When an issue such as health care reform hits the national scene, proponents, critics and everyone in between pop out of the woodwork. Seniors from around the nation have reacted strongly to the ups and downs of the debate, but for Myrtle Beach local Janet Osgood, a sense of personal security and independence in your later years is the result of a strong foundation.

Osgood is a working woman's woman who enjoyed a very successful career with Florida's Bureau of Labor. From her start as a rehabilitation nurse in the workers compensation department to the culmination of her journey as the chief of medical services and rehabilitation for the Bureau in later life, Osgood managed a hectic work schedule, kept an immaculate house, raised two children and still managed to participate in various charitable organizations.

A self-described inquisitive, observant people-lover, Osgood combines her deep faith in "God's plan" with a dogged work ethic that carried her through many struggles, including her husband's battle and subsequent death from lung cancer, and her mother's struggle with dementia.

After moving to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to be closer to her daughter in Jacksonville, N.C. and her son in Maggie Valley, N.C., Osgood tackled a new challenge - getting old. In 2007, she made the decision to move to Brightwater, a senior living community, and saw the move as a way to maintain her independence, improve her quality of life and avoid becoming a burden to her children.

"The evolution of where I am today stems from a desire to be in charge of my own destiny," Osgood said. "I think it started when I wanted to be a nurse against my father's wishes, and continued throughout the rest of my lifetime."

Osgood's attributes her work ethic and remarkable sense of self to her parents, early experiences in church and the trials she has experienced along the way.

"My husband and I planned to retire together," she said. "His getting lung cancer was never the plan, but we went through the process shoulder-to-shoulder. He encouraged me to take the chief position at the Bureau when he was really sick, and although he died shortly after, that job ensured my future financial security and kept me busy during a really difficult time."

At 81 years old, Osgood has no intention of slowing down. She exercises daily, watches what she eats and plans ahead. But for a workaholic whose high school yearbook portrait contained the quote "Jan was always there when work needed to be done," Osgood keeps her plans simple.

"When my husband died, and my mother passed away after suffering from dementia for many years, I squared my shoulders, yielded to God's plan and decided I wanted to wake up every day and see the ocean," Osgood said with a smile. "And that's exactly what I did."