Want to enjoy retirement? Get a job!

RETIRED Scots are more likely to feel lonely and have lower self-esteem than those who are still in work.

A study has questioned the myth that retirement opens up opportunities – and found that for many the opposite is true.

Researchers from Glasgow University’s Social and Public Health Sciences Unit questioned more than 1,500 men and women aged 55 to 70 living in the West of Scotland, including those still in work, people who had retired, the unemployed and ‘home makers’ caring for family members.

They found that ‘in contrast to many popular perceptions’, older people who are not employed tend to be less sociable, have lower self-worth and are more likely to feel lonely than those who still have jobs.

The authors of the study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, say their findings are a ‘significant cause for concern’.

Lead author Dr Elise Whitley said: ‘Often retirement is portrayed as a time for social activity and new hobbies but this is not the case across the board. There was a negative effect of being retired.

‘There are many benefits to extending working lives and the success of future pension systems may be highly reliant on increases in the older workforce and retirement ages. However, recent trends have been towards earlier exits from the workplace, not always through choice.

‘As well as economic benefits, being employed has other advantages – including social contact, daily structure, social identity, status and regular activity.

‘We wanted to understand whether these factors play a role in explaining associations between not working and poor physisuccessful cal and mental health,’ Dr Whitely said.

‘Older people who are not working represent a high-risk group and, while re-employment may not always be possible, interventions that decrease loneliness, social isolation and boredom, and improve selfesteem offer valuable opportunities to improve health outcomes and promote ageing. For example, programmes promoting volunteering and community involvement, or widening access to public transport, could help to reduce the negative impact that not being in employment has.’

Brian Sloan, managing director of Age Scotland, said: ‘There are many reasons why some older people have poorer social and mental engagement, including loneliness and isolation, but for far too many their inability to continue in employment when they want to is a major contributing factor.

‘Age Scotland believes it is vital that there is more support for older employees in Scotland’s workplaces – and great advantages for employers who seize this agenda.

‘The retired are more likely to feel lonely’