Retirement Diversity

Women and Retirement[i]

         I suppose that most readers of this blog entry know that women tend to follow different career paths than husbands. Some times they wait to work until they have raised their family while others choose to work while their children are growing up. Some women never enter the labour force and quite a few single women remain steadily in the work. It has been reported that “Few studies have looked at how women adjust to retirement or at what retirement means to them.”   Like their work life, women have more diversity in their retirement than men and have large differences with retired men.

         Robert Atchley after much research has developed one of the models of retirement stages and he “…says that different factors shape male and female attitudes to retirement, and different factors lead to life satisfaction for each group.  It is his view that “…women’s retirement is indeed a separate issue compared to men’s.”  As time marches on it appears that women’s patterns of work are becoming more similar to men’s.

         Interestingly, women’s retirement may mean a big drop in income because many women do not have a pension plan. Older women also tend to have different retirement needs than men and need to get more knowledge about pension plans. All this is relevant because there is still a discrepancy between how long men and women are expected to live.  There is a way to deal with it for couples. They can agree to have a lower pension while both are alive and when the husband dies; his wife will continue to get the same amount

 

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[i]  In Novak, M. & Campbell, L. (2001) Aging & Society: A Canadian Perspective             (4^th Ed)  Material taken from Chap 10  Retirement and Work, pp 185-186

Maintaining Moral As We Age

[i]

Answer this questionnaire and then see if the results match your self-perception Scoring is straightforward:  Each high-morale response receives a score of “1” and each low-morale response a score of “0,” so that total score ranges from 0-17.  Although factors may be used separately for special purposes, the total score is preferred.

1. Things keep getting worse as I get older.               Yes__ No__

2. I have as much pep as I had last year.                   Yes__  No__

3. How much do you feel lonely?                   Not much__  A lot__

4. Little things bother me more this year.                    Yes__ No__

5. I see enough of my friends and relatives.               Yes__ No__

6. As you get older, you are less useful.                     Yes__ No__

7. I sometimes worry so much that I can’t sleep.        Yes__ No__

8. As I get older, things are (better/worse) than I thought they would            be.                                                                   Better__ Worse__

9. I sometimes feel that life isn’t worth living.               Yes__ No__

10. I am as happy now as I was when I was younger. Yes__ No__

11. I have a lot to be sad about.                                   Yes__ No__

12. I am afraid of a lot of things.                                   Yes__ No___

13. I get mad more than I used to.                               Yes__ No__

14. Life is hard for me much of the time.                      Yes__ No__

15. How satisfied are you with your life today?

                                                               Satisfied __  Not Satisfied_

16. I take things hard.                                                   Yes__ No__

17. I get upset easily.                                                    Yes__ No__

The three factors, which emerge from the morale scale, are described below.

Agitation.   Items 4, 7, 12, 13, 16 and 17 load on Factor 1.  Labeled Agitation, this set of items characterizes the anxiety experienced by the older person.  Lawton suggests, in addition, that “there is a driving, restless, agitated quality to the dysphoric mood . . . (1972, p. 155).”  Clinically neurotic feelings are reflected, and this group of items may serve as a manifest anxiety scale for older people (Lawton, 1975).[ii]

Attitude Toward Own Aging.   Items, which relate to the older person’s attitude toward the aging process they experience comprise Factor 2.  Items 1, 2, 6, 8 and 10 are included in this factor, which captures the individual’s perception of the changes taking place in his or her life, and asks for an evaluation of those changes.

Lonely Dissatisfaction.   Factor 3 represents the older person’s acceptance or dissatisfaction with the amount of social interaction they are presently experiencing.  The items do not hold expectations for a high level of interpersonal contact, but rather seek to ascertain the individual’s reaction to the relationships he or she maintains.  Items 3, 5, 9, 11, 14 and 15 are associated with Factor 3.

If this questionnaire generates concerns for you with any of these factors, it could be a good idea to find help with someone you trust whether it is a professional counselor, a respected friend or a spiritual leader.

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[i] THE PHILADELPHIA GERIATRIC CENTER MORALE SCALE (discovered online)

[ii] Lawton, M.P. (1975).  The Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale:  A revision.              Journal of Gerontology, 30, 85-89.

