The New Retiree

The new retiree looks very little like the person who retired from her job a generation ago.

Besides being more actively engaged in life, there is another major difference.  The retired population now represents several generations.  Our lives last much longer.  To become 90 is not unusual.  To live to be 100 years of age is no longer so exceptional.  In Japan there are more than 50,000 centenarians.  The number of women centenarians doubles every 10 years.

This means that retirees cannot be viewed as one common group of people with common needs.  With as many as three generations represented among retirees our interests, concerns and outlook on life and death are very different.

As we live longer and interact with multiple generations who are both pre and post retirement age esteem becomes even more important.  Age esteem, feeling confident about ourselves as we age, is a necessary component to help us live our retirement years with a healthy and happy outlook.

Bonnie Fatio

AgeEsteem will become even more important with the current demographic  predicted to continue well into the coming centuries.

• One out of every ten persons is now 60 years or above; by 2050, one out of five will be 60 years or older; and by 2150, one out of three persons will be 60 years or older.
• The older population itself is ageing. The oldest old (80 years or older) is the fastest growing segment of the older population. They currently make up 13 percent of the 60+ age group and will grow to 20 percent by 2050.
• The number of centenarians (aged 100 years or older) is projected to increase 14-fold from approximately 265,000 in 2005 to 3.7 million by 2050.
• The majority of older persons (55 percent) are women. Among the oldest old, 64 percent are women.

Source: Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations Secretariat

To read more:  United Nations Program on Aging