Staying socially active is important during retirement

WHILE lots of emphasis — and fear — is put on the financial implications of retirement, many people are left unprepared for the other losses that can be experienced when they close the door on years of employment.     

As increasing amount of research is put into what allows older people to age well, the issue of social connection continually pops up – whether it be with family or friends.

“For generations it used to be that people had a couple of years of a healthy life after retirement, but now a person can expect to live 18 healthy years afterwards and the image of the retiree sitting in a chair beside the fire is gone,” says Peter Kavanagh, Information and Networking Officer with Active Retirement Ireland (ARI).

“Retirement planning and advice is big business, Nearly all the advice, for good reason, addresses financial security in older age and while money is important, the other stuff that makes up life after retirement is crucial, ” he says.

“Social connectedness is a huge contributor to positive health. Filling that gap in a person’s social life after they leave work for the first time is crucial.

“Many people leave their social network behind at work so it can be quite difficult to adjust... If a retired person does nothing else, they should just try and meet people and be as socially active as they can within their community.”

Over the last five years some 2,000 new members annually have joined ARI — a national association consisting of local retirement groups who offer their services on a volunteering basis.

“People are realising that retirement is not just the end of a career, but also the beginning of a new chapter in life, ” says Kavanagh.

“It shows that those joining the groups are willing to try out new things and meet new people. You don’t stop being the person you were, just because you hit 65.”

This is a reality that probably hit the majority or Irish retirees — 457,394 according to the 2011 census — when that birth date on the calendar opened the door into a major transition in their lives, and closed the door on their workplace.

The change — and often loss — entailed in retirement, puts it fairly high up in the well established Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale – which was developed back in the ’60s to study the contribution of stress to illness.

The scale is commonly used to measure stress by assigning points to events and according to Caroline Lodge and Eileen Carnell, authors of a newly published book, Retiring With Attitude, retirement is tenth on the list clocking 45 points.

However, several other variable life stresses, resulting from change occurring in your life, if added to retirement, can increase the score — for example changes to living conditions (25) and personal habits (24) social activities (18). An overall score of 150-299 means you have a ”moderate to high chance of becoming ill in the near future” with a score of 300 being high risk.

Not all stresses occur at the same time and it’s important to note that we have choices about how we handle those changes in order to stay healthy.

“You may have 20 or 30 more years of retired life,” they say. “You need to find substitutes for the good things you lose when you stop working. You need a sense of purpose, a sense of control over your life, positive relationships, to be connected with the outside world, to be active, to eat well, to keep learning, to be generous with your time, to have fun and to act youthfully.”

Health and wellbeing depend on many factors — physical, mental, social, economic, environmental and political they stress.

“Even the concept of retirement may influence how you live your life and how you view yourself as you get older. There are many constructive steps you can take so get moving, maintain a positive attitude, see friends and live as well as you can.”

n www.activeirl.ie

Retiring With Attitude: Approaching and Relishing your Retirement, by Caroline Lodge and Eileen Carnell.