Fight Dependency

As people get close to retirement there are a lot who totally embrace the notion of having many days to while away doing exactly what they want when they decide to, whilst some will be concerned about being bored or being lonely. There are a lot of options of course, and if you want to keep busy and interested in life beyond work there is no reason to be concerned.

As most people in the UK will know, the compulsory retirement age is to be removed this year and so the obvious choice for keeping occupied is to find a part time position, which will not only keep you occupied but earn you a little extra income too. An existing employer or someone who has known you because of your job might be very happy to use an extra pair of hands, even if it is only on a casual basis to cover holidays and staff off sick.

However, such a option still leaves you answering to someone else, so as an alternative you could look for voluntary work. A quick five minutes on the internet will show that the opportunities for getting involved in jobs such as this are merely limited by health constraints and any list of Health & Safety or insurance restrictions which may have been dictated by the organisation you want volunteer for. But in general terms, the choices available should differ very little from the list of suggestions for anybody of any age.

However, there are some people approaching retirement who are also the principal carers for infirm parents or other members of the family. This can make the situation more difficult, but if there is already existing help involved in the care process during the time you are at work, don’t automatically cancel it when you retire. You may believe that you can cope, but if you need time for yourself or for taking part in specific events out of the house, it quickly becomes a burden to always need to ask someone else to step in if you need to go out, and this can lead to resentment and a deterioration in the relationship – not an easy situation when you are living in the same property.

Obviously, if you are the type of person who has always been involved in pastimes and activities outside of the house in your spare time, then the likelihood is that you will keep on with them, subject to any age related health problems which may begin to make physical activity more difficult. But if the joints are starting to ache and the vision isn’t as clear as it used to be, there are plenty of other things you can get take up instead. And naturally, once you get to a ‘certain’ age, there are possibilities to get replacement joints so that arthritis stops being a problem, and conventional surgery for cataracts as well as, more importantly, treatment for other vision complaints which can be solved with Laser eye surgery are carried out on the NHS if they are deemed essential – a major result when Laser eye treatments are usually expensive procedures carried out in the private sector.

Some people may just choose at home but pottering in the garden, reading, knitting, sewing, enjoying the company of the family, and if that is what you are looking forward to then that is what you should do. Of course, jobs including gardening can also be influenced by aching limbs and close work along the lines of sewing and reading can get to be difficult if your eyesight is diminishing, so once again, speak to your doctor and get yourself referred to the appropriate surgeons to find out if you are eligible for surgical help to increase your mobility and the necessary conventional surgery or Laser eye treatment to aid your sight.

The most essential thing of all is to sort out a routine that suits you and to make sure that you keep active and cheerful. If you seem to spend too many days not even thinking about getting dressed or doing very little other than watching bad television, it’s time to review what is going on and ask if that’s really all that you require from your life. It’s likely that hardly any of us really wants to keep to that type of existence, so discuss with friends, neighbours and family and set about identifying something that you want to do. And if you are still waiting for your hip replacement so that you can get outside and back to gardening, how about growing a window box or indoor plants and herbs? Or while you’re on the list for that Laser eye surgery, don’t sit and gaze at a blurry television set, but listen instead – music, talking books, radio quiz shows, news and current affairs – they can all broaden the mind and help keep it active, which really is a great idea.

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Tags: health, improved vision, laser eye, laser eye surgery, lifefstyle