My dream retirement plan
Pedagogical guide for educator
This exercise incorporates 4 exercises. This session captures the learning acquired so far. The objective of these exercises is to support AAWID in developing their own dream retirement plan.
The exercises are linked to 3 QoL domain ‘personal development’, ‘social inclusion’ and ‘self-determination’. In order to participate in community groups and/or voluntary work, AAWID need to make choices.
They correspond with the following learning outcomes
Retirement:
- Reflect on personal retirement plan
- Determine on the pace of the retirement plan
Work & leisure
- Identify and reflect on postretirement (voluntary) work activities and or leisure activities
- Determine the pace by which they want to engage in these activities
My dream retirement plan
- Developing a personal retirement plan
- Locating a suitable community or volunteering group
- Making a visit to the community or volunteering group
Preparation/equipment needed:
- annex 3 print all worksheets for each of the participants
- The worksheets are the basis of the retirement plan
NOTE:
Use all information gathered during Exercise 3, i.e. favourite leisure/recreational or hobby activities and preferred voluntary work and have a brainstorm with the participant and other important persons for the AAWID to make things more concrete.
Help to look for local community groups (senior groups, golf clubs, swimming club, choir, …) or voluntary work that matches with the desires of the participant.
Make an appointment with one of these groups or voluntary jobs and assist the participant to go and have a visit.
Exercise description
Activity 1: What about when I retire? (annex 1 – 30 minutes)
Please start this activity with a recap of unit 8 exercise 1. You can refer to the story of Isabel or the activities of exercise 1.
Afterwards, ask the participants to imagine their own retirement. Give each participant an activity sheet (annex 1) and ask them to work by themselves. Give them 5 minutes to answer the questions separately. If the activity is too difficult, give an example or let them do the activity in pairs.
After completion of the activity sheet, ask them to feed back their responses and capture what they say on a whiteboard or flipchart. Clearly there are no right or wrong answers. Generate a discussion about their fears.
Activity 2: Do I stop, reduce or keep working? (annex 2 - 30 minutes)
Print out activity 2 for all participants. Print out and laminate the three cards on page 1. Make them bigger if needed.
Ask the participant “Which card matches best with your current retirement dream plan?”
Give each participant the corresponding worksheet (annex 2) and ask them to work by themselves. Give them 20 minutes or more if needed. Take a break if needed. If the activity is too difficult, go through the questions together. Help them select those questions that they need to answer.
Activity 3: which leisure activities would I prefer doing? (annex 3 - 30 minutes)
The aim of this activity is to help participants think about activities they dream of doing when retiring. (annex 3)
Four strategies that may support aawid in creating their collage.
- Show them the collage of Marie’s dream activities. (annex 3)
- Give them the list of leisure/recreational/hobbies. (unit 8: exercise 2 – annex 3)
- Invite the network (family, friends, confidants, …) to help building the collage.
- Talk about things of the past, of when they were younger, still kids, what they did but also what they wished to have learned.
Give the participants the opportunity to make their own personal collage. E.g. if the person likes to look online for pictures, use a notebook or other electronic devices. Or do it the more traditional way, and let them just cut out pictures from magazines or ask them to take pictures with their smartphone.
Another possibility is to give homework. Ask participants to talk about their dream activities with their family, friends, co-residence or support workers.
Activity 4: What type of voluntary work would I like to try-out? (annex 4 – 30 minutes)
Start with a short recap of activity 6 (Exercise two). As in activity 6, use the pictograms or pictures of local community voluntary work if necessary.
The aim of this activity is to support aawid to identify their preferences in voluntary work.
First ask the participants to select the conditions they find important in voluntary work. For example, working with hands instead mind, doing something inside, … .
Secondly, ask them to select the type or sector of voluntary work they would perhaps like to try out. They will be asked to select the sector.
Help aawid in making it more concrete, based on the local voluntary job availabilities. For example, if there choice is to do something within the elderly care, you could give examples such as: taking walks with an elderly person who is lonely. Helping in the cafeteria of an elderly home. Having a coffee with an elderly person. Etc.