The retirement journey (4): Encounter with the reality

As elderly people enter retirement life, they are often confronted with challenging situations which need to be addressed with all seriousness.  The realities of retirement often call for new strategies, innovative and pragmatic ways of addressing critical issues, in order to ensure value-added pension life.

The Identity Crisis

As their gray hair becomes more visible, retirees are perceived differently in society.  In public places, many people seem to accord them due respect, and some individuals go the extra mile to assist them in the performance of their tasks.

Children learn to call the elderly and retired people, “Grandpa” and “Grandma”. In an attempt to appear younger, and avoid too much attention, some retired persons prefer to dye their hair black.

The process of disengaging from routine work life could be quite challenging for many would-be retirees. The psychological impact of retirement should never be underestimated.  On the eve of retirement and at the initial stages of retirement, most people in the world go through a critical time of self-assessment and reflection.

In his book, Taking Retirement: A Beginner’s Diary , Carl H. Klaus, an English professor and founder of the Iowa Institute of Writing, recounts his experience:

“On the actual date of retirement, identity problems plagued my crossover into retirement.”

Klaus believes that we need to come to terms with retirement as a positive development and reject the negative perception of self-pity and resentment and rather embrace the new life with jubilation.

Intellectual Ability

One of the issues retired people have to deal with, relates to cognitive development and old age.  There is a school of thought that states that as one grows older – especially after retirement – one experiences decrease in intelligence.  Other studies go contrary to this negative perception and conclude that intelligence is not affected by chronological age, since the mind is an inexhaustible resource and its ability to develop solutions is limitless.

In his presentation on the topic, “Are young people smarter than adults?”, Stephen Badham, professor of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, believes that, in the area of intelligence, it is misleading to compare older people with younger ones. He explains as follows:

“The two generations were brought up in different times, with different levels of education, healthcare and nutrition. They also lead different daily lives, with some older people having lived though a world war while the youngest generation is growing up with the internet.” (Published by Conversation: May 1, 2024).

We can try the above view point with the following scenario.

• An adult of 70 years and a young person aged 18 are asked to perform the same task:  Multiply the number 15 by 6.

It is most likely that the older person will produce the answer at a faster pace than the teenager.  While the young person is trying to calculate the sum with the computer, the adult has already processed the task in their mind and produced the answer.

The Practice Factor

The real issue is that when physical ability hinders access to information, then the mind is deprived of its vital resource or raw material.  This means that the mind will not have adequate opportunity to exercise; and therefore, it may decline in performance.  As long as the mind is fed regularly through exercise and challenging situations, intelligence develops in a healthy manner.

One way of building concepts and images that sharpen the brain is reading. Over the years, reading has helped to develop mental abilities.   In reality, what holds true is that any person – young or old – who fails to exercise the brain in challenging situations and problem solving, will experience deterioration in their reasoning ability.  Therefore, retired people have as much chance as other age groups to maintain a high level of intellectual activity.  The simple rule is “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”

The Old Lady

Fortunately, in many African cultures, old age is very much respected as a repository of wisdom. In the traditional community, the older generation plays a key role in conflict management and resolution.  In very difficult situations of conflict, a typical mediation team in Ghanaian Akan and Ga communities would take a break, with the excuse, “We are going to consult the old lady.” The team would then consult with some experts made up of older people and then come back to the parties to communicate their final decision.  In most cases, this final decision is well accepted and respected by all.

Physical Health and Wellbeing

People on retirement are generally advised to check their health status with qualified medical doctors on regular basis.  There is also the need to exercise the body regularly, and go for a healthy diet, following the directions of the appropriate health authorities.  Aerobic exercises are necessary to keep the body fit and healthy.  However, it is important to seek the right professional guidance with regard to physical exercises, in order to choose the appropriate exercises fit for your body.

Hobbies

It is important for older people to practice hobbies they enjoy most.  Many retirees enjoy the time they spend on hobbies like gardening and playing musical instruments.  On the subject of hobbies, Graeme Richards states,

…remember, these activities that we love, they’re not mere hobbies.  They’re the things that light us up from the inside, and give us a sense of purpose and joy.”  (Global English Editing, July 13, 2024).

Housing The Family

One of the most important issues that all prospective retirees think about is housing accommodation.  Housing is a long-term investment.  The decision to build or own residential accommodation to house the family should have been made many years back; and financial investment decisions regarding the housing project must have also been made long before the age of retirement.

Some public officers who have the benefit of being housed by Government during their work life, tend to enjoy the facility for too long a time, without working on their own residential accommodation.  When the retirement bell rings, such people are suddenly faced with a big problem. In some cases, such would-be retirees are very reluctant to leave their official seat.  Instead of embracing retirement life with joy, they rather lobby the authorities to extend their employment contract.  This also generates discontent among the younger workers, especially those who qualify to occupy the job position of the would-be retiree.

Financial Capital

In our effort to access loans for capital intensive projects, like housing accommodation, African workers need to consider the following:

We must start working on our housing project early in our active work life.  Any delay in starting housing savings or investment could have a negative impact on the prospective retiree.

Individuals must also be careful about taking loans which require payment based on foreign exchange values.  In many cases, inflation has pushed foreign-factored interest rates far beyond the normal, and landed some people in serious financial problems.

The challenges that confront the African retiree could be enormous, but with good planning, coupled with the right attitude and determination, we can make a successful crossover to an enjoyable pension life.

The writer is a HR/Management Practitioner

Phone/WhatsApp: 0244599628

E-mail: jsquaisie@yahoo.com