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Q: Is retirement planning different for women than for men?

A: Bandana Shresta, 43, is the community outreach director for AARP Oregon. She will discuss a few issues women might encounter when they retire during a forum called “Women to Women: Living Longer, Living Smarter” that will take place at the Bend Senior Center from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Shresta said women face a difficult situation when it comes to planning for their retirements.

Shresta said women need to save more money for when they get older because they typically live longer than their male counterparts and are more likely to need a home-based caregiver or some other type of long-term care support services.

But Shresta said this is easier said than done because even in today’s society, women are more likely to take time off of work to play the role of a caregiver – both when their children are younger and their parents get older – and that only makes saving money harder for them.

“Planning ahead is so important for women,” said Shresta, who recommends people start coming up with a retirement plan by the time they turn 40. She has spent the past two years organizing forums like Saturday’s to help women get their retirement plans in place and take steps to implement them.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. women, on average, live for 20.3 years past age 65, while men, on average, live for 17.7 years past 65.

Shresta said this two- to three-year difference in life expectancy means women often end up living alone when they get older because they’ve outlived their spouses. Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau found 37 percent of women older than 65, compared with 19 percent of men, lived by themselves in 2010.

Women are also more likely to play the caregiver role than their male counterparts when they get older, according to a report from the Family Caregiver Alliance; women make up about 66 percent of family caregivers.

Shresta said this can affect women financially — people who take time off from their careers to raise children or care for a loved one end up earning less both in terms of wages and Social Security payments — and interfere with their ability to come up with a retirement plan.

“Because (women) can be so focused on caring for their loved ones, they may not have a plan to meet their needs in place when it’s time for them to retire,” Shresta said.

If you go

What: AARP Oregon’s “Women to Women: Living Longer, Living Smarter”

When: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Bend Senior Center, 1600 S.E. Reed Market Road

Cost: Free

For more information, visit www.aarp.org/states/or/ or email oraarp@aarp.org.