Retirement and Your Health

What is retirement? The concept is a relatively new development. People did not retire in the stone age, they did not retire in the medieval times or even during the Renaissance or Victorian times. The first mention of retirement came in 1883, when Otto Von Bismarck, the Chancellor of Germany, instituted a retirement age of 65. This was a fairlysafe age for a society to pick back then, as most people didn’t live that long- infant mortality was high and penicillin didn’t exist back then. People are living well past that age now but the precedent took and now societies all across the world observe this cutoff. But before 1883. It was unheard of that the government would pay people not for work, but for growing old. 

Everyone has something to contribute – yes, some more than others. We are never too old to contribute. Retirement should not be a core principle of the working life. We must get away from the notion that the point of working is so that one day we can retire and do whatever we want to do and never serve anyone ever again. The bottom line is that retirement is unhealthy, physically, emotionally and spiritually. 

Some studies have linked retirement to poorer health and a decline in cognitive functioning — at times resulting in as much as double the rate of cognitive aging. This leaves people at a greater risk of developing various types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

A person’s skills, abilities and experience develop and change over the course of a lifetime. 
Population ageing in Europe and other developed countries challenges the sustainability of the health care and long-term care systems. One of the key reasons individuals require long-term care in old age is cognitive decline, leading to dementia when it interferes with independent functioning. 

Some studies have linked retirement to poorer health and a decline in cognitive functioning — at times resulting in as much as double the rate of cognitive aging. This leaves people at a greater risk of developing various types of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Based on my own research and others’, I hypothesise that we might be particularly susceptible to cognitive decline when there’s lack of an activity that will replace [our] occupation. People who volunteer appear to experience less cognitive decline than those who don’t. We don’t know whether it’s the intellectual stimulation from volunteering or whether it’s simply the routine. I think it’s more about routine and individual sense of purpose.

Routine may sound tiresome, but it could potentially be what we need in retirement. Circadian rhythm is maintained much better when we have certain tasks that we perform regularly, like getting up at a certain time, going to do something … and then going to bed at a certain time. This isn’t always easy, especially when you don’t have the direct incentive that comes from paid employment. It takes a lot of intrinsic motivation.
A suggestion to anyone contemplating retirement: Find a new routine that’s meaningful. People living in the Blue Zone - regions of the world that have been identified to be home to a greater number of residents who’ve reached the age of 100 and beyond. One of the common characteristics among Blue Zone inhabitants is that all these people have purpose.

But what provides a sense of purpose varies from person to person. So, don’t be alarmed if your post-9-to-5 get-out-of-bed plans don’t resemble those of your partner, friends or family members. Purpose is about investing yourself into something that has meaning. It might not have meaning to others but maybe it has meaning to you.
Your post-retirement purpose could be learning to play the hurdy-gurdy, mastering origami, bird-watching, planting guerilla gardens in your neighborhood, playing with grandkids, or just about anything. However, it should include a specific activity or activities. The routine shouldn’t be, ‘I’ll sleep until I wake up and then I’ll see if there is anything to do,’rather It should be, ‘I’m getting up at this time and my plan is to complete these things. Engaging in a meaningful pursuit could also connect you to others, which itself offers psychological and physical benefits.
One thing that retirees should not feel compelled to do (unless they like them): Crossword puzzles or brain-teasers. Yes, many of us have heard of the study about the nuns who did crossword puzzles and who appeared to live longer, healthier lives. But for starters, there are other factors that could have led to their wellness; there’s also no one-size-fits-all prescription for healthy aging. 

Retirement is a phase of change to build ourselves into a new person using our own old tools. 

By: Dr. Natalie Cooke. MBBS
Certified in Nutritive Medicine
PhD (Nutrition and Psychology) 

Life After Retirement (LAR) is a community for Elders and Senior Citizens in Sri Lanka, with many facets and related concepts on one platform. LAR is aimed at not only disseminating useful information and educating the Elders and Senior Citizens in Sri Lanka, but also seeks to connect them all both locally and globally.

LAR includes various Elders and Senior Citizens’ related aspects such as providing lifestyle and medical advice, senior citizens online shopping, fund management, leisure and holiday-making avenues, as well as trainings, courses and workshops specifically catered to on latest technology and everyday gadgets.

Life After Retirement (Private) Limited.

Address: No: 50, Kassapa Road, Colombo 05. Email address: [email protected]: www.lar.community