Free Workshop Series Sponsored by BCNA during Seniors’ Month June 2021

It is exciting to share that a new workshop series is beginning June 8th, 2021. The series is entitled Pandemic Recovery Series Conquering Ageism in Employment and is hosted by the Bayview Cummer Neighbourhood Association (BCNA). It will assist mature workers who are looking for work and seeking a meaningful challenge.

Career Coach Ann Marie Gilroy and I are co-leading the series. It runs June 8th, 15th, and 22nd. It is free to attend.

Pre-register through this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsdemsrD8oHNfyC0GO44V5lklKB7mrRZTB

For more information visit: http://www.suzannecook.ca/workshops/

Later life has changed

There is a realignment of work and retirement in society as the population ages. It is a growing trend. Older adults are continuing to work past traditional retirement age.

CBC’s The National followed a couple of Canadians as they reflected on their decision to keep working into their later years. They found work opportunities for their ‘next act’ that help generate an income and maintain their lifestyle. Furthermore, their work is personally fulfilling and meaningful to their community.

Benefits go beyond the paycheque; working keeps people active and engaged. It was also nice to hear another perspective on the benefits of hiring mature workers.

I coined the term redirection to refer to the new stage of career as people transition into new pursuits and occupation to stay engaged and continue to work. Redirection is an alternative to retirement. It is an exciting time of life. New possibilities are investigated and explored. Older adults discover that their skills and competencies are transferable. My new documentary film explores five people’s experiences with redirection.

CBC News discusses the trend towards delayed retirement. Provinces like Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are already rethinking and implementing policy to address this new trend.

It is time to rethink government policy to consider the ways people are and can work longer and what this means for social structures and institutions in Canada.

Redirection is an alternative to retirement. A large and growing proportion of older adults are choosing to work past what has traditionally been thought of as ‘retirement age’. This represents a significant shift in our society.

The Redirection Project examines this new and emerging social trend. Results of the research will be shared in January. First, a webinar will be held on January 12th, 2017. Sign up here. Second, there is a presentation at Cannexus17 in Ottawa on January 23rd. Sign up here.

The documentary film Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters discusses these issues and portrays the stories of five adults who found second or third careers after age 50. The English and French trailers of the film are available. The documentary film is been screened through feature presentations around the country to great acclaim.

The ‘Redirection’ Documentary Film – Coming soon

There is a shift surrounding later life with the extension of working lives. In fact, both work and aging have changed a lot compared to earlier times. Specifically, the nature of work has changed, people are working longer, and people are aging differently.

People are living longer than in previous generations. They are thinking differently about their work and occupation. Work fills various objectives for individuals.

The documentary film “Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters” shows the experiences of five people age 50 and older as they moved into second or third careers. The film is being released through feature presentations. The one minute trailer is available for viewing.

What will later life work look like for you? What’s next?

45th Annual CAG Conference in Montreal, Quebec

Work and occupation are important across the life course. It is a great thrill to share the most recent research on work and aging at the upcoming CAG annual scientific and educational meeting to be held in Montreal, Quebec. At this year’s conference, I am chairing two Symposia on work and aging. I have invited some esteemed scholars to present their work. The Symposia are to be held on Saturday, October 22nd, 2016.

During the first Symposium, I will be discussing the Redirection Project. During the second Symposium, I am sharing the documentary film Redirection: Movers, Shakers and Shifters which helps bring key issues from my Redirection Project to a broader audience.

Symposium I: Policy Imperatives for Later Life Work

Symposium II: Movers, Shakers and Shifters: Later Life Career Redirection

It is very exciting to have scholars presenting on issues surrounding work and aging and gratifying to see this much attention devoted to work and occupation as people age at CAG. As a broad gerontological topic, work and aging is particularly relevant and timely as the large cohort of baby boomers approach later life and gain their own perspective on being mature and experienced workers.

Courage. Change. Challenge. Opportunity. Reinvention. Empowerment. These words come to mind when thinking about new career directions during the second half of life.

More people are expecting to work longer or are considering later life employment. In fact, greater longevity has combined with a rethinking of work and income options.

As a new stage of later life career development, redirection helps individuals think about this transition process. It assists with the steps involved in making a career shift.

In addition, redirection helps identify self-awareness and self-knowledge. Reflection is required during this career stage. It helps people see how far they have come and where they are going next.

The redirection story collection continues until March 25th, 2016. The online survey will be open until the end of May 2016.

To participate in the Redirection Project, please visit www.MyRedirection.com.

Income security: Retirement Crisis?

The Broadbent Institute report ‘An analysis of the economic circumstances of Canadian seniors‘ is a call to action on pension and retirement issues. This report discusses many challenges with the current system of retirement and pension plans.

The report further explains that many Canadians are at risk of living in poverty during later life. Changes to CPP/QPP, OAS and GIS can provide assistance.

Another solution is an extension of working life. This is where my research on Redirection is critical. I coined the term Redirection to refer to a new stage of career development among individuals.

Individuals age 50 and older can choose retirement or they can redirect and transfer their skills, experience and knowledge into a new occupation or career. For more information, please visit: www.MyRedirection.com.

For adults age 50 and over, longevity has combined with a rethinking of work and income options. There is a radical shift taking place with an expansion of our working lives and a re-imagining of retirement, combined with a demographic shift to an aging society.

Delayed retirement is a growing trend. Since the mid-1990′s, there has been an increase in the employment rate of older Canadians. In fact, Statistics Canada data show that from 1997 to 2010, the employment rate of men 55 and over increased from 30.5% to 39.4%¹. During the same time, the rate for women grew from 15.8% to 28.6%. In addition, a Canadian survey indicates that a growing number of individuals expect to be working full time at age 66².

It is a pleasure to announce my new study. Funded by the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling (CERIC), this project will examine how Canadians in their 50s, 60s and 70s are seeking out second and third careers as “retirement” is redefined. It will also look at how career professionals can best assist older adults in their career development. The Redirection: Work and Later Life Career Development Project will examine this new phase of later life career that is emerging.

I coined the term “redirection” to refer to the process of finding new pursuits during the second half of life. Redirection, which aims to move beyond traditional notions of retirement, occurs as older adults increasingly seek the rewards of work and stay engaged. It can be a stage of renewal, reinvention and growth.

This project was announced by CERIC and York University.

Footnotes

This week, I was invited to Peterborough by Hatch to speak to older adults in the community about later life empowerment through self renewal, challenging roles and community innovation during the New Retirement. My presentation was sponsored by CARP. This is some coverage in the local media about my presentation.

It was a fabulous evening: we had a great turnout and people stayed after my presentation for an hour-long Q & A session. We discussed ‘retirement’, volunteering and social enterprise. Hearing members of the audience’s views on this topic was interesting. Not all older adults want to volunteer; some want to do more. Moreover, some want to earn money for their extensive knowledge, skill and expertise. This indicates to me that there is a shift occurring within attitudes and expectations for ‘retirement’.

I engage groups and help them see opportunities – the opportunities of later life. In partnership with Hatch and Peterborough Economic Development Business Advisory Board, I am offering a workshop series for adults who are in the Third Age and are interested in starting a new enterprise – something that generates revenue and gives back to the community. Please contact me (on my contact page) or visit Hatch for further information.