Post-Retirement Lifestyle

by Sally Robinson; 30th July 2009

Have you got older family members who haven’t worked for some years due to retirement or perhaps were fortunate to not need to work for some time?

Within every family are those who have been out of the work “rat-race” for a period of time whether that be grandparents, aunts, uncles or parents. Sadly some people, once they no longer have the routine and stimulus of a working environment, can fall into an all too familiar trap.

Do you have someone in your family with whom you may have experienced one or more of the following topics of conversation?

Details of the neighbours lives and movements that are above and beyond the call of duty for Neighbourhood Watch and would exceed a private investigators standards!

The full rundown of medical appointments including the most minute of details for example the name of the nurse or if they were kept waiting 5 minutes.

A detailed analysis of how they have spent their day so far including what they’ve eaten and when they ate.

Past relationships whether that be partners; family members or friends that have passed away.

Often you may find that not only will the topics be repeated or recurring but the actual content will regularly be spoken of as if for the first time.

Regrettably this is often the case when someone retires and does not replace the now available time with other interests or hobbies. This lack of new stimulus therefore results in the person’s world becoming suddenly quite small.

Often, with age, health problems arise i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure or arthritis to name but a few. It can be that the management of these health conditions (whilst in themselves not life threatening) can also result in people feeling wary or less inclined to do things or enjoy interests.

If you are concerned about someone you know whose world has become limited in terms of new experiences, why not consider some of the options below:

1. Are there are other family members of a similar age who enjoy interests that they could extend an invitation to the person you are concerned about? For example maybe you have an uncle who enjoys a club once a week and could invite your other family member to?

2. Are there any retired well-known neighbours in the area who could include your family member in some interest or hobby i.e. bowling?

3. Is there a voluntary based activity that you could suggest? This doesn’t have to be doing a shift in the local charity shop but could be making items to sell at a school fete or for charity?

4. Did the person have a real passion for something and let it go earlier in their life due to other commitments? Perhaps they could return to it now i.e. model railways; cooking; crafts; collectibles etc.

5. Are you interested in researching your family history? If so, involve them in the project. If not, are they interested in looking into their ancestry?

The key is to a) help restore some confidence that the person may have lost after ceasing to work and b) try and find something to extend their circle of people and interests again.

Of course, there are some people that won’t be too enthusiastic and may be unwilling to change their limited but routine lifestyle as it has become too comfortable. If this is the case, just bear in mind (when you are having the same chat about Mrs Smith from Number 4 having her front garden paved for about the sixth time in less than 3 weeks or that your Nan takes tablets for angina when she has for over 5 years which you know all too well) that it isn’t a tactic to deliberately test your patience. It is just that the subject list is a bit restricted these days. Without your visits or calls, their world would be even smaller.

Obviously you have got the advantage of learning from them so as you approach your retirement years, consider how you are going to keep your world from shrinking and have a plan of action including interests and hobbies you want to include in your week.

Whilst you may be older, you are still alive and you can choose to spend your time as you wish after your years of hard work.