Inspiring Senior Interview: What comes after retirement?

When we finally escape the work grind and can enjoy the rest of our lives without having to work, we ask ourselves a question. What comes after retirement? Some people use it as motivation to discover who they are, but for others, it might be something completely else.

This month's issue of Senior Speak includes a conversation we had with senior employee Nick Song, who recently left retirement to work again. He discusses his feelings during his brief retirement life with us.

"I'm getting bored with my retired life," the speaker explained. Nick Song, 64, responds.

"At first, you'd be enjoying your working life after retirement. But now that I've been retired for two years, I suddenly feel empty.” For one who had little time to work on himself in the past, now struggles with more free time than he could ever handle.   

He continued by saying that he was getting bored, especially because it was difficult for people his age to get out and about due to the Covid19 pandemic. “We were able to take vacations in the beginning. But after Covid19, we were confined to our homes and we began to grow bored.”

But now that the Covid-19 regulations were being relaxed, Nick made the decision to leave his retirement. He made the decision to go out in order to kill time and do something creative in order to prolong his quality of life because he is getting older. A chance unexpectedly offered itself to him, but he had no notion how to take advantage of it.

Nick had a coworker named Dr. Kong, who was beginning to launch his own business, reached out to him after he retired.

"He contacted me because of my sales skills when he came in with a new therapeutic device called AACP. He wants to grow his company and figure out a way to let people know that he has this equipment.” Nick came to take a look before accepting the position and was shocked.

"I saw that he had an iElder company here, and I can tell it's a great opportunity for the elderly. Because I was unaware that there was a business offering products for the elderly, this is a brand-new development. Therefore, I stated that there is a great chance for this company to prosper.” With that, he made the decision to join, and a month ago, he began working. 

Most people assume that the elderly will spend the rest of their lives in peace and comfort, yet nothing could be further from the truth. “I think most senior people will soon come to realise that they need to be useful in a sense,” said Nick Song as he offered some words of wisdom.

Humans are social beings by nature. It is beneficial for the elderly working after retirement as it keeps them active and socially connected with others, which means better mental and physical health!

With the minimum retirement age in Malaysia being 60 years old, the seniors of our country still have a long road ahead of them with plenty to do in their spare time. As Nick mentioned that while volunteering or other similar activities can be helpful, the results are usually temporary. "In the long run, you might believe that, if you're in good health, we will still have a long life ahead of us. In order to prevent dementia or any other condition, I encourage elders to remain active."

He continues by contributing his thoughts on Hire.Senior, an online employment search engine for seniors, in order to help out his fellow elders. It wasn't until someone told him about it that he was aware of its existence. He shared the word as soon as he learned about it.

"I would encourage my friends to come out to work and do all of these things if they weren't already doing so. We're too old to be employed, but now that Hire.Senior has been introduced to us, we have a great opportunity." said Nick Song.

Seniors and retirees with extensive work experience can find suitable job opportunities with the help of Hire.Senior. Seniors feel that they still have a sense of control and independence in their lives by having the option to choose whether to work or continue their retirement.

“Because we are as young as we think we are…” He wishes for his fellow peers to not adopt this mindset and to instead have a positive one! To quote Mark Twain, age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter. 

Read more like this: 

Inspiring Senior Interview: Start a new business at the age of 80s

Facing loneliness as we age

Can we change these common stereotypes about older persons?