 Ageism Humor

         Yongjie Yon and I gathered this material in the fall of 2009. A search of my web entries will lead you to the data that we found on a number of issues including humour.  On a broader step, Erdman Palmore has analyzed ageist joke material.[i]   I have produced a number of ageism blog entries and people around the world have examined them.  The following material was analyzed from data regarding Ageist jokes on birthday cards

         At least 73% respondents to our project reported that they had been told a joke that makes fun of old people.   Fewer people (53%) reported being given ageist birthday cards

      i.         When age is being taken into account, the percentage reporting being told jokes became progressively less, as people got older. The significance level by age is high (p <.001).  Like jokes those who are younger receive more ageist cards and the frequency decreases with age.

    ii.         Those who are married are more likely to be told jokes and receive birthday cards that make fun of age.  There are no significant differences. base on gender.

   iii.         Closeness of family members, 50% or less, increases the likelihood of being told an ageist joke, but not receiving an ageist birthday card.

  iv.         Those who attend church are significantly less likely (p.< .05) to be told ageist jokes but there is no difference in receiving ageist birthday cards

    v.         Those who are always satisfied with the government, both provincial and civic governments are both less likely to be told ageist jokes or receive ageist birthday cards.,

Ageist Joke Samples

Hard of Hearing

Three retirees , each with a hearing loss, were taking a walk on a fine April day;

One remarked to the others “Windy ain’t  it?

“No,” the second man replied, “its Thursday

And the third man chimed in, “So am I let’s have a coke.”

New Hearing Aid

An elderly gentleman has had serious hearing problem for a number of years.

He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitter for a set of   hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%

The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said “Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.”

To which the gentleman said, “ Oh, I haven’t told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to the conversations.  I’ve changed my will three times.

Good & bad news

An old man visits his doctor and after a thought examination the doctor tell him: “I have good news and bad news, what would you like to hear first?

Patient: Well, give me the bad news first.”

Doctor:  You have cancer, I estimate that you have about two years left.”

Patient: OH NO! That’s awful!  In two years my life will be over! What kind of good news could you probably tell me, after this?

Doctor: You also have Alzheimer’s. In about three months you are going to forget everything I told you.

I seldom get comments to my blog entries, but I would am very interested in what you think about this material,

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[i]  E.B. Palmore (1990)  Ageism positive and negative. Springer Publishing Company, New York, N.Y. ISBN 0-8261-7000-5

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Retirement Self-Actualization[i]

        

         Since I retired August 31, 2011 I have been keeping up with activities inside and out of Kwantlen Polytechnic University.  I have joined Third Age Learning At Kwantlen (TALK) and am on their program committee. I remain on the Board of Directors at the LSRS Langley Senior’s Resource Society. I have also strengthened my relationship with Alexandra House; a community program for persons of all ages and last but not least I am continuing to canvas for the Canadian Cancer Society. 

         In a way I am more active now than over the past 6 years when I taught only two courses per term at Kwantlen.  I recently came across an article on the Internet (see at the bottom of this post) and it got me thinking.  According to the authors “…retirement is a life stage full of challenges and that adjustment to these is a pre-requisite for self-actualization which is described as “motivation to realize one's own maximum potential and possibilities.”

         So the first thing I did after deciding to construct this blog entry was to review the theories about retirement.  One of the key theorists in this area is Abraham Maslow who says that self-actualization “…may loosely be described as the full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities etc.  Further: “People who are self actualizing seem to be fulfilling themselves and to be doing the best they are capable of doing.

         The theory that I find most useful is referred to as Continuity Theory created by Robert Atchley who has identified eight phases in the retirement process.  I will review them here relating them to my own retirement where possible.

1.   Pre-retirement.  My experience with retirement began seven years ago when I fought mandatory retirement.  Fortunately, there were many forces focusing on the issue at the time and I was able to stay at work.  During that time I was labeled as a “special part-time regular” and was permitted to teach only two courses per semester.  After the battle was over I had gotten used to teaching two instead of four courses per term continued doing so.  During that time I was also able to travel to Europe where I presented my ageism research at International Sociological Association Conference held in Spain.

2.    Honeymoon phase in which retirees may feel free to do new things, lasting from a few weeks to several years.  This you can see from my current volunteering activities described above.  One of the challenges my volunteering now is that meetings and activities are called up at different times.  This is compared to teaching schedules that are organized and the beginning of each semester letting academics plan way ahead and know exactly when things are happening.

3.    Retirement Routine.   This will be interesting as I become more familiar with volunteer activities.  I also like to schedule meetings with two of my sons who live in downtown Vancouver.

