Vital Involvement in Retirement: New Choices and Challenges

by Risha Levinson

The vast expansion of the aging population, and the extended life span of older persons have brought about new opportunities for continued involvement in academic pursuits as well as in new personal life choices. To the vast number of baby boomers, many of whom represent a significant proportion of a highly educated and professionally experienced cohort of our total population, the challenge of continued professional involvement is an attractive alternative, contrary to the notion of passive retirement.

In academic life, as well as in the business world, senior faculty are being sought in light of their special skills and experience. This interest was evident in the special Luncheon that Dean Andrew Safyer arranged on November 16th, 2004 at the Adelphi University School of Social Work at which retirees, in the presence of President Scott, conveyed their special interests, projected trends and priorities for the professional field of Social Work Education.

Diversity in Retirement

It is interesting to note the vast variety of choices and the range of pursuits that our Adelphi retirees are engaged in , as reported by Editor Craig Ash in the Adelphi Retired Faculty Newspaper known as AURACLE. Some retirees are involved in continued teaching, others are engaged in publications, research, and in new cultural pursuits, including music , science, and travel. Retired faculty are also engaged in various volunteer efforts which may or may not be related to their professional experiences. As expected, the joys of "grand-parenthood" may also present new opportunities for inter-generational involvement. Of course, this all presupposes a reasonable state of health , which is , in fact, often promoted by meaningful pursuits in retirement.

Creativity in Retirement.

The experience of advanced years provides a unique combination of creativity and life experiences. Retirees yearn for something more than the quantity of time; it is the desire for a "quality of life."Significantly, retirement presents an opportunity for Creativity. We are familiar with references to older persons who have been highly creative in their advanced years. For example, Michaelangelo painted the frescoes in the Vatican chapel at the age of eighty-nine. Benjamin Franklin invented the bifocal lens when he was 78. At the age of 104, Sarah Delany, a retired teacher collaborated with her 102 year old sister, , Dr. Bessie Delany, a retired dentist, to write a bestseller book titled Having Our Say :The Delany Sisters'First 100 Years. This book became a bestseller and subsequently, a Broadway hit.

Opportunities for lifelong learning are currently available through universities, colleges, community colleges, and distance-learning centers in which retirees are either learners or teachers in a wide variety of fields. It is reported that nearly 500 universities in the U.S. offer opportunities for lifelong learning in special programs for retirees in the U.S. as well as in schools abroad. There is really no limit to the possibilities for gaining and sharing knowledge in retirement.

Continuity in Retirement

During my tenured years at the Adelphi School of Social Work, I received a Grant from the Administration on Aging in 1985 known as Senior Connections. This grant required the provision of Information and Referral Services to the public by training older volunteers to learn about available services and resources in local public libraries in response to public inquiries. During the course of 10 years,(1985 - 1995) this project became operative in 38 libraries in Nassau and Suffolk counties. . However, when mandatory retirement was required for faculty, the Senior Connections program was transferred to the Nassau Library System and I elected to continue the Senior Connections program in the Garden City Public Library as a volunteer commitment. During this 20 year period, (from 1985 to 2005 ), I authored three books on the history, development, and community-based social services in local public libraries, including Information and Referral health and social services. The research opportunities at the Swirbul Library and the instruction in computer technology at the Faculty Development Center were of inestimable value to me.

I am pleased to add that as of January, 2005, the New York State Department of Education awarded the Adelphi School of Social Work a new grant to develop a community based social service program targeted to the senior population in the village of Garden City and focused on an Inter-generational Program which combines services for Seniors and Youth (SAY).

Conclusion

The traditional concept of retirement is outdated. A more flexible approach to choices and options in one's senior years is a welcome opportunity for creativity and productivity. The challenging concept of "vital involvement "is indeed a welcome benefit to the "retired" individual, to operating organizations as well as for the advancement of societal gains. While we formerly regarded retirement as the "beginning of the end", today we can regard retirement as "a new beginning".