Health Promotion Among Retirees

Health Promotion Among Retirees The purpose of this report is to investigate the general area of life after employment for the older person. The main focus of the report is on preparation for retirement for the older person as well as the specific services that are available to older people such as lifelong learning, education and leisure. INTRODUCTION As little as 10 years ago if you asked a 25 year old if they have a plan for retirement they would probably respond with â€Å"no, retirement is for old people – I’m only 25†. The reality is that we should be planning for retirement from the first day we start work. With Ireland’s increasing strength in the workforce and our impending numbers of people retiring within the next 30 years it has become a national standard to introduce schemes for people to plan their retirement. In the past people who never even thought of retirement until the year it was upon them have had very negative effects. In order to soften the blow from being active workers with a routine, a purpose, personal connections and a strong sense of self-worth trying to fall into the category of a permanent holiday seems great at first but as time passes by the holiday feeling ends and the empty useless feeling sets in. This in turn leads to numerous personal problems such as, financial, so cial, and physical and health. (Businessworld.ie, 2015), (ncaop.ie,2014), (cso.ie,2014). In the past carers predominantly come in contact with retirees who are no longer working as they have either retired due to ill health or have retired – unprepared and unable to psychologically cope with the situation – and have failed in some way to care for themselves. To this end the carer’s role is to work as part of a multi-disciplinary team including family members of the retiree to assist them with their activities of daily living in their home or in a care home setting. Carers of people in their home have found that they have become a major support in more ways than one – guiding clients through various options in order to alleviate depression – such as information on joining groups for retired people to organising their will. Carers are now able to support and promote a more positive attitude to retirement with the help of organisations – such as The Pensions Authority, Active Retirement Ireland, Citizens Information and the Retireme nt Planning Council and Age Action Ireland to name but a few. Irish people can now be completely prepared for retirement from the day they start work. These organisations have opened a whole new world of opportunities for retired people giving them access to copious amounts of information that will service their needs such as Age Action Ireland who will meet individuals and groups who wish to continue their education through the Lifelong Learning Programme in Colleges and Universities and the local Active Retirement Groups who hold regular meetings for members so they can socially interact and support each other through various activities which include sporting activities, outings, foreign travel and educational courses and interaction programmes which are run in conjunction with local youth groups and schools. These organisations have helped to remove the age old stigma attached to retirement and converted it to be now seen as life experienced people helping future generations; whi ch in turn allows young people to be mentored by retirees and they generally no longer see them as old – removing the age barrier. (ncaop.ie,2014), The Health Service Executive provides many supports for older people such as Primary Care, Social Workers and Home Care. Other non-governmental bodies also provide health promotion for older people ie, local leisure centres, G.A.A, ICA, Macra Na Feirme and Charity and Voluntary bodies. The Primary Care team provide many services for older people from health screening to occupational therapy and chiropody both in a client’s home and at local health care centres. Older people are encouraged – by family members, carers and medical staff to attend the centres as they not only provide basic healthcare facilities and counselling but also a point of support and encouragement for those who may be fearful of seeking further medical attention or may not realise that they need assistance with their activities of daily living. There are also many therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy which has proven to help alleviate depression and anxiety in older people which in turn enables retirees to better cope with their current situation. Pre-retirement courses are also an excellent way for people to be prepared for their retirement through their courses people have all the necessary available tools and information to retire with very little stress and have connections made with groups and associations that can enhance their quality of life after employment. (Beck and Beck, 2011) The change in the make-up of the Irish population has had an immense impact on our views of retirement and how older adults are treated. Various other cultures hold their elders in the highest regard and are rewarded for a lifetime of work – their families take over caring for them and they continue their retirement in comfort knowing that all their needs are completely taken care of. It is the influence of cultures such as these that Ireland has now began to adapt its views towards retirement and older adults enabling people to have a more positive feeling towards retirement rather than fear of loneliness and desperation. (Aranda and Knight, 1997) Some people retire before the national age for retirement of 65 not only due to illness but because they may feel they are financially stable enough to give up work – or reduce their hours of work through a phased retirement scheme with their current employer. These people still want to be active members of their family and community and as such families should be encouraged to help them with their decisions and help to keep them from becoming depressed through allowing them to help with their lives – ie child-minding, arranging family outings and holidays, giving advice to them on financial and other dilemmas – this will help to keep a retirees sense of self worth which will prevent illness and depression. For people who have retired as they are over the age limit – families can help support them in their new lives, visiting them often, encouraging them to join groups and associations and if they are not able to travel to the group meetings or outings etc , organise travel for them ensuring they are able to attend the meetings etc. If they are a member of an association, families should attend any shows or activities that they are involved in and express an interest in what they are doing. Younger family members should also be encouraged to accompany them on outings and also help them with chores around the house and do odd jobs for them. This helps with feelings of depression and loneliness as older adults will chat away to younger people telling them stories and advising them on various aspects of their lives. CONCLUSION Before starting this assignment I did not consider that I will be retiring one day and did not realise the effects it can have on my life both psychologically and physically. Through the course of my research I have found that many people who have not been prepared for retirement have a lower mortality rate that people who have a fully operational retirement plan. I am going to make sure I am fully prepared for retirement and during my interviews with members of the various local groups around Mountmellick and Portlaoise I have a good understanding of the groups I would like to join and currently become active in with. There is a wide variety of information available to people who wish to prepare for retirement and who are currently retired and I now feel as a carer I will be able to help my clients with their needs and have a good understanding of the processes involved in post-employment life to be able to support them with their needs and wishes. 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Retirement Planning Council of Ireland – Why Plan. [online] Available at: http://www.rpc.ie/why-plan/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2015]. FETAC Level 5 Healthcare Support 5M4339 Page 1 of 10Sabrina Delaney