4. Rest and Relaxation.  When retirees go through a period of lowered activity levels.  I find myself thinking of that I may slow down on some activities, including my workshops and seminars’ next year.
5. Disenchantment.  When the retirement is disrupted by some difficulty, for example the death of a spouse.  I have been thinking a lot about this lately and have created a Grief and Bereavement Seminar that I am beginning to market
6. Reorientation the act of changing the direction in which something is oriented.  Right now that is too far ahead for me to have much to say about it   Stay with this blog for a couple of years and I’ll probably have more to say.
7. Routine.   The only thing I can say about this that I imagine that it will be a life much like my last few years at Kwantlen
8. Termination.  Intellectually I can see that toward the end of this decade as I move into my eighties and nineties.  I think termination may mean the end of everything.  Well as they used to sing in the Highlander television series. “Who wants to live forever?”

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[i]  Kerr, P.P. & Schulze, S, (2004). Factors that influence Retirement Self-Actualization, HEALTH SA GESONDHEID Vol. 9, N0. 4

Retirement Volunteering

        

         Many people believe that retirement automatically causes reduction of individuals’ contributions to Canada’s social and financial economy. That is not so, for instance, according to the British Columbia Government, in 2004, seniors spent more time volunteering annually than any other age group in the Province – over 44 million hours, with an average of 247 hours per year. As a group ages fewer people tend to volunteer, but those who do volunteer do it for longer periods of time. This type of volunteering will likely increase as the “Boomers” enter retirement.  So where are you at in regards to volunteering?

         To help you explore possible types of volunteering, ask yourself the following questions: [i]

1.   Where am I in my life now? What are my current circumstances and what is up ahead?

2.   What do I care about? How can I make a difference? What kind of volunteer would I be?

3.   What skills or experience do I have to offer or do I want to gain?

        

         Besides the reduction of income, retirement can mean a loss of employment with a focus on social relationships. Retirement is not just about the money. When considering retirement on one side a person may feel like developing new goals, interests, activities and creating new networks. On the other end, he or she may experience stress, physical deterioration, and depression. 

        

         I have recently retired from being a Professor of Psychology at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where I worked more than 30 years. I have designed and taught a course about aging for the last 10 years and developed many teaching approaches including workshops and seminars.  Among my volunteer activities I am a board member at a local seniors centre; a volunteer at a community event organization in Crescent Beach and I recently joined Third Age Learning at Kwantlen’s (TALK) program committee. I also canvas for the Canadian Cancer Society.

         One of the most wonderful things that have ever happened to me was when I was invited to report my research findings about Ageism in British Columbia to the International Sociological Association (ISA) at their conference in Barcelona Spain during the fall of 2008.

         I have created a retirement workshop to further help facilitate individuals’ exploration of their psychological and social needs in preparation for and during retirement.  For more information contact me at:  larry@bc-communitybuilding.com

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[i] http://www.getvolunteering.ca/pdf/RetirementPlanningModule.pdf

Connecting Ageism and Retirement[i]

         “Fixed age retirement is often justified because older workers are seen as less desirable than young, being perceived as less efficient and less well educated, with declining physical and mental capacities. However all evidence suggests that older workers are more reliable than younger workers and are just as capable in timed tasks; older workers often have skills lacked by the young.”

         “Retirement is often justified because pensions, both state and occupational, provide income opportunities not available to the young.  This again is an essentially ageist position because pensions rarely match earnings from employment.”

         “The creation of the concept of retirement is linked to four distinct features of a given society:  economic productivity, organizational sophistication, social attitudes and social conditions.”

         During a  “…time of economic depression, there was a widespread discrimination against older workers in the labour market.

Older workers were “… caught in a situation of shrinking job opportunities and decreased demand for their particular skills.   During the great depression “Pensions, both occupational and state financed, were seen as a legitimate way of excluding older workers from the job market…” 

         Further more “There is clear evidence that older people experience discrimination in assessing care and in the quality of care provided, and those differing groups within older age groups.”

         If what we read and hear lately in the news about "economic downturn" is accurate, older persons about to retire or those of us who are already retired better increase awareness of ageist attitudes growing about us.

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[i] Material for this blog entry was taken from Christina Victor (2005). The social             Context of Ageing: A Textbook of Gerontology. Routlege Taylour & Francis Group 

ISBN 0-415-22140-4