Strategic Approach for Promoting Retirement Preparation - Innovative Use of Active Interest Development and Senior Mentorship

Abstract

Retirement is a major life transition associated with mental health hazards. Currently about 60,000 working adults retire every year in Hong Kong. Due to the baby boomers effect, the peak retirement wave will take place in 2018. To cope with such a big challenge, retirement preparation interventions have to be highly acceptable, affordable and sustainable. With reference to literature, we developed an innovative retirement preparation intervention adopting development of active interest as the positive, strategic entry point. To produce sufficiently big impacts, we trained and supervised successfully retired people as mentors for the soon-to-retire. A 1-year, 4-wave longitudinal survey tracked the mental health status of 31 mentees of the program before and after retirement. Findings supported the protective value of the program. Since this year’s mentees can be next year’s mentors, the mentor pool will have natural organic growth. The program is thus self-sustaining, and has potentials of becoming a universal service for retirees.