OAKLEY -- For some, 69 might be retirement age, but for Nancy Peterson, it is just an age to choose a new direction and to create a new business.

After a scheduled vacation, Peterson decided it was time to retire from her career. She had an idea for a new career that would help people as well as give her enjoyment for the rest of her life. She went to work one day last July and gave her notice, and by August she was in a new career and starting a new business: a senior referral program.

"It was all decided on the spur of the moment," Peterson said of her career change. "The idea came to me and the time was right. I worked on the infrastructure and started right away."

Much of Peterson's first career dealt with working with the elderly, so she felt that some of the foundation was already in her abilities. Add to that that she worked to take care of her aging mother-in-law for several years and had to face many of the same problems the clients she now works for do. Above all, she felt the time was right for the change.

"Looking back now it seems like such a natural progression," Peterson said.

She began her first career late in life. She started college at 48 and began her career at 52. She decided to go back to school just after her husband died, and she needed something to keep herself occupied. After getting started in August and working with her first few clients, she realized, "this was my place in life."

Senior Referral Service was designed to assist seniors and their families in their search for housing and services that best meet the physical, emotional and financial needs of the person considering a move. But since starting, she has found that people need more help than just finding the right home for their loved one. She has helped the elderly pack their belongings, hire moving companies and locate a good dentist.

She is currently compiling a data file on her computer that will help seniors find services with reputable companies. Her hope is to work in Napa, Solano, San Joaquin, Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

"Every time I help someone find a service they are looking for in a particular county, I add to my resources," she said.

When someone calls the Senior Referral Service, she tries to match the person with several sources. She said she isn't advertising for just one company. It is important that people feel comfortable with the services that people offer.

"The important thing is to match gifts and talents with the seniors," she said.

One of the gifts Peterson thinks that she gives to the seniors, besides her 15 years of experience in a like profession, is that she is getting along in years as well. She hopes that people will feel comfortable with her because she isn't a young, recent graduate from high school. She hopes it helps the seniors deal with the transition better.

Aside from her new business, Peterson enjoys gardening and taking care of her grandchildren, who keep her very active. The best part of her life is that her family members live close by. Her four children and seven grandchildren live within a one-mile radius of her Oakley home, most on the same block.

"What gives me great pleasure in my new business is dealing with families and the people," she said. "Whatever services they need, I can help them with, even if it means packing a few boxes now and again."