Making Retirement Work for You

Your retirement years can be the best of your life, says Oneta Dernell. But only if you work at it.

The retirement party is over and you feel great! You now have a large block of time to use as you wish. No more rushing to work; no more monthly reports to prepare. It sounds great, but unless you’ve planned your retirement well, somewhere down the line you’ll begin to feel lonely, unproductive and unfulfilled.

A mistake many retirees make is to think that by keeping busy they’ll have a happy retirement. That is only partly true. Keeping occupied with something you love is closer to the fact. Retirees often become involved in superficial activities that keep them busy but not fulfilled.

“Well, it’s something to do,” they say. But “it” needs to be more than that. It should be a booster to your sense of enjoyment, a lift to your self-esteem and an addition to your finding self-fulfillment. One wise person said, “Be careful how you spend your day, as you are giving one day of your life for it.”

The quality of your life in retirement is up to you. People are living longer now. If you retire at 65, you will have more than several years to pursue whatever you may want. The quality of your lifestyle may have something to do with the number of those years.
Mina Samler, who was still active in her church life at 105, said, “People who sit and do nothing waste away. One needs to keep busy. Not just ‘busy’ work, but something that is meaningful to them.”

You’ll need to seek out whatever you decide will improve the quality of your retirement years. It may be volunteer work, but you need to choose your field and offer your services. Offering to give your time, skills and talents can keep you in touch with others and, at the same time, give you the feeling that you’re doing something worthwhile.

Perhaps you’ve always had a desire to write, to paint, to sew or do a bit of carpentry, but never the time to pursue it. Now you can. Most larger communities offer classes in a wide variety of subjects. Hazel Dyke turned her long-time interest in sewing to making clowns and dolls that she now sells nationally and internationally.

Many retirees turn former hobbies into part-time businesses. Others temp, finding company and fulfillment as well as holiday money. One man who retired after many years in a top position with a large company tried this: “It’s the challenge I need,” he says. “When the agency calls, I take the jobs I think I’ll like, and I work when I want to. Work and leisure . . . it’s a good mix.”

On the cultural side, libraries are filled with books you may wish to read. There are cheaper, sometimes free, morning tea and matinee plays and concerts to attend. But refuse to become a television addict.

Many higher education institutions offer courses free to seniors. Enrolling in a class is a way to keep your mind stimulated and enjoy the company of others. Or join a book or discussion group.

As for travel, a day trip can be long enough in retirement, but it needn’t. Anticipating a longer well-planned trip will add much to retirement. But you needn’t go far from home or spend much money to get a mental and physical lift. Just as your mind needs stimulation, so your body craves exercise. Walking, gardening or boot scootin’ are all good forms of exercise and help to keep the body healthy.

Most diseases of old age aren’t diseases at all, rather, they’re diseases of inactivity, health experts say. So determine to do something each day for your health, perhaps 30 minutes of various forms of low-impact exercises, plus a walk or swim. Stay in touch by reading articles on health subjects that maintain your health consciousness.

Many retirees have also discovered a spiritual awakening when they take time for prayer and meditation. A half hour of meditation each morning often sets a positive tone for the day. Church attendance and involvement can offer special fulfillment, and even extend your life.
Retirement is not a period of sitting back and doing nothing. It’s a time for exploring and learning, making new friends and spending more time with long-term ones, and finding fulfillment of self. It is your life, so make the most of it in your own way.

better aged care

A model of aged care that is growing in popularity is the Eden Alternative. Currently more than 200 US retirement facilities base their mode of care on its principles, outlined below, and it is gaining popularity in the Antipodes as well.

The model originated with Dr Bill Thomas, a specialist physician in the US. He bases the program of care on helping residents to feel more connected, useful and needed. It includes bringing in dogs, cats, goldfish—even camels and snakes—into a facility so that the elderly get involved in their care. But that is just one aspect of a broader approach to returning meaning to their lives.

According to Don Bain, CEO of Seventh-day Adventist Aged Care (South Queensland) Ltd, the world of people in aged-care facilities can be quite small, having gone from a home to just a room. “They need a larger vista of life—to care for something or have their skills and wisdom utilised,” he says. “They need to feel their life is worthwhile. They need companionship, and animals provide a marvellous support for them. But that’s a two-way relationship. Having a pet helps them start to care for others.”

According to Mr Bain, Bill Thomas is something of a maverick—“a bit like Patch Adams,” he says. “But he got something going that made [carers] look outside themselves—to look at the people and not just paper. You can can have a clinically well equipped and fully accredited facility, but unless you have on-going involvement with people, you’re care remains incomplete.

“But I suspect his 10 principles are universal, especially in respect to loneliness, helplessness and boredom as the underlying cause of an individual’s problems, so in this respect, at least, they challenge all people, from youth to the elderly, to get involved.”

10 principles of the Eden Alternative:

1. The three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom account for the bulk of suffering in a human community.
2. Life as a truly human community revolves around close and continuing contact with children, plants and animals. These ancient relationships provide young and old with a pathway to a life worth living.
3. Loving companionship is the antidote to loneliness. In a human community, we must provide easy access to human and animal companionship.
4. To give care to another makes us stronger. To receive care gracefully is a pleasure and an art. A healthy human community promotes both of these virtues in its daily life, seeking always to balance one with the other.
5. Trust in each other allows us the pleasure of answering the needs of the moment. When we fill our lives with variety and spontaneity we honour the world and our place in it.
6. Meaning is the food and water that nourishes the human spirit. It strengthens us. The counterfeits of meaning tempt us with hollow promises. In the end they always leave us empty and alone
7. Medical treatment should be the servant of genuine human caring, never its master.
8. In a human community, the wisdom of the elders grows in direct proportion to the honour and respect accorded to them.
9. Human growth must never be separated from human life.
10. Wise leadership is the lifeblood of any struggle against the three plagues. For this there can be no substitute.