I have suggested that we all have potential at any stage of life and that means we do not have to fade away, quietly, without fuss, especially after retirement, and later when the time comes. We can and should all have our ‘blaze of glory’ and leave life knowing we will not be forgotten. So what potential do you still have? Let me ask you a few questions:

? Have you written your memoirs? Have you explained your origins; who came before you, where you were born, raised, educated; what you have learned through the experiences of life; what mistakes you made; what advice do you want to give to later generations; and so on. All lives are worthy of recall, especially by those who follow us. Having written your life story, get it checked for accuracy by a good friend, turn it into a book (this is surprisingly quite cheap), illustrate it, send it to friends and relatives, ask for comments. Encourage others to do the same. Start a memoir writing group.

? Have you stepped outside your ‘comfort circle’ recently? As you will know, it is easy when retired and older, to keep carrying out the same activities, day after day, week after week, month after month. We become fearful of change; we can’t be bothered to venture into something new. Maybe it will be stressful or worrisome. Change in routine takes effort and it may not be worthwhile you think, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. So the question is: what could you do now that is different from your routine? Make a list, given your state of health and finances. What new activity would make your friends/relatives take notice? What could you learn? Who could you meet? Where could you go? What could you make? Who could you help?

? Have you given up keeping fit? Does exercise seem a waste of time, given your age? This question could apply to both body and mind. Keeping fit helps prevent the chronic illnesses of old age and there are plenty of routines that are suitable for older bodies: Swim or walk in your local indoor pool, walk places when it would be easier to take a car or bus, join a yoga or dance class, use weights, walk the dog. As for your brain, keep doing the crosswords, playing card games, completing jigsaws, painting landscapes, cooking, helping youngsters with their homework, and so on.

So you think you have come to the end of your life and there is nothing else to be said or done? Maybe you believe that your family and friends have written you off and that they are waiting for you to pass away, quietly, and without any fuss. But as I have pointed out before, several times, retirement is your time to shine! Your time to be someone different from your previous self. It’s time for your blaze of glory!

The critical word here is potential. We all have the potential to behave differently at any time of life, but especially in retirement. You have potential right up to the end. To behave differently: to try new things, to learn new things, to create new things. Of course it is your choice to do what you did before, or not. You can stay in your ‘comfort zone’ where everything is predictable, safe, undemanding, or you could venture outside the long established walls of your routine existence and try something new. It’s up to you.

Look at your life now as the time of opportunity rather than the routine performance of well-worn habits. There are a myriad of opportunities out there for you: to do, to think, to learn, to create, to explore,. Remember what it was like to be a teenager with all of life ahead of you! And there are thousands of others, like you, waiting to,be inspired. You could be the catalyst for a whole new attitude to retirement.

It’s been some time since I last contributed to this blog. No, I haven’t retired from being retired, there is still plenty to say! It’s Autumn now in Australia and where I live the trees are putting on a brilliant and memorable show of colour. It’s the last performance of Nature before the dead of Winter. Is there a message for us here?

Retirement, as I have pointed out before, is the time when we have the opportunity to show our true selves. The time to develop and employ all those interests and skills which were unexplored or suppressed while we were making a living, raising a family and working to establish a secure retirement. However, too often, perhaps because of ill-health or other personal circumstances, retirement starts off with joy but fades away into what can only be called senility. Western society suggests that is the way to go. We are encouraged to gradually diminish as personalities, largely ignored and often ensconced in some dreary ‘old people’s home’. Out of sight, out of mind.

Other societies and civilisations are not like that. The older members of families and tribes, Australian Aboriginal and New Zealand Maori for example, are supported, venerated, and respected for their lifetimes of experience and associated wisdom. The difference lies in the Western obsession with the primacy of the nuclear family. But once the children have matured and gone, only the parents are left, and, all too often, because of divorce or death, just one parent. The family house is too big for two or just one, the roles of parent and breadwinner are over, so a retirement home seems the inevitable next step. We are expected to fade away, no fuss.

If that is what you want, what you have looked forward to throughout your earlier life, don’t let me discourage you. However, my thesis is that our retired years can be the most joyful and productive times of our lives. Will you be remembered for long after you fade away in a retirement home? Or will they say “She/he went off in a blaze of glory!” So what are the momentous activities in retirement that will keep the relatives talking about you long after you have gone? See next blog.

It is important to look after your body in retirement, but also your brain. It also needs exercise to keep fit. Obviously there are many ways to achieve this. The criterion is to make it active, not passive. The temptation is to indulge in passive viewing – TV and films. and passive reading of newspapers and books. To be brain active means to think and to be challenged. It’s time to learn a new skill, How about learning to play Bridge, or a foreign language? Do you complete the crossword in the newspaper or ignore it as a waste of time? How about writing your memoirs? Perhaps a grandchild needs help with home work. How about tutoring at your local school? Join an organisation and take on a role such as Treasurer or Publicity Officer. Work for the local branch of your political party. Join a Ladies/Men’s Shed. Tune up your reflexes by learning to play squash. Start to sing, And so on. The opportunities are limitless. .

Basically, to keep the brain active and to avoid dementia, it’s all about creating new pathways, and making new links between neurons. Adopt the attitude you had when a teenager – the whole world is open to you to explore and the whole of knowledge is open to your learning. The overall approach is to rediscover ‘wonder‘. Older people develop a cynicism about what is in and of the world. A lifetime of living and working has given rise to a lack of interest in new knowledge and a critical stance towards any new thinking. It’s time to open your mind again and rediscover the joys of argument and intellectual challenge. What do you think about the relative value of the myriad of religious beliefs and contradictory political stances in the light of what is being revealed in space? How important is it to cherish and sustain the enormous number of life forms on our planet? How could we ensure that all humans have a reasonable diet and regular access to health services? There are plenty of questions to answer – over to you.

