| dc.description.abstract | From an occupational perspective, retirement is one of life's major and important
transitions, and affects every day occupational life as one moves from full-time work into a
daily life where work no longer dominates. Retirement is often characterised by the
process of rebuilding one's occupational identity and competence. Evidence has
suggested retirement as either a positive phenomenon with new opportunities and choices
or a difficult and disruptive transitional period associated with emotional distress. Laslett
theorised that the "Third Age" - which begins at retirement and continues until the onset of
disability - offers self-fulfilment, realisation of creative potentials, lifelong learning and
service to society.
Moreover, in Singapore, there are no programmes or services specifically for older people
who are approaching, or new to retirement. Existing retirement schemes focused on the
fiscal aspect, and non-fiscal initiatives and plans tend to apply to the general older
population, which are not specific to prospective or new retirees. The literature review
highlights that retirees only realise the emotional and psychosocial challenges after
retirement and reflected that they could have benefitted from better and earlier preparation.
Furthermore, retirement preparation and occupational engagement are related to positive
occupational adaptions to retirement. Thus, it is an occupational transition which is
significant to occupational therapy. Occupational therapists are well-placed to prepare and
support older people in occupationally meaningful retirement using a preventative and
community-based approach aimed at identifying needs, providing guidance in information
gathering, encouraging active decision making and forward planning, and educating about
the importance of engagement in occupations.
Therefore, this programme development proposal aims to provide a one-stop programme
to support older Singapore residents who are approaching retirement or are new retirees
to transition to retirement. | |
