What Does the Uptick in 65-Plus Employment Mean?
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Work Longer, Live Longer

MusingsSome interesting research suggests that people who work longer actually live longer, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The Center cites the following study:

"A new study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found strong evidence that older workers who retire even one year later have lower mortality rates.  This held true for both healthy and unhealthy people."

The Center goes on to describe the study:

"The researchers at Oregon State and Colorado State used a survey of older workers to follow some 3,000 people who were employed in 1992 but had retired by 2010.  Since health drives mortality and is a factor in deciding when to retire, they separated their research subjects into two groups – healthy and unhealthy – to see if they had different results.

"The healthy people were more likely to be physically active, non-smokers with a lower body mass index and fewer chronic medical conditions.  Other research has shown that having meaningful work can also contribute to health at older ages.

"Over the period of the study, one in four unhealthy retirees died, compared with just about one in 10 healthy people. But the survival odds improved for people in both groups who retired after age 65, reducing the risk of healthy people dying by 11 percent and unhealthy people by 9 percent for each year of delay."

I guess Boomers should take this to heart. Many of us have to work past retirement age to generate income... but at least if you work longer, you just might live longer!

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