Retirement Activities

Spring Break is over, hooray! Normally we wouldn't say that, but going from our nice 70 degree weather to a very cold Boston (27 to 40 degrees) is not the smartest move. Yet we are retired and we have always taken at least 2 of our grandchildren somewhere during spring break. So it's a normal retirement activity.

Retirement doesn’t mean the end of an active lifestyle. Quite the contrary, it opens up new opportunities for many new activities. Some retirees substitute voluntary community work for their former work. This gives definition or meaning to their roles after retirement.

Household work, volunteer work, family roles and community service actually increase after retirement. The familial roles of grandparents increase because of the expanded time available for travel.

The skills and knowledge acquired before retirement have value in the life of a retiree. Even if learning something new, education and training affects the ability to do various activities at retirement. Lack of skill and a low literacy tends to limit the leisure activities of retirees.

A very difficult task to prepare for later on in life is the ability to cope with losses that increase as people get older. Productivity is the first loss in retirement but adjustment usually is short. Loss of a spouse generally has the biggest impact, and in general is the hardest to anticipate unless a terminal illness is diagnosed before death. The best preparation for a loss of your spouse is to work on a sense of independence and self-reliance.

The two biggest concerns for retirement living are security of finances and health coverage. This is according to the GSA (Gerontological Society of America). Another great concern identified was isolation or lack of social support for well-being and loneliness or lack of support for emotional well being.

Planning for retirement must have preparation for financial well-being, a social support network, a set of meaningful activities and health care coverage. All of these concerns actually relate to each other. When a retiring person has a sound financial plan, the person can buy adequate housing and health care coverage. Retirement lifestyle is a continuation of the person’s middle-age life.

A sound lifestyle can last a long while. Friendship and family can provide the support network later on in life. Retirement planning which includes developing economic and social skills cannot anticipate everything but provides a good foundation for enjoyment of life later on.

A successful retirement living includes the creation of a network of groups, family members and friends. Few people choose to be alone from the rest even if approximately forty four percent of women and roughly 18 percent of men aged 65 or older lived without relatives. Fifty percent of women above 65 were widows.

Retirement has it's ups and downs just like your life yesterday and today. But if you anticipate what retirement will be and what may or may not happen, it can be very enjoyable. We'll look at some ways to plan for retirement in our next post.