Will Your Aging Parent Work in Retirement?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, adults 65 and older will outnumber children by 2035, while almost 25 percent of Americans will be 65 and older by 2060, reports Forbes . The population of those 85 and older will triple by then as well, leading to concerns about how they will spend their retirement years. Finding employment is often the only option for people who have not saved a large enough nest egg. But there are positives. For one, the social exposure of working can combat the loneliness many seniors are vulnerable to. Also worth factoring in is the fact that the country is not producing sufficient younger workers to fill currently existing jobs, as well as jobs that will continue growing in the future. Life extension creates a pool of older workers available for either part-time or full-time employment, who are not necessarily expecting a benefits package and who have few career ambitions. Finally, columnist Carolyn Rosenblatt writes that a sense of accomplishment provided by employment can appeal to people who are too proud to rely entirely on younger family members for support or for those whose families cannot afford them.