“The activity must have meaning for the person”

What are the benefits of retirement? “ active » on physical and mental health?

The majority of studies show that there is a link between overall well-being and actively participating in society, in whatever way. This approach reduces anxiety or depressive symptoms, which are quite common. But the most important thing is to be multi-stimulated: practicing physical activity is good, but we can take advantage of it to chat and laugh. These relationships promote cognitive activity, maintain autonomy and can help delay pathologies, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

What are the risks if we do too much?

An overbooked schedule often reflects a defense mechanism, an attempt to delay aging. Ultimately, we risk acting automatically: moving for the sake of moving, so as not to get bored, etc. It is important that the activity has meaning for the person and makes them feel like they have control over their life. When we know that we are entering the last page, a natural movement pushes us to turn towards our centers of interest. The best thing is to listen to yourself: gardening because we like it rather than running here and there, that’s also very good.

Do you absolutely have to be active to “ age well » ?

In the early days of psychogerontology, we spoke not of “aging well” but of “successful aging”. The first expression betrays current pressure: society has every interest, in terms of spending for example, in preserving the autonomy of the elderly, but this speech can be guilt-inducing. “Aging well” must remain subjective: some are not active strictly speaking, they turn to things centered on their deep interests, such as spirituality, and derive real fulfillment from it.