Nowadays, it is becoming widely common for countries to increase the retirement age from work. This essay will argue that disadvanatages of this outweigh the benefits. The essay will first demonstrate that working at an older age can expose elderly people to diseases and it can be stressful to those related to the elderly, followed by an analysis on how making older people work can signal a problem not an advantage.
The main reason increasing the retirement age can be harmful to elderly people is that this increases the likelihood of them developing a range of chronic illnesses, such as, hypertension, strokes, and heart attacks. These diseases can be life-threatening and affect one’s quality of life negatively. An Australian research centre investigated the prevalence of diseases in older individuals who are employed, and found that 67% reported a sickness caused by them working. In addition, this predisposes older people to harmful physical situations, such as, falling or getting into a car accident, which leads to their relatives and close friends to constantly worry and stress about them. I, for one, experienced this with my grandfather who continued to work well into his eighties. I was constantly in a state of anxiety and agitation from all the worry of him not getting back home safely. It was severely detrimental to my mental health.
On the other hand, some argue that allowing older individuals to work grants them a steady income and financial independence. However, this reflects the country’s lack of geriatric care which should be available in all countries. Take for example, America which has raised the retirement age from 70 to 80 to avoid the law of supporting and paying older individuals a monthly allowance.
To conclude, the fact that geriatric people are at a higher risk of acquiring a disease and it causes stress to their loved ones clearly outweighs the argument of them receiving an income which is actually a problem not a benefit.