Dr. Paul Nussbaum suggests that having a sense of purpose is important for brain health. This sense of purpose can be compromised when a person retires from their job. In his Ten Tips for Maintaining Brain Health he states that, “Retirement as it is presently envisioned in this country is not good for the human brain, which benefits from environments rich in novel and complex stimuli. Retirement by definition reinforces disengagement and passivity…. Although it is important to allow elders to choose more passive lifestyles, many may benefit from an understanding of the importance of actively participating in society and finding personally relevant roles and senses of purpose.”
Maintaining a personally relevant role may require creativity in seeking out new opportunities. One of the great web sites that promotes these types of opportunities is Linking Boomers, a site dedicated to anyone 50+ interested in staying connected to their community through events, work, volunteering, classifies and meeting other people.
If you are officially retired – How do you stay engaged?
Dad is now in his 8th year of Alzheimer’s. Caught it at the beginning of stage 1. No meds will make it go away. In yr #5 we noticed he shuffled just a tad while walking. Well, it gets worse. He can not walk as of 3 mo ago. Is 100% incontinent now, remembers only me, my mom, and sister by name. Barely talks, cannot converse anymore. He is entering stage 7. My advice if you have it is take vacations, write down memories to your kids, make peace with God, enjoy every sec with your family, its vital