How on earth do people work into their 60's and beyond.

[BG2015]

DP and I were talking earlier (he's now asleep at 7.15pm) and saying how do people work into their 60's and 70's.

My DP is 59, he works in demolition which can be quite an active job. He's out of the house at 6am as they travel all over the country and he often isn't back until 6pm.

I'm a teacher recently dropped to 4 days after ongoing health issues after having breast cancer in 2021. Im 55, 56 in February.

We're both knackered. Neither of us sleep very well at all. We eat healthily and used to go to the gym 2/3 times a week but now only manage walking as our form of exercise.

I'm desperate to change jobs, planing to retire at 58 and get a part time job in an office. I think once I retire DP will reduce his hours and slowly retire.

But how do people have the energy to keep working. A teaching assistant at my school has just retired at 71 and I really don't know how she's kept going.

I was happily working as s school teacher until 64 (having gone into a teaching aged 54 s a second career. Didn’t stop because I was ‘tired’ but because I want to enjoy life while I am still active. I could have gone on for several more years but don’t like being restricted to school holidays for travel.

Some people enjoy being busy and staying mentaily active by going to work and the enviroment.
It would be best 65+ were retired imo for quality of life and to relax.
Having a cancer diagnoses and health issues makes work life difficult.
I guess working as a teacher would be draining now days.
Ditch the job work part time and relax if that suits.
If I didnt work I would be out doing volunteer work.
71 yr old shpyldnt be in work thats pushing it..leave it to the next generation.

It’s all very well saying this age or that age shouldn’t be working. But what if the 71 year has to work to eat, pay bills etc.

Not everyone has a financial cushion.

I will have to work until I am physically unable. Enjoy your retirement.

So will most people in the future...consider yourself a trailblazer. I include myself in this, unless the inlaws die before needing a care home and the london house gets passed to DH.

Do you really think most people will have to work until they drop?

I thought it was just me and a few others!

I mean the trouble is will the jobs remain for the older people facing poverty unless they work forever.

I am 68 next month and still work full-time, am also still an active school governor and have been for over 30 yrs. I work for two reasons, one because I enjoy it, I support a Director of a national organisation and two, I need the money. Before I hit retirement age, I spoke to my boss, who seemed somewhat shocked I was so ancient, and he said that he would retire in five years with me supporting him, so it looks like I will work into my 70s. I told him that if I became a liability or unreliable, he was to take me aside and tell me it was time to go...

My mother retired whe she was 81... not sure I will make it that that far but I think if you are healthy and happy, do whatever you enjoy doing.

There was some research recently saying that Gen X retiring early was causing cognitive decline and brain shrinkage and was advising people not to retire early to help keep the brain fit. I personally think a better work life balance would be better but it would mean people would have to get paid a full time wage for part time work in order to survive!

Or a universal income benefit. That would be useful at many life stages where people need to work flexibly/may not manage full time work but it would be especially useful for over 60s.

This will never happen unfortunately

DH is a builder, 64, he still works, not taking retirement until he has too

Im 62 , and whilst I do have some health issues, I have just changed jobs to suit my health, also no intention of retiring until I have too

My parents are both in their 60s and still work, they just do… I wouldn’t say either seems particularly old. My mum has some joint issue and dads heart isn’t great. Mum will stop work at 65 when she can draw her pension. I don’t really know why my dad keeps going except that he doesn’t do much actual work and gets paid a buttload.

my ds has recently taken out a mortgage which will keep him working until he is 70
i am sure he is not the only one

My MIL and FIL worked up until 65 and I tried to encourage them to work longer, albeit at reduced hours, so that they could have routine, consistency, movement, social outside of the home and one another etc.

I'm not sure it's always a good idea to just completely retire and stay at home for some people. My MILs mental health has gone down, severely, since she stopped working. I think the societal restrictions of being outside of the home helped keep some of her behaviours in check but, without those, she's spiralled and is also making FILs life miserable through isolation etc.

So, I guess all of that to say that sometimes people are motivated for different reasons to stay in employment for longer than others. Also, as someone pointed out, mortgages are now lasting into our 70s. Sometimes, it's just one of those things that has to happen.

Yes I know it's depressing.

I'm sure in the short term it feels satisfying to fulminate about people being lazy but in the long term this all or nothing approach means less lifelong earning power and less tax/NI contributions.

Im still full time NHS. Im beyond tired. I need another hip and knee replacement and my boss will go ballistic. Im 64.

Money. I am 61 and can't see me retiring before 67 realistically. I brought up 4 kids alone so zero savings youngest just finishing uni. I would like to work term-time so I can have grand kids in holidays (youngest only months old) that would be a different kind of work but what I want to do😊

Tell your boss go jump, you can't help others if your not your best. Stupid government shouldn't make us work beyond 60. Should let youngsters move up.

I plan on working til I drop. Obviously with a massively physical job and health issues, I can see why it is more complex for you and your DH though.

I am 55 and work full time in a non physical job but I have no pension provisions so I don’t have a choice.

Plus I am finally doing my absolute dream job and it’s hard enough to actually stop at the end of the day, let alone permanently ! I do end up working a lot of extra hours but it’s choice

I don’t know. I just want to go home but don’t finish until 6pm. GOD help me to keep going with work a few more years

I am 58 and work 3 days a week in an admin job. I am exhausted mentally and physically and find it a struggle. I have worked since I was 17. I don't know why we are expected to keep working until we are 67)68. It must be so much worse for people in physically demanding job though the pain in my fingers and wrists from typing all day is rubbish. I have no idea how I am going to manage to keep doing this for another 9 years until I get my state pension.

I’m 58 and work full time in an admin job. It’s far easier than the same job part time with young child. I have no plans to retire.

Do you have health issues? It’s unusual for someone of your age with a part time office job to be so exhausted.

Not really, I am post menopausal, don't take HRT, don't sleep much - that's the way I have always been, about 4-6 hours a night or less. I have pain in my hands, sometimes hip pain. I don't think it's unusual to feel exhausted at my age, speaking to others my age it's very normal. Work is stressful, my memory isn't what it used to be and neither are my energy levels.

I didn’t mean to be rude - I only asked because I’m 3 years younger than you. I can identify with the general feeling shit but
I don’t have a private or workplace pension so I won’t be able to afford retiring unless I have no choice so I accept that retiring or dropping hours wasn’t an option.

But then I have just changed careers into my dream role so I want to do it as long as I can!

In my previous role I think my mental health was in the toilet.