Retirement is not the end of "life as we know it" according to a former food plant workerwho chose to retire before he was sixty. His experience is supported by increasing evidence thatretirement is a period of life that is anticipated and enjoyed by most who leave the work force.For example, the old myth that many former workers die soon after retirement has been laid torest by research finding no coincidence between retirement and death except for those who retiredue to severe health problems.

There is no magic number signalling the age of retirement. More workers are retiring in theirfifties so that less than 25 percent of the work force stays on until age 65. Some are being laidoff by corporations and government agencies seeking to reduce labor costs, but the majority areretiring voluntarily. Most look forward to retirement and the release from the demands andpressures of the job. "Early retirees" swell the ranks of the "active old" who combine theopportunities of retirement with at least 25 years of viable health and financial resources. It is nowonder that the retailers of the Western world have discovered this growing market for goodsand service, especially those providing leisure opportunities.

The issue, however, is not length of life. Rather, in the minds of those entering retirement, theissue is the quality of life. Looking ahead, they dread becoming disabled and dependent. At thesame time, however, they want to reap the rewards of a lifetime of work. One woman who leftan office job to retire at the same time as her husband reported that "We have served our time;now we deserve to do some of the things we have put off."

What makes for retirement life of high quality? As more and more men and women enterthose years of retirement, what are the elements of life that are more than getting by and waitingfor the end?

A multitude of studies demonstrate that there are two "prerequisites" of successfulretirement. They are viable health and adequate financial resources. The 28 percent of those 65and over with household incomes of less than $10,000 are usually too near destitution to developsecure and comfortable retirement styles. In the same way, those with health conditions that aredisabling, whether chronic or acute, are limited in what they can do. For the vast majoritywithout these limitations, however, what makes the difference between a high level ofsatisfaction with life and just getting by?

The answer is consistent from studies that have employed a variety of methods to studythose moving into and through retirement. It is so simple that it may seem too easy. A summaryfrom the Yale Health and Aging Project puts it this way: "But if staying involved with otherpeople and keeping up your tennis game turns out to be even part of the answer, it may just bethe closest humankind will ever get to the fountain of youth." A significant study at DukeUniversity followed older people into their later years and reported that what distinguished thosewith high levels of satisfaction was "regular engagement in activity outside the home." AUniversity of Illinois study found that nothing except health made as much difference asinvolvement in leisure activity.

The stereotype of retirement has been largely negative, mixing elements of loss of statuswith nothing to do. Retirees have been said to have no roles once they can no longer beidentified by a workplace and position. They are depicted sitting around cheerless places, as oneformer factory hand put it, "exchanging lies" and repeating meaningless little motions. Thesummary of the drab picture is that they have nothing worthwhile to do. In a production-orientedsociety, they have lost the central focus of life.

Countering such images are the reports in the upbeat periodical Modern Maturity thatregularly describe oldsters hiking the Himalayan tundra, starting innovative pollution-freebusinesses, and organizing city-wide multicultural arts festivals. Such tales may inspire some toraise their sights of what is possible, but hardly represent the retirement of the vast majority.

Most, however, are not just sitting around waiting for something to happen. The retireewho exclaimed, "I've been retired two years and I'm so busy I don't know how I had time towork" echoes a common experience. An executive who retired in his late fifties reported that hehas never "gotten up in the morning without something ahead to do." Over and over, retireesreport that they are too busy to take on much new activity.

What, then, do they do? Less than ten percent are involved regularly in centersdesignated exclusively for "senior citizens." Rather, for the most part, they are doing most of thesame things they did before retirement minus the restricting and tiring grind of the job. A studyof retired workers from a midwest plant found that they were "aging in place" by being involvedwith their families and friends and continuing routines built around relationships, interests, andcommitments that had paralleled work for years. They enjoyed the sense of freedom, blocks oftime for travel and other activity, not having to get up early every morning, and reducedpressure. One asserted, "It's good just not to be so tired so much of the time." An active mansummarized when he said, "I can do what I want to do when I want to do it."

But that is not all. Most retirees are reasonably satisfied. Their time is generally filled.Unless they have suffered some acute loss, they are involved with other people and withactivities that they found worth doing before retirement. Life may not be spectacular, but it isclearly "o.k." Some who were uncertain about retirement express general satisfaction. Theexceptions are usually those unable to be active and involved and some of those who retiredinvoluntarily, forced out when they believed themselves still to be productive and valuable.

Yet, there is something more. Work provides a routine as well as an identity. It appearsthat, for most, new routines can be developed and the identity of "retired worker" is quiteadequate. Still, something may be missing that lifts the quality of retirement life above theordinary. That "something more" may be found in particular kinds of leisure. In a study at theUniversity of Waterloo in Canada, those with the highest later-life satisfaction were thoseengaged regularly in challenging activity. They continued to invest themselves in activity thatemployed their skills and make demands on their talents.

Such persons are found in every community. They may focus on activities such as thearts that require concentration and skill. They may engage in the worklike activity of communityorganization. They may do voluntary service, often of a kind that parallels former employment.They subject themselves to demanding environments in sports and outdoor activity. They goback to school, complete courses of reading, or do the writing for which they never had the time.They take action with and for other people rather than wait around to be entertained.

For some, such engagement provides a sense of meaning and satisfaction that exceedsthat previously experienced in jobs that became routine and unexciting. They may actually feelmore productive in retirement than before. Others replace a sense of productivity known in workwith a new sense in leisure. In fact, one retiree called it her "new role." She carefully avoidedcalling it "leisure" at all.

There is one final issue suggested by what is being discovered about retirement. Thequestion is simply, "Why wait?" If regular engagement with challenge and the exercise of abilitymakes so much difference in retirement, then should it not be supported throughout life?Especially since those in the most burdened periods of life, such as employed mothers of youngchildren or those juggling two jobs to make the mortgage payments, also need the freedom,challenge, and involvement of such satisfying activity. Perhaps those active and able oldsters canbe employed to reduce the overload on those with multiple responsibilities so they can also havethe renewing lift of engaging leisure. Then, old and young could share in the experiences ofbeing valuable, useful, and able.

For further information, contact:Dr. John R. Kelly, University of Illinois, Huff Hall 104, 1206 S. 4th St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA. Fax (127) 333-0404.

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