The place of the retiree in society is emerging as one of the most important subjects for debate in Canada today. As the first of the baby boomers turn 50, retirement is becoming an increasingly important topic, particularly since the aging North American population is having an enormous social and economic impact on our communities. In fact, the place of the retiree in society is emerging as a national priority, since retirement may represent as much as one third of one’s life.

According to a recent survey by Statistics Canada, the percentage of people retiring before age 55 has more than doubled since the mid-1970s. In the US, it is estimated that between the years 2010 and 2030, the number of people over the age of 65 will increase by 73%, while the growth of the population aged 85 and older is even more dramatic.

as society tries to adapt to this significant demographic change while struggling to deal with increasing government cutbacks and downsizing, we would be wise to capitalize on the resources of older adults. To have one-third of the adult population out of the work place is a waste of human capital, especially since retirees have a lot to offer their communities.

Tapping the wealth of retirees’ life experiences

while volunteerism during retirement allows society to tap into the wealth of retirees’ life experiences, accumulated skills, and expertise, it also helps the individual maintain and maximize his or her productivity into late adulthood. As longevity continues to increase, retirees must face many transition stressed longer and later in life, including declining mental and physical abilities, as well as changing social roles. According to the American Psychological Association, this kind of adaptation during retirement requires individual initiative in the self-maintenance of mental, physical, and social functioning.

Volunteerism promotes, maintains, and enhances the good health and normal functioning of people in retirement, as well as bridging a transitional time in the older adult’s life. In fact, volunteering can help retirees maintain their work behaviours into old age while introducing them to new skills and social networks. And, volunteering has been shown to prolong life expectancy.

Interestingly, studies indicate that the older adult’s knowledge-base not only remains intact with advancing age, it actually continues to grow. Moreover, older adults frequently perform at higher levels in a range of settings. Often, people who were highly-engaged workers before retirement become highly valued volunteers upon retirement. As a result, volunteerism is an increasing trend in older adults, and many organizations are beginning to develop voluntary programs that rely on their retired employees, or are including a component on voluntary opportunities in their retirement preparation programs.

As the work force continues to age, we must learn to cultivate retirees as a national resource to sustain human vitality into old age, and to enhance the quality of life for society as a whole.

Sources: American Psychological Association, “Vitality for Life: Psychological Research for Productive Aging,” http://www.apa.org/science/aging.html; “A guide to volunteering for older adults”, http://www.fcn.state.fl.us/doea/vlteer.html; Gower, Dave, “Measuring the age of retirement” in Perspectives on Labour and Income, Statistics Canada, Summer 1997, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp.11-17.