Retired teachers: Looking forward to retirement
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 1, 17 February 2023, page no. 26
Retirement means ceasing paid work, but not retiring from life in general. This is a time when we can catch up with the world outside of education and the classroom. Time to travel; meet with friends; read all those books we kept putting aside; learn a new skill such as a language, bridge, or canasta; or volunteer to help those less fortunate than ourselves.
Over the past decades and from now on, life expectancy is expected to increase. Modern humans are remarkably robust compared with humans of the past, owing in a large part to improved nutrition, but also to medical advances.
Nobel Laureate Robert Fogel has proposed the theory of techno physio evolution to describe the synergy between technological and physiological improvements that have given human beings an unprecedented degree of control over their environment and the factors that affect mortality.
Physical activity is well known to benefit elderly humans but working out in a social setting with younger people also seems to be especially valuable. Recent research has shown that problems with hearing often leave elderly people unable to hear the conversation or programs sufficiently to understand the details. Over time, this can lead to people withdrawing and missing out on information and connection with friends and family. Unknown to them, the brain stops functioning correctly, and so dementia sets in. Many of us have resisted adding hearing aids to our list of medical check-ups, so the problem continues.
“Youth is a wonderful thing,” George Bernard Shaw once said, “What a crime to waste it on children”. Humour aside, recent research suggests that youthful energy may not be “wasted” after all. Through social interactions, the young can pass some of their vigour on to the elderly, thus improving the older generation’s cognitive abilities and vascular health and increasing their life span and quality of life.
Research has shown that supportive personal relationships will also increase life expectancy. The existence of family relationships and sense of having someone to call upon in times of need may increase longevity by creating assurance about the future, by reinforcing health habits, and by improving current health.
The Queensland Retired Teachers Association (QRTA) aims to offer supportive relationships through organised outings to meet colleagues and make new friends, learn something new and help others in their daily activities.
Hoping to see many members at our activities during the year. The first is the annual morning tea for all members on 21 March. Watch for the Newsletter email for the details.