Is retirement good for your health?
Economist James Banks of the University of Manchester says it depends on what you have come from and what you are going to. If you have had a highly paid, high-status job but little time or inclination to cultivate social activities or friends outside work, then retirement could be a negative step even if you have a huge pension pot. “You may walk all day and do sudokus all night once retired, but still miss the social and intellectual stimulation of the workplace,” he says. However, if you have given up a physically demanding and hazardous manual job, or one with little control and lots of stress, then retirement may be a positive step. UK, European, US and international studies show a mixed picture; it depends on an individual’s change of status when they leave the workplace. And it is possible it may not even change your life much; if you can maintain your standard of living, interactions and sense of purpose, then retirement may not have an impact on your quality of life.
Who else is at home?
Academic Gill Mein, at St George’s, University of London, worked on the Whitehall II study, which looked at the social determinants of health among British civil servants. She has two tips for a “good retirement”. One is to develop a hobby or interest while still employed, which you can build on when you leave work. The other is to involve your partner/spouse in your change in role at home once you retire. “I met some couples where one person was used to being at home all alone day and found it difficult to adjust to both being at home and with each other 24/7.”
What about early retirement because of ill health?
Professor Deborah Schofield, of the University of Sydney, says: “Moving into a planned retirement from choice is very different from having to leave because of illness. Control over your plans – such as paying off the mortgage, building up some savings and waiting for kids to leave home – are thrown into disarray, you may have less income and also fewer plans. You can find yourself at a loose end without companionship.” There is a relationship between income and reported satisfaction with life; money may not make you happy, but it helps to be able to afford the necessities of life and a few luxuries. Schofield adds that divorce can hit women particularly hard as they often have lower savings than men. And the three main causes of early retirement because of ill health – pain, arthritis and mental illness – are poorly treated and resourced compared with other conditions such as cancer. “Most conditions that take people out of the workplace are not really considered health care priorities; there’s often no sudden and dramatic illness. Cancer that makes someone suddenly ill is an overt tragedy that strikes fear into the heart of most people. But chronic pain is a less visible, silent condition; you don’t look unwell or lose your hair but you may be going home from work each day and collapsing from the toll of keeping going.” She says government needs to address underfunded services for these areas, on both health and economic grounds.
What are the secrets of successful ageing?
Geriatrician Dr Jeremy Jacobs, of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, says research into a cohort of Jerusalem residents has suggested old people who rate their health as being poor are more likely to be lonely, depressed, poor, obese or have back pain. “Loneliness is common, but it doesn’t kill you,” he says. Once you take financial security out of the equation, culture, country of origin and ethnicity seem to play a very minor role in how you age. People over 90 stop reporting pain as a problem; no one knows exactly why. To live longer and with good quality of life you need to sort out vision and hearing problems (cataract surgery and a hearing aid), take measures to prevent falls (nail down the carpet), avoid taking siestas, eat a decent amount and range of food (not vitamin supplements – they may increase mortality) and, above all, keep moving and stay engaged. “Adverse life events don’t affect longevity, but if you sit at home all day doing nothing, you will deteriorate. You need to leave the house every day even if you’re in a wheelchair. And keep mentally, socially and physically active at whatever level you can manage. You don’t have to stay in paid work; volunteering is fine too,” says Jacobs.
Four role models
Keep moving: Frenchman Robert Marchand, 105, gained the first-and only-place in his age category this year by cycling 14 miles round a velodrome in under an hour. He was a bit disappointed by his time and is waiting for a rival to egg him on. His coach, Gerard Mistler, doesn’t see him stopping for the foreseeable future: “Setting goals for himself is part of his personality,” he said. Marchand worked until his late 60s and only got into sport at 68, once he retired.
Try something new: Jack Reynolds made it into the Guinness World Records last month by becoming the oldest person in the world to ride a rollercoaster. The 105-year-old survived the Twistosaurus ride at Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire, adding it to his previous achievements of oldest person to do the ice bucket challenge for charity at 102, followed by a tattoo (“Jacko 6.4.1912”) and trip on a Tiger Moth biplane when he hit 104. Next on his list is to race in a Formula 1 car.
Stay engaged: Another 105-year-old, immunologist Dr William Frankland, co-authored an academic paper last year on burning feet syndrome – a consequence of malnutrition among soldiers held, as he was, in a Japanese PoW camp in the second world war. He only retired from private practice as an allergy specialist in his 90s after a long career in which he worked in Alexander Fleming’s lab and told Saddam Hussein to quit smoking so his asthma would improve. Frankland still enjoys a drink, but in moderation. At a recent lunch for a newspaper interview he turned down a glass saying: “No wine for me – I had too much to drink yesterday.”
Remain optimistic: The pianist Alice Herz-Sommer, who died in 2014 at the age of 110, was a concentration camp survivor who swam and played the piano every day until well past her centenary. In a 2006 interview, she attributed her survival to her temperament: “This optimism and this discipline. Punctually, at 10am, I am sitting there at the piano, with everything in order around me. For 30 years I have eaten the same – fish or chicken. Good soup, and this is all … I walk a lot with terrible pains, but after 20 minutes it is much better. Sitting or lying is not good.” And, despite her terrible experiences in the camps, she was driven by optimism: “I am looking for the nice things in life. I know about the bad things, but I look only for the good things.”
