Influences on quality of life in early old age
[17 January 2003 - Eurekalert - American Association for the Advancement of Science] A golden early old age is within sight for many people, says new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, which demonstrates that the good life is much less influenced by your past � the job your father had, for instance � than by the present, when two of the most important influences are having choices about working or not working, and having friends in whom you can confide. "Good quality of life in early old age is a realistic ambition for all", says the research team, headed by Dr David Blane at Imperial College of Science Technology Medicine, London, "to the extent that it is possible to free the present from past influences". Early old age, sometimes called the Third Age, between 55 and 75 years old, is the phase of life between leaving the labour market and the onset of physical dependency. ... The findings:
... Having control over when and when not to work has a significant bearing on quality of life. People who choose to retire early and those who opt to work beyond normal retirement age enjoy better quality of life than people who have had the decisions made for them, because they have been made redundant, for instance, because economic circumstances have forced them to carry on working beyond the age at which they had expected to retire, or because ill health prevents them from staying in work. The issue of choice seemed to be more important for people classified as 'socially disadvantaged' than those who were 'advantaged'. ...