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Older adults now forced to return to work

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Many baby boomers are working well after retirement age, but even then, those who want to retire often have little savings and an empty 401k.
 
At ABC Action News, we’re here to alert you on ways to make more money and plan a smarter career path. So, we're showing you  what's out there to help you get back to work.
 
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"With the back problems, opening and bending to reach something out of the dishwasher can be excruciating," said Arlene Grosso, who is starting a new retrofitting business in Pinellas County. You'd never guess she is in her seventies.
 
But many older adults like her are struggling and need to go back to work to make ends meet. When Grosso went in for a traditional interview, she says she was met with resistance.
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"I swear to you when he saw me walk into the interview, his face dropped because I probably sounded a lot younger on the telephone," Grosso said.
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AARP Florida's president says many 55 and up lost their jobs and savings in the recession. Now they're trying to find paid work.
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"Now, they have to find something else to do because, frankly, the money is not there for retirement," said Monica Stynchula, who is AARP Florida State President:
 
Grosso graduated from the Life ReImagined program offered through AARP.
 
"The best part of all was meeting everybody," Grosso told Stynchula
 
It offers training on starting your own business and revamping a resume. AARP says the first step is highlighting any skills you have, like budgeting. Volunteer work and stay at home parenting can count, too.
 
"There's a lot of skills that we don't recognize as real skills because we didn't use them in our first career," Stynchula said.
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Grosso is excited about her new career.
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"It's been an amazing journey," she said.
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But she feels even better knowing she could be more financially secure.