Many seniors look forward to their retirement and to the opportunity to live a life of luxury, doing what they want whenever they please. However retirement isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, and many retirees find that their physical fitness and wellbeing begins to decline during retirement, often due to large periods of inactivity and living the sedentary lifestyle that is often encouraged by retirement.
Less Medical Dependency
The fact is that engaging in regular work is good for your health. Seniors that work benefit from improved levels of physical wellbeing. They tend to recover from sickness more quickly and have a decreased risk of experiencing long term illness. Individuals that are in regular employment have a longer life expectancy, take less medication and tend to access health services less regularly, and have a sense of pride, of personal identity and of personal achievement. According to a report from the UK’s Age Endeavour Fellowship, retirement increases the likelihood that a senior will suffer from clinical depression by approximately 40 per cent and increase the chance of seniors having at least one officially diagnosed physical condition by about 60 per cent. For many people, giving up work can have a hugely negative impact on their lives.
From a practical point of view, working into retirement is also good for your health because it provides access to corporate health insurance and national health insurance policies: having access to comprehensive health benefits and access to the best physicians is the best way to ensure your good health is maintained as you reach retirement age.
The Result of Longer Life Expectancies
Many of us are fitter and more physically able than ever before when we reach our 50s and 60s, and with life expectancy at record high levels, retirement at 60 or at 65 will leave you with an incredibly long period of active retirement which can prove both costly and tiresome. Keeping active and continuing to contribute to society by working as you reach retirement age will reduce your likelihood of developing dementia, depression, and other mental health problems. It will also keep your body active, provide you with opportunities to engage with your peers and to offer mentorship to others starting out in your profession, and to keep your mind and other muscles as supple as possible. Working is great for reducing isolation and ensuring that you are socially active into your retirement: something that many retirees find that they struggle with.
Preventing Social Isolation
Social isolation is a huge problem faced by retirees in Australia, and as a result more and more Australian seniors are succumbing to alcoholism. A bottle of wine shared with a partner or spouse, or a cocktail or two with friends over brunch to celebrate the joys of being newly retired can very easily become drinking alone. Statistically, about 9% of people age 65 and older drink more than 30 drinks a month and more than 4 drinks in any one occasion. Whilst alcoholism is often considered to be a young person’s illness, it is actually affecting a huge number of seniors too. Choosing to work into retirement can reduce the likelihood that a senior will succumb to alcoholism by removing their social isolation and giving them a renewed sense of purpose that is often sadly lacking in individual over the age of 65.
The Benefits of a Senior Workforce
Seniors have so much to offer to the workforce, and have a wealth of knowledge that it is important they share with their peers and with the next generation. The life skills that you gathered throughout your career and throughout your lifetime of enjoying hobbies or raising a family are incredibly valuable, and should not be underestimated or underappreciated.
Many companies still have negative and outdated attitudes towards employing seniors, but these attitudes are slowly changing as the realisation of just what the workforce can gain from its more experienced members. Our workforce is aging, and this should only be viewed as beneficial. What it is also important to realise is just how many physical health benefits there are to seniors of remaining in employment too: this is a mutually beneficial arrangement that is certainly worth consideration.
Anne Foy