Retirement Pain
Sadly there is not enough social research in this country…and for people like me that is bad news. I have no clue what retirees do in their leisure time. Seriously no clue. So I have to observe 5 people and assume that the rest of the population does exactly that. Right or wrong – nobody else has a clue either!
Here are a few of my own observations:
1. Recent retirees and older retirees try to sleep more: successfully or unsuccessfully is a different answer, but most of them try to sleep more!
2. Television, and newspaper take up the bulk of their time and they are a little hesitant to call younger people – lest they think that the older person is wasting their time.
3. Most of the recent retirees are screen addicts – TV, computer, ipad, kindle, ….this reduces their requirement of meeting people.
4. Most, almost none of the retirees have any kind of a retirement plan. If somebody approached me, I would have no clue how to make one, but it has to be made.
5. There is just not enough professional help available for the retiree. The situation does not seem to be improving either.
6. Most of the hobbies sought are NOT income draining – and that is surely good news from a financial point of view.
What can be done:
1. Try increasing social activities: your nearby temple, Lions club, Municipal school, …all are looking for volunteers. A great age to start all this is say 50. However, if you have not done that, start today.
2. Learn something new: Never too late to start learning something, eh? It keeps you engaged – make sure that the new activity takes about 10-15 hours a week. That is enough.
3. Join a physical activity group: walking, running (long distance running is an old people’s sport), cycling, swimming, ….you tend to meet new people, and the age group is huge. Thanks to running, cycling, and training I still attend weddings of ‘friends’ apart from attending weddings of friend’s daughters and daughter’s friends!
4. Seek professional help in managing money, making a will, etc. – believe me it is far more complicated than you think. It is also much simpler to understand than you dread!!
vatsa
Most of the retirees in india and abroad are unpaid servants to their kids
Ayyappan
Nice and apt article. Thank you, Ayyappan
krod
vatsa above hit the nail on the head with his comment.
Here is a quote from Benjamin Franklin:
“Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75.”
Most Indians just stagnate once they get married. They don’t seem to set goals for themselves. It’s like their life ends once they retire.
Since most Indians don’t have a retirement plan, they end up depending on their children in their old age. So they end up doing stuff like taking care of grand children as a service in return of their children’s support.
The unlucky ones get thrown out by their children and suffer till the end of their lives.
It’s time for this generation of Indians to change the mindset. Retirement is not just stop working and do nothing. Think of it more of as a new innings in life where you get to work on what you want to do. And as advice to all, NEVER let your adult children depend on you and NEVER depend on them in your old age.