Notions of work and retirement among older people are changing. At the turn of the last century, most people worked until disability or death. With today's longer life expectancy, ideas about how we can spend the extra years have shifted. In the popular imagination, these “golden years” often connote a kind of endless vacation, with an escape to a warmer climate, limitless rounds of golf, and rafts of social activities.

These years don’t have to be an ending or a retreat. They can be an opportunity—to continue work we love, find new businesses to start, rekindle creative or academic passions, or serve our communities as civic leaders. Productive activities are key to feeling useful and engaged. 

For inspiration, think about:

• Roy Neuberger, benefactor of the Neuberger Museum of Art and founder of the investment company, Neuberger and Berman, who, at 99, was still going into his office regularly for work. 
  
  
• Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross at 60 and served as its President until 83.
  
  
• Irving Wright, MD, a renowned researcher and former president of the American Heart Association, who created a new non-profit organization, the American Federation for Aging Research, at 81.
  
  
• Or, Len Lovette, my father-in-law, who sold his small business in South Carolina and at 65 became a commercial pilot, flying clients around the Southeast

Try a sample exercise to help you stay involved by Giving Back to others and the community at large.