-you