You are not alone, so to speak, when you live alone in retirement. A sizable portion of Americans currently are spending their retirement years without a partner.
The Pew Research Center reported in 2020 that about 27% of U.S. adults aged 60 and older live solo. And a recent Census Bureau report finds:
Adults living alone at ages 65-74
- Women: 27%
- Men: 21%
Adults living alone at ages 75 and older
- Women: 43%
- Men: 24%
Despite this reality, so much of retirement advice is aimed at couples. Understanding that many retirees live alone helps assure those of us who do that we share an experience with many others. What’s more, our needs may in some ways be quite different than those of couples.
Here are a handful of suggestions to help you prepare for a fulfilling life as an older single. Whether your retired years lived alone are brief or prolonged, whether you have chosen your single life or had it thrust upon you, some of these tips may be helpful to you.
1. Adopt a pet
Not everyone who lives alone is lonely. Lonely or not, though, it’s great to have a furry pal to cuddle, gossip with and take long outdoor walks.
Petfinder’s “Comprehensive Guide to Adopting a Pet” can help you decide if you’re really up for the responsibility of caring for a pet and how to go about adopting if you do.
2. Find a hobby
In past generations, it seemed like retired singles were told to learn to play bridge to fill their time. Even today, when there’s so much else for retirees to do, bridge is still a good idea. Like chess, it’s a competitive pursuit that helps your mind and memory stay sharp. It also involves contact with others and can fill up your social calendar.
If you don’t like bridge or chess, no worries. There’s so much else to do. You can join or form a book club, gardening club or musical group. Or consider these ideas:
- Find free or inexpensive college classes for seniors.
- Take classes to learn painting, music, dance or a foreign language.
- Use Coursera to pick up a computer language, get a degree, learn programming or become a music producer.
- Take up with gardeners, boaters, quilters, knitters, meditators, photographers, bird watchers, bakers, ceramicists, entrepreneurs, writers and others who, like you, are finally free to enjoy learning for the fun of it.
Reader’s Digest advises retirees on how to find the hobby that’s right for them.
3. Volunteer
Our human desire to help and give back is a powerful motivator in retirement.
Retirees who spend time helping others are more likely to say that they’re happy, researchers find.
If volunteering sounds satisfying, first consider which activities seem most meaningful to you. Focus on your personal passions and talents and be careful not to over-commit, says “9 Tips for Volunteering in Retirement” at U.S. News.
4. Pick up pickleball
If you’ve been itching to get moving, retirement is your chance to get going.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tells people over age 65 to get 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise. (Don’t worry. You don’t need to do it all at once). It’s smart, too, to work on building muscle and maintaining balance.
You won’t need a partner to:
- Take a class to learn to play pickleball, where you’ll meet many other active seniors.
- Join a gym or exercise group.
- Take up rowing.
- Get addicted to walking for exercise.
- Find a club or group for hiking. (If there’s an REI near you, Recreational Equipment Coop is a good place to find organized hikes and day trips).
- Join a club or public pool where you can swim for fun or train to swim competitively.
5. Create a financial plan
Retiring solo means that you’re the one in charge of managing your savings and resources. It’s up to you to make certain that there’s enough money to carry you through.
To get help with financial planning without spending a bundle, use a fee-only financial advisor. Working with an advisor who earns a commission or a kickback from your investments may not be the best use of your precious resources.
Check out the “3 Steps to Finding the Perfect Financial Adviser.”
6. Get help when you need it
If you suspect your finances won’t cover your needs in retirement, that can be hard to face. But you can do more to control your future by starting now to plan, identify your needs and line up support.
A number of programs and resources exist to help seniors who are struggling financially. And the National Resource Center for Engaging Older Adults has guidance for helping seniors find social connections and build emotional wellness.
SeniorLiving.org has assembled an excellent list of government programs that help seniors who are struggling financially. Housing, health and mental health, food and nutrition, work and income all are covered.
Says SeniorLiving.org:
“Government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SSI, and SNAP make life more manageable. They reduce the number of seniors who go without enough food, clothing, and shelter. Some programs even give older adults incentives to travel (America the Beautiful pass) and to connect with their community in new ways (AmeriCorps Seniors). Take advantage of everything you can!”
7. Find a family doctor
Many regions of the country are experiencing a shortage of medical providers so it’s important to have medical care lined up before you need it.
Seattle’s Swedish Hospital has these tips for finding a primary care doc:
- Turn to the grapevine. Ask friends — and ask them to ask their friends — for the names of doctors they recommend.
- Check out clinic and hospital websites for profiles of doctors in their system who are accepting new patients. Look for articles and videos about each to get an idea of their style and how they work.
- When you’ve identified a doctor or two whom you’d like to meet, make an appointment with their office to see if they’re a good fit for you. Ask if there’s a charge for a get-acquainted visit.
“With your primary care physician, you can take care of 80% to 90% of your health and wellness needs,” the Swedish Hospital says.
It’s even better if you can find a primary care doctor who is a geriatrician, a specialist in caring for older people.
8. Understand Social Security
Social Security is the financial lifeline for American retirees. Without Social Security, more than 40% of American seniors today would be living at or below the poverty level, researchers have estimated.
Social Security was begun in 1935 in the midst of the Great Depression. After the 1929 stock market crash, one of every two older Americans were dying in poverty, says AARP.
Once enrolled in Social Security, it’s mostly simple: Your payments automatically show up in your bank account each month.
Deciding when to start your benefits takes some thought, though. Know that the earlier you start, the smaller your check will be — for the rest of your life. Look at your options and decide if it’s better for you to put off taking benefits if possible until you are somewhat older, when your checks will be larger.
Also, learn a bit about the program’s rules, especially if you are a widow or widower (“survivor” in Social Security lingo) divorced or a woman (since women live longer, on average).
Learn and find answers by putting your questions into the search bar on the Social Security website. There, you also can estimate your benefit amount and check your record of lifetime earnings on which payments are based.
Be careful to steer clear of the many scammer sites that want to get their hands on seniors’ savings.
Learn more:
Add a Comment
Our Policy: We welcome relevant and respectful comments in order to foster healthy and informative discussions. All other comments may be removed. Comments with links are automatically held for moderation.