Retirement Needs Stimulation

The impact of Covid-19 has made me realise that a primary need in Retirement is stimulation. I have spoken of what are essentials for retirement before but this time I have particularly used the word Needs, not Wants. The two are quite different. Over 65’s have been dis-proportionally affected by Covid. This figure is skewed, because sadly the vast majority of those who lost their lives in most countries were already in poor health, and indeed often living in Care Homes or supported living facilities. Money becomes less of a differentiator than it might have been earlier in retirement. So in a pandemic, when you are not relying on employment income, Money may become a Want, not necessarily a Need.

A very important Need, is Health. Many of those who died had one or more underlying health conditions. This Need is a subject for another post. However, many people’s health deteriorates more quickly if they are not adequately stimulated, hence my decision to focus on Stimulation for this first post.

How Lockdown affected us (or rather didn’t!)

I am married to someone who is 70+. At the start of the pandemic, all people over 70, and/or those with severe underlying health conditions were advised that the best thing they could do to protect themselves was Stay Home, take daily exercise locally away from other people once a day, and minimise your interaction with other people. That has been our life for more than 100 days. It sounds OK doesn’t it? We have a comfortable home with a fair sized garden. We live on the edge of open fields where we can walk safely, away from others, and the 2m distance recommendation is not a problem to comply with.

But, that’s it! Apart from a few ‘socially distanced’ conversations with our neighbours, we have seen virtually nobody. Up until two weeks ago, we hadn’t even been allowed to share a coffee with friends in our garden, even at 2m. So for 90 days, we were in our own ‘closed bubble’. In 3 months, I have not ventured more than 1 mile north, and 3 miles south. We have used less than 1/4 tank of petrol. Yes, we were safe, we had all our essential needs met and we weren’t affected by the economic fallout in the same way younger people. They were taking the major impacts, losing their jobs, being furloughed, working from home etc.

But We Were Missing Stimulation

Life wasn’t the same. Not in many ways. All the things that add to life and give you stimulation had all vanished….

A New Line in Covid Essentials

Given all the panic buying at the start of pandemic, we are still lacking essentials such as flour. All our shops opened the other day, but the rules have changed – we are not allowed to enter a shop without a face covering. So now, even if something you want is available, everything takes thought, A checklist is needed before you go out. Got a facemask? (I’ve been making plenty of those…) Where’s the hand gel, the disposable gloves, the anti-bac wipes?

The Impact of a Lack of Stimulation

How has the lack of stimulation affected me? At the highest level, not really, but when I dig down, I have picked up on a few things

• My creativity has vanished. I have had 3 whole months to make things and write blog posts etc. I have made virtually nothing, and not posted anything on my blog for over a month. The lack of stimulation has taken away my inspiration. Now that was unexpected!!
• I’ve lost some of my ‘get up and go’. We get up later. No urgency, nothing special to do. No appointments, no schedule.
• We have eaten more rubbish, and had more wine than we have in ages. Normally, I wouldn’t consider putting potato chips, biscuits and sweets etc into my shopping basket, but it is amazing how much ‘comfort’ food sneaks into my online order. In my preparations for lockdown, I treated it a bit like Christmas – a time when all the forbidden things are allowed in the house for a week or two, but this was a 13 week holiday, and my waistline is showing it. I really admire those who have used lockdown as an opportunity to change their lifestyle for the better….

For others it has been so much worse. Many retirees who are in residential care or hospital, have effectively been cut off from family members. Their needs for food, heat & medication have been cared for, but they have been cut off from people they love for 3 or 4 months. Some have literally ‘given up’, and died. Family members have not been allowed to go and hold their hands as they passed. That must have been so hard.

The Real Importance of Stimulation

I start to feel myself coming back to life, as we start to have more social interaction. So I have taken time to analyse why I have had so little interest in what has been going on. I have felt quite oppressed by all the bad news of Covid. Although it has not really affected me personally, it still felt like a weight on my shoulders oppressing me.

Years ago, I couldn’t understand why my Mum who lived on her own, was always, as she said, ‘ready for the road’. Want to go to the supermarket – Yes. Want to go for a drive – Yes. Want to go out for dinner – Yes. Some of the outings I offered, I viewed as chores, but now, looking through different glasses, she needed those trips to boost her. She mainly lived in her own space, much as we have been doing in lockdown, and she welcomed every opportunity to do something different, no matter how mundane.

If we don’t get opportunities to do different things, we get stale. Every day is the same as the one before, and the one tomorrow. We cease to grow, both in mind and spirit. As humans, we are group animals, we like company, we revel in it.

Looking Forward

Just now I am looking forward to getting back to Slow Travel, a couple of months in a different place, does wonder for individual stimulation. Going to see my younger son and family in New Zealand, or going travelling in the Western Isles with my older son.

However, as I look forward to my later stages of retirement, when I am less healthy, less able to get about, I have decided that I need to include in my plan things that will continue to stimulate me. What sort of things are they? My immediate thoughts are…

Any Other Suggestions?

Please let me know…

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