72-year-old woman forced to rejoin work after retirement sparks calls for better support for the elderly

Everyone does different jobs most of their lives, whether they like it or not, to live a good life. People often work until or even till after retirement to ensure they have enough money to survive on their social security or pension. That is why this story shared by u/happyme321 on Reddit's r/antiwork thread will hurt your heart. The post is titled "74-year-old coworker just came back after two years of retirement." The reason why they did will surely pinch your heart just a little bit.

The individual who posted the story is the coworker of an older lady who retired at 72. According to the National Academy of Social Insurance, for people born in 1955, the full benefit age is 66 years and will gradually rise to 67 for people born in 1960 or after that. The employee asked the older lady why she came back to the office. They added, "I asked why she came back and she said she and her husband can't afford to live on social security." The employee also mentioned that their company offered a pension, which meant that despite getting a pension, along with social security, the old couple could not make ends meet. On being asked if the woman had drawn her social security earlier, she promptly confirmed that she did, in fact, retire at 72.

The employee seemed agitated and angered by the state the older couple was in. They wrote in their post, "We live in a very high cost of living area, but it makes me sick to think of people who live in a wealthy country, working until they drop." On further conversation with the older lady, they discovered that her husband was disabled. With his medicines, checkups and general health care—they weren't able to make up for the finances. The fact that a 72-year-old woman and her husband are unable to afford medicines and healthcare despite retiring 6 years after the official age for retirement in the USA is disheartening.

A lot of people could empathize with what the older woman went through. u/Mundane-Internet9898 said, "My Mom retired and has SS and a pension. Still had to get a Medicaid waiver set in place so she could live where/get the care she needed. I am absolutely terrified of what retirement is going to be like for me. I lose sleep over it." Asking them to make peace with how things are currently, u/TheyDidLizFilthy said, "I know this is grim, but if you're born 90s-2000s, just accept that we will be expected to work until the day we die."

Many people in the comment section mentioned how living with parents is the only realistic solution to this problem. Sharing a personal story, u/legendoflonk28 said, "31, moved back with my parents 2 years ago. Couldn't afford rent on my own, even with a relatively good-paying job. Honestly, though, as much as I miss having my own place, I actually prefer my rent money going to my folks, so it then helps them pay their mortgage. This means my money is technically going to an asset I may own someday rather than a random landlord." u/apple-pie2020, chimed in, "I think multi-generational thought and design will start to be seen in new housing development."