Books
Agronin, Marc E. The End of Old Age: Living a Longer, More Purposeful Life. New York, NY: Da Capo Life Long, 2018. [Available at Vancouver Public Library in print and ebook versions. Also related: Agronin, Marc E. “How to Turn Old Age Into the Prime of Your Life.” Interview by Mary Hynes. Tapestry, CBC, 2019. Excerpt and Audio, 27:33].
Piper, Martha, and Indira Samarasekera. Nerve: Lessons on Leadership from Two Women Who Went First. Toronto, ECW Press, 2021. UBC Book; UBC Audio Book [Available at Vancouver Public Library in print, ebook and audio book versions.] Includes chapters on aging and transitioning to a successful retirement.
Savishinksky, Joel. Breaking the Watch: the Meanings of Retirement in America. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000. Based on interviews with 26 retirees in United States and lessons learned. Online Access
Silver, Michelle Pannor. Retirement and Its Discontents: Why we Won’t Stop Working Even If We Can. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018. Focus on academics and other professionals. Online Access
Vaillant, George E. Aging Well: Surprising Guidepost to a Happier Life from the Landmark Harvard Study of Adult Development. Boston: Little, Brown, 2002. UBC Book
Van Ummersen, Claire A., Jean McLaughlin, and Llauren J. Duranleau, eds. Faculty Retirement: Best Practices for Navigating the Transition. Sterling, Virginia: Stylus Publishing, 2014. Co-published with the American Council on Education (ACE). Focuses on fifteen institutions which ACE selected for their innovative and effective approaches in working with faculty transitions into retirement, especially as the cohort of boomer generation faculty near the end of their careers. Online Access
Wilkes, Helen. The Aging of Aquarius: Igniting Passion & Purpose as an Elder. Gabriola Island, British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 2018. Guides and stimulates self-reflection. Online Access
Articles
Baldwin, Roger B. “Who Will Reinvent Academic Retirement? It Takes a Team.” New Directions for Higher Education (2018): 85-91. Online Access
Baldwin, Roger G., Angie A. Belin, and Brett H. Say. “Why Reinvent Academic Retirement?” New Directions for Higher Education (2018): 9-16. Online Access
Bugge, John, Carole E. Goldberg, Brett H. Say. “Winning Support for New Visions of Academic Retirement.” New Directions for Higher Education (2018): 75-84. Online Access
Cahill, Mairead, Judith Pettigrew, Katie Robinson and Rose Galvin. “The Transition to Retirement Experiences of Academics in “Higher Education”: A Meta-Ethnography.” Gerontologist 59:3 (2019): 177-195. Online Access
Goldberg, Carole E., and Roger G. Baldwin. “Win-Win: Benefits of Expanding Retirement Options and Increasing the Engagement of Retired Faculty and Staff.” New Directions for Higher Education (2018): 69-74. Online Access
Hall, Judith G. “Continuing Contributions of Older Academics.” American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A 185:2 (2020): 647-657. Online Access
McMaster University. “Making the Transition to Retirement (blog post).” Optimal Aging Portal (April 24, 2019). Online Access
Morrison, Robert. “Administrators Should Pay Attention to This Fast-Growing Group: University Retirees.” University Affairs (November 3, 2020). Online Access
National Institute on Aging. “How to Find Reliable Health Information Online.” Last modified January 12, 2023. Online Access
Osborne, John W. “Psychological Effects of the Transition to Retirement.” Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy 46:1 (2012): 45-58. Online Access
Richards, Robin, Robin McLeod, David Latter, et al. “Toward Late Career Transitioning: a Proposal for Academic Surgeons.” Canadian Journal of Surgery 60:5 (2017): 355-358. Online Access
Surveys and Studies
Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) Institute of Aging (IA). CIHR established the Institute of Aging to support research, to promote healthy aging and to address causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with aging. CIHR also provides a directory of Canadian Research Centres on Aging & Other Associations.
Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Begun in 2010, the CLSA long term national study involves 50,000 men and women, age 45-85 when recruited, who will be followed until 2033 or death. The aim of CLSA is “to find ways to help us live long and live well, and understand why some people age in healthy fashion while others do not.” The first report on Health and Aging in Canada, based on five years of data, was released in 2018. CLSA website
Council of University of California Retiree Associations (CUCRA). “UC Retirees: Generous Talents, Enduring Community.” University of California Retiree Activities January 2017 through September 2020. Online Access
Edward Jones. Edward Jones and New Wave, in conjunction with Harris Poll. “The New Retirement.” Research reports include: Resilient Choices and the New Retirement (2023), Longevity and the New Journey of Retirement (2022), and The Four Pillars of the New Retirement (2020). Online Access
International Longevity Centre (ILC) Global Alliance. A multinational consortium whose aim is to help societies address longevity and population ageing in positive and productive ways. Canada is a member with a University of Ottawa affiliation. Links to all of the member organizations can be found on the homepage; members have their own websites with links to their reports and resources. ILC Global Alliance website
UBC Emeritus College. Summary Reports of Surveys of Retired UBC faculty members and librarians. Surveys are conducted periodically to get feedback on the UBC Emeritus College programs and activities, and to gain insights into how individuals are adapting to a new phase in life. Online Access
Websites & Video Recordings
AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Learning). “Reimagining Retirement: Exploring Your Life Plan.” 2024. Three webinars were included in this series: Reframing Your Identity, Reimagining Your Personalized Plan, and Rebuilding Your Network. To view these sessions and to access the slides and an excellent reading list, go to the Reimagining Retirement webpage.
McMaster University. Optimal Aging Portal. This portal has many helpful features and covers varied topics such as a blog post on “Making the transition to retirement” and videos on subjects such as Alzheimer Disease, Insomnia, Bone Health, Diabetes, Exercise, Diet, and much more.
UBC Emeritus College. “UBC Health, Dental and Travel Insurance Information Meeting.” June 6, 2024. Representatives from Sun Life, Johnson, RTOERO, and UBC Human Resources made short presentations and were available to respond to questions concerning the insurance options available to UBC retirees. A recording of this event, as well as other events organized and sponsored by the College, can be found on the UBC Emeritus College recordings webpage.
UBC Faculty of Medicine. Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging. The Centre focuses on interdisciplinary research and translating findings into ways to promote healthy aging. It offers public presentations, research seminars and an aging better together symposium. To learn about upcoming events and access archived presentations, visit the Health Aging Events portal.
Organizations & Associations
AROHE (Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Learning)
https://www.arohe.org/
American based, supporting all phases of faculty/staff retirement through a dynamic member network, including the UBC Emeritus College. Provides resources such as the 2024 webinar series, Reimagining Retirement.
CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons)
https://www.carp.ca/
Federally incorporated non-profit corporation providing advocacy, benefits to members, newsletter plus Zoomer magazine. Free CARP membership in the first year of retirement for UBC faculty/librarians.
Canadian Snowbird Association
https://www.snowbirds.org/
National not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated to defending and improving the rights and privileges of Canadian travellers.
CURAC (College and University Retiree Associations of Canada)
https://curac.ca/
National organization of almost 40 postsecondary retirees' associations across Canada, including the UBC Emeritus College. It speaks for the collective on a variety of public policy issues and provides important services to its members, including an annual conference that highlights best practices among its member associations and promotes collaboration.
EAPE (European Association of Professors Emeriti)
https://europemeriti.org/index.php/en/
Retired professors from European and non-European universities. Through programs and initiatives, EAPE supports and fosters the continued work of retired faculty in their roles as educators, counselors, and researchers for life.
UBC Emeritus College (EC)
https://emerituscollege.ubc.ca
Supports faculty members, librarians and senior academic administrators as they transition into retirement and enables UBC emeriti to continue their vital connections and contributions to UBC, to their network of family, colleagues and friends, and broader communities. The College aims to enrich life after retirement through advocacy, programming, special interest groups, and events.