I had retired – now I’m back, and working as a carer’
Starting a later-life career helping others will top up your income, improve your mental and physical health – and provide a valuable service, finds Jack Simpson
If someone told me l’d be working in the care sector after retirement,
I would have been very surprised, said David Richardson, who came out of retirement nearly two years ago to be a Carer.
The former civil servant retired in November 2022 at 60, but a year later, he took a part-time job at the homecare service Seniors Helping Seniors.
Richardson, 63, works two days a week and visits five elderly clients. He drives them to hospital appointments, takes them out for lunch and the occasional
pint and even organises their household bills.
“I helped one client with getting cheaper fuel bills, and in the first year I saved him about £1,500,” said Richardson, who lives in Herne Bay, Kent.
CARING IS SHARING
Sally Wilse, the co-owner of Seniors Helping Seniors, which recruits older people
to look after the elderly in their homes, said Richardson was not unusual. “Lots of people are looking for extra work because pensions aren’t what they were.”
She said her carers include former members of the police, some whom worked in education and even senior corporate professionals.
“When people come back into work, they want to be respected, they want purpose, they want to be paid well. They also want work to be flexible, and working as a carer can offer that,” she said.
According to Skills for Care, which provides training and is funded by the government, 29 per cent of the workforce in the adult social care sector in England was over 55 in 2023. This was up from 23 percent in 2016 – 2017.
The Canterbury branch of Seniors Helping Seniors, where Richardson
works, employs 90 people aged 24 to 81, with the average age of employees being
60. These include people who previously worked as police officers, bank managers, teachers and social workers.
BACK IN THE WORKFORCE
The proportion of the UK workforce that were over 65 hit a record 12.7 per cent between April and June, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Ten years ago it was 10.1 per cent and in 2005 it was just over 6 per cent.
Some like Richardson are returners.
A survey of 6,000 people by the pensions firm Standard Life in July and August last year found that about 7 per cent of those over 55 who had retired were back at work, while a further 2 per cent were looking for a job.
Carers at Seniors Helping Seniors who provide full personal care which includes helping clients get cleaned and dressed earn £15.70 on average, while those
providing companionship care, like Richardson, usually earn £14.30 an hour.
Richardson makes about £450 a month, which supplements the £2,000 he gets from his personal pensions. He will get the state pension when he turns 67 in 2028.
His wife, Pamela, 70, came out of retirement two years ago to work two days a week as a service co-ordinator for the same company. She earns about £800 a month to top up her state pension of £931 a month.
NOT JUST ABOUT THE MONEY
He said: “We didn’t need the extra money to pay our bills, but it has given us the chance to go out and have some fun because a five-day weekend does cost a few quid, but we also enjoy it. I love the conversations; a chat with a client last week went from us talking about Harry S Tuman one minute to the Sultan of
Oman the next,” Richardson said.
“I recommend working in care to anyone in my position. You will find that one of your last ever roles will be your most rewarding.”
Eileen Connell, 73, from Canterbury has been working for Seniors Helving Seniors for more than a decade. She does 10 to 12 hours a week for Seniors Helping Seniors, earning about £500.
In June, she had a heart attack, and after a break is back working. “If it were an office job or manual work, I wouldn’t be back, but that is one of the beauties of being a carer: our schedule can be tailored to us and our clients,” she said.
She sees three people a week, including 71-year-old woman with mobility issues. She also cares for a gym-loving 96-year-old.
“We have chats, and I do little odd jobs around the house, and then after I’ve seen her, she takes her walking frame with her to the gym, where she uses
rowing machine. She said.
Connell, who lives alone, thinks being a carer helps to prevent loneliness in old for her as well as those she looks after.
She said: “It makes a huge difference to my life; without it, I would spend a lot
more time on my own and be isolated.
The money helps to top up the £884 a month she gets from the state pension
“It’s a lifeline for me. If I didn’t have a car I wouldn’t
have a social life. My other income only
covers Rent and household Bills.
CRYING OUT FOR OLDER WORKERS
About 6.5 per cent of adult social care jobs in England were unfilled in the last
Financial year according to skills for
Care, which estimates that an extra
540,000 jobs will have been created in the sector by 2040.
A CASH LIFELINE
Mike Ambery from Standard Life believes that the rising cost of living will force more older people to gradually reduce their hours rather than stopping work suddenly while others will take on part time work at some point.
“It’s likely that more will shun the traditional cliff-edge retirement. Many who
Have recently retired are being forced to rethink their plans and return to work to supplement their income.”
Of the 7 per cent of over-55s in Standard Life’s survey who had returned to work
wanted to be able to treat themselves,
while 27 per cent said their pension was not enough to live on.
The Times reported last week that staying busy and active past the age of 65 was the key to healthy ageing, reducing the risk of several chronic diseases
Caroline Abrahams from the charity Age Uk. said: “We hear of significant numbers of care professionals who are older people themselves and who carry on working until deep into later life, certainly past their state pension age.”
For Pam Richardson,the money is only one of the benefits of coming out of
retirement to be a carer. She said: “The thing 1 love about it is you just make a
huge difference to people’s lives and that can sometimes be as simple as having a cup of tea with them.”
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