Senior Living The Hometown Weekly takes a special look at making the best of the golden years in today’s golden age.
Senior Living How men and women experience retirement differently
What’s retirement like? The answer may depend upon whether you’re a man or a woman.
retirement. The responses for both groups were evenly split between men and women and respondents had a minimum of $50,000 in retirement savings.
Women report more positive experiences in retirement than men, yet also say they are more likely to experience negative emotions, especially stress, according to a study conducted by MassMutual. The study’s findings have implications for retirement planning, both financially and emotionally. “Women often experience high levels of stress before retirement as they juggle both professional and family responsibilities,” says Elaine Sarsynski, executive vice president of MassMutual Retirement Services. “We are learning that the stress women feel often carries over into retirement, but we’re also hearing that women often make more of their retirement opportunities and experiences than men.” The study surveyed 905 retirees within 15 years after retirement and 912 pre-retirees within 15 years before
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One in five women (20 percent) is at least moderately stressed in retirement compared to 15 percent of men, the study finds. Women also are more likely to feel frustrated, sad, lonely and nervous.
Before retirement, women are much more likely than men to report being stressed. The study finds that 49 percent of women pre-retirees say they are at least moderately stressed compared to 38 percent of men pre-retirees.
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Senior Living Though whether you are a man or a woman, saving for retirement contributes to positive emotions and experiences in retirement. Those who have a 401(k) or other retirement savings plan were more likely to report experiencing positive emotions as compared to those who did not. Of the retirement plan participants, 74 percent say they are “extremely” or “quite a bit” happy compared to 68 percent who did not participate in a retirement plan and 70 percent of retirement plan participants say they are “extremely” or “quite a bit” relaxed compared to 61 percent who did not have a plan. “Overall, positive emotions for both
men and women tend to increase and negative emotions tend to decrease in retirement,” says Mathew Greenwald, president of Greenwald & Associates, whose firm conducted the study on behalf of MassMutual. “People also tend to exaggerate expectations for retirement, especially women, partly because it’s difficult for many people to envision what life in retirement will actually be like.” In the years before retirement, women have markedly higher expectations than men for enjoying the social aspects of retirement and somewhat lower expectations for their financial fortunes. During retirement, women report
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Senior Living
“Brookdale Senior Living, a trusted partner, listening and understanding your needs.” having less free time than men and yet are more likely to have new experiences, find more time for friends, and enjoy more opportunities. Men’s expectations tend to be more in line with their eventual experiences, which are typically less fulfilling than women, according to the study. Sarsynski recommends that preretirees take steps to help themselves gain a more concrete understanding of what their lives may be like once they retire.
“Spend time with retirees to gain insights and better prepare both financially and emotionally for retirement,” Sarsynski says. “We also suggest that pre-retirees track all of their purchases, especially when on vacation or participating in activities they enjoy. That will help them better understand how costly, and therefore how feasible, the lifestyle they envision will actually be.”
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Senior Living Resistance training works for seniors of all ages and mobility levels Think you’re too old and frail to work out? Think again! The health benefits of daily exercise are widely known, but seniors facing health and mobility issues may feel working out is beyond their abilities. Sixty-three percent of people 60 and older don’t engage in daily exercise, according to the National Council on Aging’s The United States of Aging Survey.
But resistance training can help seniors who fear falling or damaging aging muscles and bones while exercising. For seniors with health issues that might make strenuous exercise difficult, resistance training can be an accessible, healthful option that provides both physical and mental benefits, a new study indicates.
As the name implies, resistance training relies on the use of resistance to build muscle strength. Slow, measured movements are easier and more stable for seniors to perform than the strenuous activity of many types of aerobic exercise. “Smooth, controlled movement gives seniors the benefits of the specific exercise with less risk of injuries or falls,” says Nicholas Swanner, a licensed physical therapist, geriatric
clinical specialist and healthcare services manager for Brookdale’s healthcare services division. Before starting any kind of exercise program, seniors should talk to their doctors. Once they have the go-ahead to begin resistance training, many forms can be beneficial to seniors, Swanner says.
“Resistance training - also called strength training - is an especially safe, valuable mode of exercise for seniors,” says Dr. Kevin O’Neil, chief medical officer for Brookdale senior living. “As you age, you lose muscle mass, bone density, strength, balance, coordination and flexibility - all of which can result in higher risk of falls and increased difficulty in performing daily tasks. Resistance training allows seniors to exercise in their own home. They can use items found in their house and they can even exercise while sitting down.”
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Senior Living “Resistance training can include using resistance bands, lifting weights or objects around your home, or using exercise equipment. Some of the exercises included in aquatics, Pilates, tai chi and yoga are types of resistance training, and those activities have the added bonus of social interaction when done in groups,” he says. “Seniors can benefit from any type of resistance training as long as it’s done safely and is part of a regular routine. Pushing up and down from a chair, opening and
closing a door, lifting a can of soup or a 1-pound weight are all types of resistance exercises that seniors can easily do in their own homes.” Swanner recommends that seniors start slow with lower-resistance exercises and listen to their bodies. “As you age, your body changes and this will impact how and what types of exercises you will be able to do safely. There are many ways to modify exercises, routines and individual styles
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of training to fit a senior’s specific needs.” Resistance training offers many benefits for seniors, including improved strength, balance, coordination and posture, better bone density, plus lower risks of heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis and other chronic illnesses, as well as improved cognitive function and mood. A recent study published in
the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association also found that resistance training can positively affect cognitive abilities of seniors with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Engaging in exercise for 150 minutes a week can allow seniors to maximize the health benefits. Seniors can exercise in one 30-minute session three or four days a week if they’re able, or if that
Senior Living intensity is too strenuous, they can break their workouts into 10-minute intervals throughout the week and still reap the benefits. “We always tell our seniors, ‘start low and go slow’ when they’re beginning an exercise program,” O’Neil says. “Just 10 minutes a day provides health benefits and can feel much more achievable for seniors. Exercise duration can then be increased as endurance improves.” Resistance exercises should be done two to three days per week for each muscle group with a day of rest in between. This does not mean that other
types of exercise, such as aerobic or flexibility exercises, should not be done on rest days. People who exercise daily might do resistance exercises for the upper body on one day and for the lower body on the next day. “Even if a senior has mobility or health issues that hinder aerobic exercise, he or she can still do resistance training,” Swanner says. “Talk to your physician and physical therapist to design a program that’s right for you.”