Purpose, learning & volunteering after retirement

Purpose can be walking a neighbour’s dog, teaching a grandchild to bake, tending a community garden or phoning a friend who lives alone. What matters is that it feels meaningful to you.

NIA notes that positive emotions, optimism, health and a sense of purpose are all associated with resilience, the ability to recover from difficult situations.

NIA tells the story of a retired man who missed his customers and teaching new staff, and a grandmother whose grandchildren started school. Both felt a loss of purpose, and both found it again by volunteering.

Ask yourself

• Did I enjoy fixing problems?
• Did I love being part of a team?
• Did I like helping people one-to-one?
• Did I like teaching or training others?

Think about the issues that move you: children, animals, nature, health, your faith community, your neighbourhood, people who are lonely. Purpose often lives where you already care.

A language, an instrument, painting, woodworking, writing your family history. NIA suggests learning or relearning a musical instrument, or taking a cooking, art, dance, language or computer class.

The Osher Foundation supports 125 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes across the U.S., with at least one in every state and D.C. They offer non-credit courses for people 50 and older, plus chances to volunteer and lead.

NIA notes that many community colleges and libraries offer free or discounted courses for older adults. Many museums offer free group tours and talks too.

Book or film clubs, hobby groups and online classes let you learn at your own pace, even if you live rurally or don’t drive.

• Help at a community garden or park clean-up
• Organise clothing donations
• Run errands for people with limited mobility
• Serve meals to people in need

Accountants can help a small charity with its books, teachers can tutor, builders can help with home repairs for older neighbours, nurses can support health programs. Ask local nonprofits what they need.

AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP pairs people 55+ with organisations across the country. Volunteers choose how, where and when to serve, from a few hours to 40 hours a week.

In the AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion program, volunteers 55+ offer friendship and help with tasks like shopping or paying bills, so older adults can stay independent and family caregivers get a break.

Some programs offer a modest stipend to volunteers with low incomes.

Phoning people who live alone, knitting for hospitals or shelters, writing cards, or teaching a skill by video are all ways to help without leaving home.

NIA suggests volunteering at a school, library, museum, hospital or animal shelter, or singing in a community choir or joining a local theatre group.

The Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) and AmeriCorps’ online Seniors Pathfinder tool can point you to opportunities near you.

The AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent program connects volunteers 55+ with young people with exceptional needs: tutoring students, caring for babies born early or children with disabilities, and mentoring teenagers and young mothers.

NIA suggests teaching a favourite pastime to a new generation, like embroidery, photography, model building, chess, baking, woodworking, calligraphy or quilting.

Libraries, youth groups, schools and faith communities often welcome people who can share a skill.

WHO names programs that bring different generations together as one of the main ways to reduce ageism, the stereotypes and unfair treatment people face because of their age.

NIA suggests joining a committee or helping with an activity at your place of worship. Many faith communities also need people to visit members who are sick or homebound.

Elders often hold the stories, recipes, songs and language of a community. Cultural centers and heritage groups may welcome help with classes, festivals or recording oral histories.

NIA suggests helping at a community garden or park, organising a park clean-up through your recreation center or community association, or joining events at a senior center.

Singing in a community choir, playing in a local band, or joining a theatre group combine creativity, purpose and friendship.

NIA suggests looking for a local part-time job or opportunities online. Seasonal work, like a garden center in spring or a shop during the holidays, can fit around other plans.

Former employers, industry groups and old colleagues may need occasional help. It can keep you connected to the field you know while giving you more freedom.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) offers paid community service job training to unemployed people 55+ with low family incomes. Participants usually work about 20 hours a week at places like schools, hospitals and senior centers.

You can find a local program through CareerOneStop’s Older Worker Program Finder, or by calling 1-877-872-5627 (1-877-US2-JOBS).

Some retirees fill every day to avoid feeling empty, then burn out. It’s fine to say “not this time” or step back from a role that no longer fits.

Caring for a partner, parent or grandchildren can give life great meaning. It can also crowd out everything else. Protect a little time for something that’s just for you.

If illness or mobility changes mean you can’t do what you used to, look for a gentler version. A former coach might mentor by phone. A gardener might grow herbs on a windowsill and share cuttings.

NIA notes that many activities can be enjoyed from a distance using phones and computers, or done alone, so even people with restrictions can stay engaged.