Pensioners: the second life of the over 70

SortI are indulging in many a find a definitionnon -offensive, comforting, glander, of the new multitude of those who have turned off over 60 candles: Great adults, super adults, baby retirees, modern elderly, Young Old or Medium Old, Silver. That is, it is forbidden to use the term “old/old”casomai elderly, but inconvenient, in front of the interested parties. often retired.

However, it is a must renew the lexicon, considering that the latest Istat relationship certifies the most numerous eighties of children under 10 years; Moreover, the average life expectancy in Europe will increase by four and a half years by 2050, while that of a life in good health only of two comma six, slightly exceeding 67 years (data that emerged at the recent Longevity Economic Forum).

In short, it is easy to say “You are lucky you Baby Boomer, because you are the first generation that, who arrived at 60 years of age, has another 30 to live.” How though? And how much can the genetic heritage, individual choices, character, experience, mourning, affections play?

The second half of the life of pensioners

“It is not conceivable, in the era of longevity, to adopt the old equivalence: aging equal decline. There are many positive aspects »: it is Odile Robotti who remembers it and he did it with a singular book, halfway between essay and the survival manual to age, The best fifty years. Rediscovering and reinventing yourself in the second half of life (Mind publisher); Odile is at the head of the Learning Edge, has a degree in political economy and one in psychology, has long been committed to making known An enhancer aging model. A path has been invented, the 7 r, indispensable stages to give meaning and enjoyment to the “second 50 years”: renewing, rediscovering themselves, rekindling, refocing, starting again, repositioning, regenerating.

«The character matters a lot, such as the approach and the desire not to give up many things. However, it is necessary to understand what makes us happy. It is necessary to have a purpose. One of the most frequent errors is to fill the agenda. I hear: “I am more busy than before. I had more time when I was working.” Yoga, pilates, courses, art and beautician appointments: Why? You are afraid of the Horror Vacui. And all that frenzy does not give happiness. Another frequent mistake is to think of living the second 50 years like the cyclostile of the former: We are looking for a consultancy contract, you want to work again. Especially for men, Pension is often a problem. Their identity has almost always come from work, they struggle to reinvent themselves. They say “Nobody calls me anymore. He doesn’t play the mobile phone. I’m useless.” We women have always had other worlds, also for fault of career discrimination And gender stereotypes, children, family, care of parents ».

Pensioners, time grandparents

The book is marked by cases, by reflections on How to manage this part of life. The primary gynecologist who, once retired, feels useless, and for the first six months it is in cream; The Top manager who wonders who he is, Maybe for the first time; the administrative employee displaced by realizing that The pension is not as she had dreamed of itwith the days that never pass; The former career woman deprived of its social statusnow he feels lost. Geriatri have reported that Within the first two years of retirement, cardiovascular events, depression, use of doctors increase.

For Francesco Morace, sociologist, you have to look at the glass half full: «It is the richest age of life, up to 75 years, at least. You learned to enjoy pleasures, in many cases you have no economic problems, you can do things you couldn’t do. You have a ability to live that you didn’t have before. And, having spent ’68 counts a lot, you have acquired many freedoms and judgment. You play it, the second part of life. It is very good to be with the younger generations, children, grandchildren. Different research have shown that Italy is the country in which grandparents are More time with grandchildrenworldwide. By affection, but also because We don’t have adequate welfare and the babysitters cost a lot. Tiring, demanding, the relationship with children, But keeps young people ».

The pitfalls to avoid

Do not be full -time grandmothers This is what Odile Robotti recommends in his book. Having anywhere else, whether they are a social commitment, a passion, a work-life (the previous one before the pension, but reduced in terms of commitment). And try to reinvent yourself, which is not easybut in which women give track rides to strong sex: there are those who launch a clothing line, Those who organize courses or online sales, those who give themselves to ceramics, those who improvise influencers. And of course, Many women are used for others, With beneficial activities, teaching, support, effective help.

The second 50 years wonderful then? Let’s not exaggerate. Simona Sansoni, geriatra and gerontologist, does not discount the reality with which it is measured every day: «Generalizing, There is an obvious watershed: 80 years old. Until that date, if they have no serious pathologies, let’s talk about people still autonomous, lucid, interested, capable of having a social life. It matters a lot, then, if they have the proximity of children and grandchildren. Going forward over the years they measure themselves with a sense of uselessness, with the fear of going out, of falling. They are elderly people who often live with a caregiver and tell me: “What do I still do in the world?”. In 65 percent of cases it takes over a depressive state ».

The Over Rights Charter

Lidia Ravera in Age Pride (Einaudi) in 2023 claims many desires, including: “Be respected and considered in proportion to my past”“Do not be discriminated against as they are no longer young”, “Being freed from stereotypes that devalue this part of life” (Avarice, Remove from the Remove, Acidity), “Being treated as it is those who belong to 22.8 percent (climbed in 2025 to 24.7 percent according to Istat data, editor’s note) of the Italian population. We are a strength. And we are a political problem ».

True, very true, so much so that Odile Robotti wonders because there is no one Greta Thunberg who compact the over and claim respect and role: «We don’t have a script to follow, we have to invent it. At one time, our mothers and grandmothers cooked, they were lonely, they were at home. Instead we have more medical treatmentsmore possibilities and we must not make ourselves creep by the limitations. It is clear that when we were young we were enough for us A good sleep to recover the energies, and today it is not so. I don’t deny that The age transforms us and removes something, but also adds. The important thing is to understand who we are and what we want. It is good to have a purposenot before, however, of being left with self -discovery ». It is about breaking the crystal ceiling: «For centuries, Women were not allowed to go beyond certain limits. The same happened to mature adults, confined to the Indian reserve of their age, “concludes Robotti.

For those who do not put limits …

In the era of longevity, age is also liquid. The myth of youth to be chasing with scalpels and stingssays Francesco Morace, “he has taken more on the forty/fifty -year -olds than on the super adults, as I call them. They never believed it ».

Feeling appreciated, useful, respected, this ask for boomers. Living, being curious, generous, playful in balance with yourself and rabbed with time that passes, leaving signs on the face, body and soul. At 87, Michelangelo found himself saying: “I still learn”. And in fact, in its seconds 50 signed The universal judgment (the vault of the Sistine Chapel painted it at 36), sculpted The pity Rondanini and completed The crucifixion of San Pietro. He was Michelangelo, but even today …

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