healthy and active ageing - EuroHealthNet's Healthy Ageing Website

The transition from employment to retirement can be considered a significant life event – either good or bad,
depending on the context (providing more leisure time for some, but lower incomes for others) and requires
some adjustment for people. Measures to support people who are retiring might include practical support
for this period of adjustment and providing other frameworks for productivity such as volunteering or lifelong
learning. Box 13 provides an overview of a number projects, both EU and national, that investigates potential
programmes and strategies to assist older people in their transition from employment into retirement while
also looking at ways of harnessing the potential of older workers.
There are a rising number of organisations that cater to an increasing number of people that “need to
reinvent themselves after they retire”, and that wish to apply their experience and undertake significant
work. 30 These organisations offer services that range from one-on-one coaching to mentoring, workshops,
classes and even job placements. Experience Corps 31 for example, is a non-profit organisation with 2000
volunteers aged 55 or older, mentoring children to ensure that they are able to read by third grade. A study
by John Hopkins School of Medicine and Public Health of 125 Experience Corps members found that the
experiences related to the members’ new work provided such benefits as overall health, higher levels of
activity and a larger social network.
30 “Second Life; A growing group of organizations is offering new retirees help with figuring out whats next in life,” (_Newsweek_, November 17, 2010).
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/11/17/firms-help-retirees-plan-second-careers.html
31 http://www.experiencecorps.org/index.cfma),
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