Elderly Retiree Continues Work at Age 85: Vanessa's Story

Working Till the Golden Years: Struggling to Make Ends Meet

Breathless and exhausted, Vanessa, an 85-year-old retiree, ascends the stairs leading to her seventh-floor apartment after a grueling day at work. Despite being retired, she continues to work, providing foot care or leading chair dancing sessions at a senior home to make ends meet. "I'm frugal, but the money's just not enough," she admits in the ZDF documentary "37°: Retirement? Not enough!". With a meager monthly income of 1,400 euros after all expenses, Vanessa is left with a mere 400 euros. "Retirement? It doesn't quite work out," laments the octogenarian.

Many retirees face a similar predicament, with women being disproportionately impacted by the risk of poverty in old age. The number of retirees still working has increased by 25 percent in the last five years, nearing 1.5 million. Today, a good portion of the clientele at German food banks consists of senior citizens, struggling to make ends meet.

"The money only lasts for three-quarters of the month," confesses 75-year-old Angelika, a volunteer at the food bank, who supplements her 870-euro net pension with 500 euros from mini-jobs at a supermarket. Despite the physical toll, she's constantly on the lookout for new employment opportunities—yet her age often gets in the way.

Like Vanessa and Angelika, both women who spent much of their lives caring for their children, the pension fund's contributions were comparatively less. Additionally, they are divorced and cannot depend on a partner's support. "I did have a wealthy husband, but he was a miser," Angelika chuckles wryly. Her daughter is currently in no position to offer financial assistance, while Vanessa prefers to maintain her independence.

Late-Career Desperation:

At 71, former self-employed worker Emi found himself in a dire financial situation when his savings dried up after suffering a slipped disc. "One day I calculated, 'No, this can't carry on—you barely have a pension.' I only receive 100 euros," he explains, with a sense of desolation.

Today, the trend of elderly individuals working past their retirement years, either out of necessity or choice, is a global phenomenon driven by demographic shifts, economic conditions, and policy changes.

In the US, 19.5% of people aged 65 and older participate in the workforce, with nearly a quarter of retired workers admitting that they need the income to survive[1]. The UK shares a similar trend, as 11.5% of the population continues working post-65, a figure that has more than doubled since 2000[2].

Improved health and cognitive function allow older workers to continue contributing productively[2]. Meanwhile, the demand for care services, such as home health and personal care, is projected to grow by 21% between 2023 and 2033[3][5].

From an economic standpoint, older workers can contribute positively to economic growth by enhancing healthcare systems and pension funds—but at the risk of slowing overall growth in some nations, like Japan and China[4]. As the population of seniors continues to rise, the implications for pension and healthcare systems will become increasingly challenging.

To tackle this issue, policy changes are required, such as the abolition of the default retirement age in the UK, enabling a greater number of older workers to continue in their professions if they so chose[2].

In light of her limited income, Vanessa also engages in health-and-wellness activities like leading chair dancing sessions, demonstrating the intersection of science, as exercise benefits health, and mens-aging, as it helps generate personal-finance.
Struggling to manage her expenses, Angelika, like many retirees, resorts to taking on mini-jobs in finance, illustrating the reality of women's-health and personal-finance intertwining in addressing the challenges of aging.
Emi, realizing the depletion of his savings and inadequate pension, enters the health-and-wellness sector in his late career, showcasing the global trend of older individuals working past retirement age driven by economics and demographic shifts.
As a growing number of seniors work to improve their financial situations, the demand for care services such as home health and personal care increases, a trend that highlights the link between science, health-and-wellness, and finance in addressing the needs of an aging population.