Indianapolis Star

Retooling, not retiring

They may be paid less -- or not at all -- but many people report being busier after leaving their careers

By Abe Aamidor

October 5, 2006

At first blush, Bob Chapman looks like a pretty typical retiree.

Since his retirement five years ago, the former transportation and oil industry executive has played plenty of golf and tennis, and continues to swim regularly.

But Chapman, 71 and divorced, also travels a lot and reads at least one book a week. In addition, he volunteers at Kiwanis, Junior Achievement and Indianapolis Public School 48, at 34th Street and Central Avenue, in the neighborhood where he grew up.He's as busy as, or busier than, he's ever been before.

"I don't watch much TV," he said.

Retirement experts and psychologists say that people like Chapman are getting it right: Don't retreat from life. Don't be afraid to try new things. Don't just sit around waiting to die.

Rather, stay active, engaged and intellectually curious. The adages "Think young" and "You're only as old as you feel" still apply.

That's important to know, because more people than ever before are entering their retirement years.

According to a recent National Institute on Aging report, "65+ in the United States: 2005":

• The number of people 65 and older in the United States is expected to double in the next 25 years.

• In 2030, there will be about 72 million Americans (one in five) 65 or older.

• While the health of today's older Americans is improving overall, 14 million of them reported "some level of disability" mostly related to heart disease, arthritis and diabetes, in the 2000 census.

• Though the percentage of older people living in poverty dropped from 35 percent in 1959 to 10 percent in 2003, mostly because of Social Security payments, the divide between the richest and poorest older Americans has increased.

Kay Crawford, senior fellow at the Center for Aging and Community at the University of Indianapolis, says retirement today is a "transitioning issue" for many people.

"What do you do with yourself?" Crawford asked rhetorically. "Giving yourself a reason to get up in the morning is a huge issue."

Mel Jackson, 75, knew what to do. The former Air Force munitions expert and longtime community activist in Dayton, Ohio, and Indianapolis now works more than 40 hours a week as president and CEO of Westside Community Ministries Inc. It offers job training and other services in the Haughville area and elsewhere. He has accepted a low salary and supplements his income with Social Security benefits.

In addition, he and his wife, Jean, are raising a 17-year-old boy who was orphaned when his father and mother, who were family friends of the Jacksons, died in quick succession. The Rev. Jackson says he has no intention of retiring in the traditional sense of the word.

"There's an old saying that soldiers don't die, they just fade away," said Jackson. "I am literally convinced that when the Lord wants me to retire, he'll retire me. I mean that both literally and figuratively."

Other retirees also are embracing this stage in their lives.

Kathy Rosenberg, 63, is a retired flight attendant who stayed in Indianapolis in part to be near her daughter and grandsons.

She volunteers as a child welfare advocate in Marion County Juvenile Court, goes to a gym five mornings a week, is learning Yiddish and studies Middle Eastern dance.

"I'm planning on living to 102 to beat my family records," she said. "I intend to remain active the whole time."

Ray Mitchell is 71, has a pacemaker and takes his "meds" regularly.

So why isn't he flat on his back, watching TV all day and ringing for a nurse's aide to bring him lunch? Instead, the retired computer industry professional has volunteered for organizations such as UNICEF and Kiwanis, and traveled extensively with his wife, Nancy.

"I think it was (longtime financier and government adviser) Bernard Baruch who said 'old people' are people who are five years older than he was," said Mitchell. "I think he was 90 when he said that."

Finding your passion

One tip for a successful retirement is to turn your passion into an avocation, experts say.

Duane Etienne, president and CEO of CICOA Aging & In-home Solutions, says today's retirees are joining the Peace Corps, becoming active in Habitat for Humanity or starting consulting businesses to exploit knowledge gained during their primary working years.

Many also are shunning so-called retirement communities in favor of staying where their friends, churches and children are, he said.

A 2005 study of aging baby boomers, commissioned by AARP, found that 90 percent were intent on living in their "own home" throughout retirement. Eight out of 10 boomers surveyed said they will continue to work at least part time during their "retirement years."

Indianapolis in particular is a good city for retirees to stay put: The Circle City was ranked the 15th-best community for seniors in a survey of 50 metropolitan areas. The 2005 survey, conducted by Bankers Life and Casualty Co., measured such things as housing costs, transportation and cultural activities.

One way to stay young is to live in a community with residents of all ages, said Etienne.

"People are a lot healthier and wealthier today than they were 20 or 25 years ago," said Etienne, "which means they have a lot of options that previous generations didn't have."

Loss of identity

Yet, one under-reported threat seniors do face is depression, several sources agree.

"It's huge," said Etienne. "Our experience and knowledge of that is that clinical depression among seniors is pretty high. A lot of that has to do with isolation, loss of loved ones and loss of a cause. A cause gives a person something to live for."

David Corbett, founder of New Directions in Boston, which works with senior executives and professionals transitioning from careers to retirement, sees a related problem.

He says many people, especially successful men, make the mistake of allowing themselves to be defined by their careers.

He calls this "I used to be . . . " syndrome -- as in, "I used to be chairman of the board," or, "I used to be well-known."

It's a dangerous psychological trap to fall into, he warns. "The 'real me' has to be separated from the 'corporate me.' "

Kenneth Ferraro of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University agrees.

"Identities change, but they do change slowly," he said, "so people do have that identity that, 'I'm still a leader,' though they may not have an army to lead anymore."

Which is kind of how school volunteer Bob Chapman sorted things out. He used to be an executive. Now, "A lot of places, I'm Mr. Bob," he said.