The Service of Retirement Preparation Program for Older Adults in Taiwan: From the Perspectives of Occupational Health Management Specialists

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the experiences of implementing retirement preparation programs in Taiwanese. A qualitative study approach, in which semi-structured one-to-one in-depth interviews were conducted for data collection, was employed. Nine occupational health management specialists with experience in implementing retirement preparation programs were interviewed to shed light on the service of such programs in the workplace in Taiwan. The results showed that there is an increasing number of retirees, and that the lack of retirement planning among soon-to-be retirees has resulted in them experiencing anxiety. Younger employees also indicated a desire to learn about retirement planning, which prompted the occupational health management specialists to organize retirement programs. The primary obstacles faced by the occupational health management specialists were the lack of supervisor support, the difficulty of implementation during working hours, and the sensitive nature of the subject of retirement in the workplace. The corresponding measures included seeking supervisor support, arranging the programs flexibly to suit the employees' free time, and replacing the word “retirement” with more creative terms. The service of retirement preparation programs benefited both employees and companies. The study can be referenced when designing retirement preparation service for older adults.

Keywords:

• Service for older adults
• retirement preparation
• older adult education

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Center for Innovative Research on Aging Society (CIRAS), National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan.