General Chat

Older people need money too and not all have a tidy pension many don't.
Living off just the state pension is next to impossible.

That is why the law has been changed making it much easier for older people to work if they wish / need to.

State & public sector pensions were set up without much regard to how they would be funded in the future. It was assumed that somehow "growth" would cover the mathematical impossibility of paying unfunded state pension and way underfunded state employee pensions. The assumption was wrong hence the changes in the state pension age. Similar changes in public sector pensions are inevitable such that pension age all round will probably end up at 70. The alternative is a hefty rise in income tax.

I have been caring for my mother, who is way past 90, for ages. It is a real hassle for which I receive nothing but it certainly costs me in lost potential income. I cannot see any reason why such care should be balanced against pension/benefit rights.

The reason my GGF worked all his life is that he believed that if he stopped he would pop his clogs. He was all too right. Same happened to his son who went away at 80.

I especially liked your last paragraph Sharron. Sometimes I think it is selfish of older people to continue to take jobs from the young ones especially if they have enough money. If they haven't got enough then a little part-time work should help but give the youngsters at least a fighting chance.

But I have my own things planned for when I get my pension.

I even have the little bit of part time work that I have done all along for the Performing Rights Society. OH has picked up those commissions temporarily.

OH had a limited company which had not yet traded and we had hoped it would be the thing to get us off benefits before my pension started.

Unfortunately, some faceless bod decided that this little business, which had been set up to comply with the work methods of another company that never did supply any work, was taking him over the hours to be eligible for benefits.

Th fact that they never thought to let us know that this was what why we had received no money for six weeks helped push me over the edge.

Helping save the country something approaching half a million in care costs gave me seven years without a proper night's sleep.

I am not costing anything like that much, will be off benefits soon, apart from my pension which I worked for most of my life expecting to claim two years ago.

If there is one thing I don't want to do it is to keep bloody well trying, especially not to take a job from a young person who needs it much more than I do.

There are plenty of firms who take on people who are approaching or even past retirement age. Some well known names include B&Q, Co-op, Waitrose. Not everybody sees retirement in their 60s as a preferred option and working at least part time is popular. My GGF stopped working at 89 a year before he died.

I have a friend over 70 who still works full time building and restoring wooden boats. He has gradually taken on more people of all ages but says it is hard to find people willing to work very hard to a high standard. That is why half the yard are over 60!

keep trying

On the 10th June I have to go for an assessment as to why I can't go to work until November when I get my pension.

This will probably mean that I have to go through the motions, for five months, of looking on the computer every day and going to see the bully in the JobCentrePlus( plus what I don't know, they don't even show available jobs any more), for that company that is crying out for an old biddy with out of date skills who hasn't worked for eight years and will be leaving them as soon as she gets the hang of the job.