When I'm 64

Will you still need me when I’m 64?

More changes re retirement age and pension payments are under discussion – really bad news for some, while others may be pleased to be able to work longer.

I for one was devastated when I had to retire. I loved my job as a primary school head. Each day was different and I carefully planned ahead to bring new and interesting lessons for the children to enjoy. I had a wonderful team of dedicated teachers of various ages and found it inspiring and yet challenging to work with them. Why, oh why could I not continue?

Once retired it seemed that every day was the same and the year was no longer punctuated with school holidays.  Whereas before I often woke in the night with a new idea to put into practice, I now found nothing to strive for except things that would amuse hobbies or me that I had neglected. I no longer felt like a useful member of society.

If people are made to work longer, then society has to change its opinion of older people. Everyone is so ageist. No one it seems looks at us for what we can do, what we can undoubtedly contribute given the chance – all they see is an old person.

I may be 77 but I still work on a voluntary basis with younger people, whose company I enjoy. We teach each other – that is until they find out exactly how old I am. Then they treat me as old and decrepit. There are a great number of older people doing exceptional work in all walks of life, use them as an example, praise them instead of belittling us all and give us a chance to find jobs where we would be appreciated.

Please use us, as the Greeks did using their elder statesmen, to draw upon their vast experience and learn from their successes as well as from their failures.

For the past 10 years I have been trying to interest television producers to set me challenges to execute while they film them, to prove we oldies are not past it and could do many exciting things. I am not interested in the money (even if it might supplement my pension a little). I am only an ordinary person, and not a celebrity and like others my age, can now do things that I had no time for while building a career, raising a family and trying to be the perfect wife.

How did retirement affect you? What do you do to be a useful member of society?

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