Many elderly individuals across the state are still employed. This is not always due to a passionate love for their career; it is often due to the fact that they simply can’t afford not to work.
Elderly people have numerous expenses; washable bed pads, food thickeners, grab bars, and more. And there has to be a way to pay the bills.
For this reason, seniors often need to work.
Wilbur Ruiz, a 67 year old man, greets customers and puts shopping carts back where they go in a Giant supermarket in Ashburn, Virginia. Anne Doane, a 76 year old woman living in Ashburn, Virginia, spends her days stocking the shelves at a Wegman’s store in the neighborhood.
In Arlington County, Virginia, one out of every four people over age 65 still work.
This has become the new normal.
Doris McGhee Collins actually tried out retirement: At 63 years old, she left her job as an HR executive in Arlington, Virginia. Then came the 2008 recession. Noticing how her savings were dwindling, she started an HR business to bring in some bucks.
And then, several years ago, at age 70, she found herself back at work full time as the HR director at a consortium of charter schools in Washington DC.
It’s interesting to note that the labor force is currently made up of 11.5 percent of individuals under 25, and 21.7 percent of individuals over age 55. This is largely due to the fact that many people in the lowest age bracket are going for college instead of working at menial jobs.
So, who’s filling these jobs which were once taken by the young, wet-behind-the ears workers? The seniors. The world changes every day!
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