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It's official - old age is a myth.

Okay, maybe not a myth, but definitely an ill-defined and misunderstood facet of modern living.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, based in Austria, said this week that a 65-year-old person should no longer be considered old, and that the burden on society of an ageing population is overestimated.

The reason, simply, is that we are much fitter and healthier going into retirement age than we were a few decades ago.

The scientists have developed a new range of definitions, criteria and measurements of ageing, and their findings could kickstart a reassessment of government health and age policies.

The full story is here: news.com.au

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: 60s, Changes, Retirement

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What is the best retirement age?

April 11th 2010 01:19

The logical retirement age has been a matter of much debate and varied opinion. Traditionally, it is in the early to late 60s, and many countries have legislation, such as laws governing employment and pension entitlements, to that effect.

For many, retirement can't come soon enough, a sentiment embedded in the culture of societies which are intolerant of older people in the workplace, and which place emphasis on financial planning for the "golden years".

Others, however, question what is so golden about retirement. For those who have built careers which have sustained them intellectually as well as financially, reaching a retirement age determined by some faceless bureaucratic dictate can be a negative.

No matter what age we are, we need something to occupy our minds. Just as a house is usually the largest financial commitment most people make in their lives, a career is usually the largest intellectual commitment. Being told to turn that off the day you turn 65 can be seriously unsettling.

Many people want to continue working until they, rather than bureaucracy, decide they are ready to retire. Many argue that governments should do more to facilitate that choice and that freedom.

Someone who would no doubt agree is John Paul Stevens, the leader of the liberal bloc on the United States Supreme Court. Justice Stevens announced this week his intention to retire when the court finishes its work for the summer, in June or July. At that point, Justice Stevens will be 90.

We hope he is planning a second career writing learned tomes and mentoring bright young legal minds.

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: 60s, Life questions, Retirement

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Don't go into retirement cold turkey

March 31st 2009 00:01

"I am now 67 and am having the time of my life," writes Joe Collier on the BMJ (British medical journal) web site.

Collier's argument for an immediately satisfying life in the early years of retirement is to prepare early, cutting down working hours and involvement in the two or three years before retirement.

Cold turkey, he claims, can lead to too much of a shock.

"I devoted a lot of mental energy pondering what it was that made some older people part of society and left others marginalised or invisible," he writes.

The full article can be found here.

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