In my previous blog, I suggested that we could view retirement in a couple of ways: as a time to withdraw from life (a fixed mindset) or the opportunity to develop further (a growth mindset). Of course, no matter what we do during this time of life, there will eventually be an ending, but the evidence is that we will live longer and happier if we take control of our living during this important part of life. The question is, do we let old age take its course, or will we take charge?

If the latter, our first priority is to remain healthy. This is important, not only to allow us to carry out all our retirement ambitions that need fitness, but because keeping fit is one way to avoid or delay the onset of dementia in our later years. So regular brisk walks, and exercise should be routine. Where there are problems with mobility, the water in a swimming pool can provide support, and instead of walking on hard surfaces on roads and paths, replace it by swimming or walking in the water. The muscles of the upper body also need exercise, perhaps using hand weights or equipment in a gymnasium. There are plenty of experts in physical exercise who can advise on what would be suitable for any particular age and where there are any physical impairments.

Good health also depends on good nutrition. It’s time to give up pre-prepared meals and takeaways. A balanced diet with plenty of good protein, fruit, seeds and nuts is essential. I have written elsewhere on the importance of looking after your colon. Suffice to say that if you treat your colon right by eating appropriate foods, this important organ and its friendly inhabitants (the biome) will look after you.

Retirement needs a new mindset. What is a ‘mindset’ you may ask. A new trendy psychological word? In essence, it is the way you look at life, and yourself. How you feel, and what you believe and think, and, in turn, how you behave. Needless to say, when you had to work, to raise a family, to maintain a relationship, and to keep fit and motivated, you had different priorities and therefore a different mindset. There was little time to develop yourself and think about your attitude. In fact, perhaps the thought of putting yourself first and considering your own needs would have been seen as selfish.

But now you are free of the need to work and, we hope, free of family responsibilities, this could be the time to develop a new attitude to life and self –to create a new mindset. This may sound like psychological waffle, but there is plenty of evidence that your mindset can make or ruin retirement, this very important part of life. A positive attitude can even prolong life. This is what is being termed a ‘growth mindset‘. It is worth researching this topic as proposed by Carol Dweck in books, video and a TED talk. When the concept is applied to retirement it suggests the following:

• An understanding that we are in control of our health and, although there is an inevitable decline in muscle strength with age, through regular suitable exercise, good nutrition and avoidance of risky ventures we can keep healthy and active. See later.
• Acceptance that we can continue to learn throughout retirement. What would you like to learn next? What new role will you take up? See later.
• We need good friends and a wide and expanding circle of acquaintances. If we are isolated and ignored, it has a profound effect on our morale and mental health. See later.
• We can gain satisfaction in creating something; perhaps through writing, art or music. See later
• There are rewards in giving back to our community perhaps through volunteering, mentoring, advising, caring, organising or teaching, See later.

The alternative, according to Dweck is a fixed mindset. Which suggests that nothing can be changed or improved after retirement; that what we know is all we know; that maintaining health and mental acuity is a downhill battle and that we are past contributing anything worthwhile to society. So what is your mindset?

Have you thought of including your local government in your will? Why would I do this you say. The topic of a death or wealth tax is usually guaranteed to raise a lot of discussion and outrage from some oldies: I have paid my taxes to the full and I have no intention of giving anything more to the Government. All my money is going to my children when I die.

The question then becomes: Is it fair and reasonable for retirees to take advantage of all the public services available to them – for, perhaps, 25 or more years, for free or at minimum cost? The majority of these services were put in place before the period of retirement extended out to the present quarter of a lifetime. And public services are often used more by retirees than by those still working. Consider the upkeep of roads, water and electrical supplies, waste disposal, sewerage, passenger transport, ambulances, hospitals, government advisory services, mail services, telephones, police, and so on. As the percentage of retired people in the population increases year by year, the cost of maintaining all these services has to be born by a decreasing percentage of the population still working and paying taxes. Public services have had to expand to cover the increase in the retired demographic, and the increased financial burden is being carried by the workers. Is that fair?

Once again, as I see it, there is an inability, perhaps a reluctance, by governments, both State and Federal, to tackle the implications of the burgeoning population of retirees. This is a discussion we must have before the country goes broke.

Let’s reiterate. For the first time in recorded history we are living longer following retirement from work. Whereas once it was remarkable for anyone to live for 100 years – so remarkable that in the UK the lucky survivor received a letter from the Queen. If the present trend continues she will spend much of her day signing these missives. And she is herself well on the way to a centenary of survival. And given that most people retire from paid work when 65, maybe 70, years old, the greater proportion of the populations of the ‘more advanced countries’ will experience 25 to 30, perhaps 35, years of retirement. This situation poses many questions including:

1. How will this non-productive and increasing percentage of the population be financially supported? Not everyone retires with enough funds to support them for this long period and buffer them against contractions in the economy. It would be hard for anyone without private means and their own home to survive solely on the old age pension.
2. How will this newly emerging group be occupied? Is it sufficient to leave the employment and entertainment of the retired to voluntary organisations? More importantly, how could this retired demographic be better employed for the benefit of society? How could they find a new purpose? Many people experience retirement as lonely and unfulfilling, possibly leading to depression – surely we can do better?
3. Can we afford to overlook and ignore this untapped resource of knowledge, skills and experience? We may be repeatedly wrestling with and attempting to solve problems and issues which we, unaware, were long since sorted out by past generations. Technology may have become more sophisticated but human relationship, social and environmental problems tend to recur throughout all generations. New structures are needed to encourage the present working generation to value and tap into this resource. We are failing to recognise the value of our ‘elders’.
4. How can we alert governments to acknowledge this important change in the structure of society and their responsibility to assess the needs and aspirations of this burgeoning group?