Working into 70s and 80s

[ApplesCrumbleButtons]

DM works 20 hours a week aged 77. I'm curious how long she might go on working. I would love her to just retire and enjoy life, before she gets into any ill health.

What’s your question?

Some people work all their lives and enjoy it
Ill health isn’t guaranteed

Is she working as she needs the money or because she enjoys it, or another reason.
What has she said when you have asked her about it?

I have someone in my family who worked until he was 90… though by the end it seemed more like a social club for him tbh.

Have you considered discussing it with her?

My parents have a ‘job’ for 6 months of the year. They are 80+. It is on a volunteer basis, but they work about 4 days on, 3 days off. They like it - it Kerry’s then socialising, and moving around. Some people become ill when they stop work because they don’t have as much social interaction, can become lonely and also not get out and about as much.

‘keeps them’!

I'm curious how long she might go on working

It is an odd question to ask a bunch of internet strangers and not your actual Mum surely? Why not have a chat with her? One size does not fit all. Does your DM have to work financially?

My own DM is 71 and works a 45 hour week in care, she has zero desire to give up, it keeps her fit and active. She has aways been a grafter and said if my Dad died she needed to carry on working and so she has. I just want her to do what makes her happy and fulfilled whilst she has the health and if work is that then so be it.

I think it's because some people get bored easily in retirement. I've seen plenty of elderly supermarket workers having a blast. Especially on the checkouts, until they became self-checkouts. If she enjoys it and she's happy, then I say leave her to it. It might be one of the few things that's helping her keep going, a reason to get up in the mornings.

Some people don't suit retirement. My dad for example will never stop working until he's forced to. Talk to your mum about it!

I wish my mum had kept working longer. Turns out she can't cope at all without structure and routine, and after retirement she just couldn't decide what to do anymore and sank into inertia and depression.

If your mum's happy, let her crack on!

This is an ageist question

I think it's brilliant she's still working at 77, good for her! I think the very worse thing people can do when they get older is put their feet up.

She’s probably doing a really good job of protecting herself against dementia

My mum worked to mid 70s and only stopped as someone pulling out of their drive knocked her off her bike and broke her hip. Bastards !

My dad worked into his late mid 80s but he didn’t know that. We only found out his real age when we did probate. It turned out he was 10 years older than he thought

Working kept them going and they both enjoyed it …so why not.

I’m sorry, what?!?! When did he lose 10 years?!???

Why not if she’s enjoying it? Some people don’t want to stay and fester at home all day maybe she likes the banter with her work colleagues maybe she likes the extra money ! One size doesn’t fit all. As long as she’s not being forced to work against her will I say good for her. 70 is the new 60!

I wonder that too. How can you lose 10 years?!!!

@ApplesCrumbleButtons OP, you don't say if your mum is being forced to work at 77. Or if she is doing it by choice.

His birth isn’t registered in Ireland so his sisters made a guess at it many many years later when he needed a passport
They said
Basically it was after the harvest 🤣🤣

His probate also had a name that I never knew about and I’m guessing neither did he.
So
Probate for
DrPrunes dad
formerly
An Irish name no one’s heard of

Im still investigating.
I have no idea how he lost ten years. That’s ten years pension too !

What does she want? With respect, what you want isn’t really important. Is she working because she has to or because she wants to?

My mother worked formally until she was 80, totally compos mentis and as sharp as a tack... up until her diagnosis of secondaries in her liver (five months before she died) she was washing and ironing the church linen... think three priests, eight sets of altar boys cottas plus an inumerable amount of altar linen which had to be ironed in a particular way. Up till then she had been the Parish Priest housekeeper for 30+ years, so cleaning, washing, cooking and being the only one in the household who still knew her catchism by heart, I still remember a priest ducking into the kitchen to check out the acceptable reasons for divorce! When she stopped working there, she volunteered for the elderly...

I know of a lady who worked full time in an office based role until she was 86. She drove to work every day into a very busy city. I don't know if she needed the money but she lived with her son who was single with a well paid job. I assumed she enjoyed her job

Depends on the person really! I know some people who were still working in their 70s or even 80s, I know others who didn't make it to their 60s and died in harness. Varies so much.

Retirement is the death of a lot of people - it actually shows in the stats. If she enjoys working, let her do it. If it is stressful then that's another matter

My mother worked until she was 78. I went with her to a doctor's appointment once - she was 75. They asked her if she balanced her checkbook. She told them she balanced a multi-million dollar operation.

I think it has kept her incredibly young and saved her sanity after her husband died. Some people are great at retirement others better at staying working.