The sharp sound of the tool woman in the ear of Arne Paul Aase. He doesn’t care. One gets used to this sort of thing after three decades in the construction industry. For a while he had a terrible situation around him. It was worse. Empty Thursday Last year, 52,332 people left working life and entered a 100 per cent pension, according to figures from Statistics Norway. I don’t know how many of those who went voluntarily and enjoyed the freed up time. But I know that some newly retired people experience it as a difficult change. For Aase, the path out of working life led into what he calls “a small crack”. – I felt like everything was over. I had nothing to go to, nothing to dance with. When he retired from working life, he had been a teacher in the construction department at a secondary school for 33 years. Long enough to teach students who were the children of former students. Suddenly he saw the days go by from the sofa. Gradually, the circadian rhythm was completely reversed. On the new weekday, an Aase lost its grip on. Mostly going well – The vast majority of pensioners are doing very well. That’s what Lars Bauger at the University of Southeastern Norway says, who has researched quality of life among new retirees. He refers, among other things, to new figures from Statistics Norway’s quality of life survey which shows that those between the ages of 67 and 79 are the ones who are most satisfied with life overall. – But that does not mean that everyone feels this way. Someone may experience a negative change in quality of life when they retire. For the newly retired who experience a reduced quality of life, the exit from working life often coincided with other changes, for example in health or at home, says Bauger. But it can also be linked to self-understanding. – If your identity and the social arena are linked to your workplace, it can be difficult when that part of your life is no longer there. Tools became a turning point The retired teacher carefully puts the blade from the saw back into place. It fits perfectly. In the same period that he retired, he went through a break-up. After a heart attack, they scanned his brain. A small stain on the photo meant that he was no longer allowed to drive a car. – I felt very locked in. When the circadian rhythm slipped out, the daughter called the municipality to find out what they could do for Arne. He was offered a place at a day center in Førde. Socializing and activity could be helpful. But in the beginning there was probably a lot of knitting and drinking coffee for the former teacher. – I slept during the class when we were supposed to learn to knit. They noticed that at the day care centre. With his professional life in mind, they bought tools. Aase describes it as a new spring. More than finances – People often think about what retirement means for the economy, but often forget to think about what it means for social life, and for physical and mental health. Bauger recommends building a bridge between working life and retirement, for example by gradually tapering off. He also asks people to think through what retirement entails for them. – An American sociologist summed it up nicely – feel for it when a longer holiday is coming to an end. What do you fill your life with? – If you feel that you have few social arenas or activities outside of work, you should perhaps think through the fact that there will come a day when you will not go back there. He emphasizes that things are going well for the vast majority of people, including those who experience a break in their quality of life. – For most people, this takes the form of a U-shape. After a while, the quality of life goes up to the previous level again. Something to go to – I thrived very well at work. After 33 years, I still have contact with the first pupils. – If you had the choice, would you have stayed in the job longer? The retired teacher scratches his chin. – Yes. Maybe not in a full position, but yes. When everything was at its heaviest, he also had to park the car for health reasons. – Before, I had to rely on others to get material, but with the electric bike I was completely self-help, says Aase. Photo: Jarand Aga Baas / news The sound from the drill changes character when the last screw bites into the wood. A layer of stain and a bit of moss on the roof, then the nativity scene is finished and ready for use. It is Arne Paul Aase’s work in every respect. – It is alpha and omega for me to be here. I have something to plan, something to go to. It fills the void I got when I retired.
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Arne Aase is one of several who have faced the wall as a newly retired person – news Vestland
