Menstuff® has compiled the following information on
retirement. According to the National Center for Health Statistics,
at age 65, the typical American woman can expect to live another 19.2
years; for men, the corresponding figure is 16.3 years. Remember,
these figures are averages, which means a lot of 65-year-olds are
easily spending 20 or more years in retirement.
Adjusting To Retirement
Staying Active, Living
Well
The Importance Of Friends
Giving Of Yourself
Social Security - What You Need
to Consider
Retired? Thinking
about retiring? Know someone who has retirement concerns?
Today, 70 percent of Americans will celebrate a 65th birthday, and the fastest-growing part of the population comprises those 85 and older. People spend more years in retirement than they do in childhood and adolescence combined. How to spend that time has become a very real concern.
Some people picture retirement as a time to slow down. But others see retirement as a time for increased activity.
As with any major life change, retirement brings its share of
mental and emotional turmoil. Depending on how you deal with it,
retirement can be an exciting time filled with new opportunities and
challenges or a painful transition that brings boredom, lack of
purpose and discouragement.
Retirement is a time when some honest self-examination is essential. Think about the things that made you happiest before you retired. Now, look for ways to incorporate those things into your new life. For example:
Keep working. A lot of people don't really retire at 65. Rather, they retire from a 40-hour work week to a shorter schedule. If you enjoy your job, why not keep doing it? Retired bankers and accountants, for example, find themselves in huge demand at tax time. They probably wouldn't dream of going back to the daily grind, but they enjoy using their skills — as long as they can do it on their terms.
Let your hobbies blossom. One of the best aspects of retirement is finally having time to do all those things you always dreamed of doing, like reading more, completing a coin collection or raising exotic orchids. Didn't have hobbies before? Retirement is the opportunity to find some.
Stay physically active. Studies have shown that people who keep
their bodies moving after retirement — by gardening, playing
golf or going to the gym a few days a week — live longer and
have fewer health problems than those who opt for more sedentary
lifestyles.
The social aspect of retirement is one in which women may fare worse than men. By the time a woman reaches 85, there are 100 women for every 39 men. But dating and romance aren't really the issues — although they're nice when you find them. What matters is having people of either sex to hang out with. This gets harder as people age, simply because more and more of their friends will move away, get ill or die.
If you don't have a lot of social contacts, senior centers are one
of the better ways to meet people. Nearly every community has one or
more of these centers. The activities are either free or provided at
reduced cost. Even if you're shy about meeting new people, the
programs offer a lot of structured activities. They're designed to
help people feel comfortable.
A lot of retired nurses, for example, volunteer at hospitals and clinics. And the crossing guard at your local school may be a retired policeman who works with the local emergency-response team.
If you're not sure how to go about volunteering or if you'd like some direction on where to spend your time, the federal government has several programs that can help.
The Older American Act provides an enormous range of services to elderly and low-income people — for example, providing home repairs, giving legal and financial advice and making visits to those who are homebound.
Volunteers in Parks is a great program for folks with an interest in history and spending time outdoors. It puts people to work in national parks — not only in wilderness areas, but also at historical sites in cities and towns.
The Service Corps of Retired Executives is also a useful
organization. Did you work as a banker or accountant or own a small
business? This program puts together teams of volunteer counselors
who try to help small businesses run their operations more
efficiently.
Source: www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtPrint/EMIHC270/8271/28051/268115.html?d=dmtContent&hide=t&k=basePrint
Perhaps one has to be very old before one learns to be amused rather than shocked. - Pearl S. Buck
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