Hi Readers,
How do you plan for retirement and stay happily
married? It can be done but it takes
some prior planning. But it is possible
by approaching this life transition realistically. While most people focus on the financial
aspects of retirement, they seldom anticipate the psychological adjustment.
The article below, published in the June 17, 2013 edition of
USA Today and written by Rodney
Brooks, inspired me to write about this topic and present it on the television
show. In my research, I found that
retirement patterns and retirement satisfaction are the most studied topics by
gerontologists. While we are busy
researching those topics, we often do not get the word out that retirement can
stress a marriage. But it can be a
smooth transition by retaining realistic goals, planning, and retaining open
communication.
The USA Today
article illuminated three main points with regard to staying happily married in
retirement:
1.
Newly-retired people may contemplate, “What is
my new role now that I am not working?” or “Now what?” Often, spouses hang around the house all day
without any “role” and may feel in the way.
2.
Newly-retired people suddenly realize that they
have no social network. Over the years,
friends were acquired in the workplace.
Those friends are still working and therefore, are not available outside
the workplace for socialization and networking.
3.
Retirement is defined as “living without a
paycheck” but it often feels like a permanent vacation. Boredom sets in, resulting in low
self-esteem. People often identify with
their career and without one, retirement becomes a “roleless role.”
Retirement patterns are changing for a variety of
reasons. Step-down or phased
retirement has replaced the traditional model, allowing workers to gradually
adjust to the new role. Newly-retired
workers often go into another career, buy a business, or devote time to
volunteering. While financial and
housing concerns must be planned carefully, don’t forget the psychological
aspects of retiring, too! Talk with your
spouse about the adjustment to retirement and how you will spend your
time. Cultivate friends outside the
workplace. With your spouse, decide how
you will adjust to the new role. More
later! AgeDoc
