Target Audience: Persons nearing retirement or have retired.

(Total 4 Sessions)

Date & Time: 3, 10, 17, and 24 March (Tuesdays)

Venue: St Anne's Church, St Joachim's Hall (Level 4)

66 Sengkang East Way, Singapore 548593

Time: 9.30am to 12.30pm

Cost: $40 per pax

Working persons in Singapore generally retire in their 60s. However, apart from financial preparation (perhaps), there is often little psychological preparation to enter into a new stage of life. There is an initial ‘vacation’ phase where they enjoy doing what they want and having no set routine. Subsequently though, they may feel bored, directionless and lost. They may become fearful of aging and their declining capabilities. The long-awaited golden years loses its lustre.

In this 4-session workshop, participants in or entering their golden years will consider how they can prepare themselves for this phase of life. These include:

• Understanding the psychological challenges that come with retirement and aging

• Adopting perspectives that enable the years ahead to be lived with enthusiasm

• Dealing with possible issues of loneliness, loss of purpose and poor relationships

• Making adequate preparations for the coming years and for the infirmities of old age.

Session 1 – Being Prepared

Session 2 – The Next Chapter: Designing a Life of Meaning and Purpose After Retirement

Session 3 – Aloneness: Finding Joy in Solitude and Community

Session 4 – Mending the Threads: The Gentle Art of Reconnecting

Speaker:

John Ooi is married and is a father of 6 adult children. His working life was in the area of education, and he has been providing consultancy and training services to private education institutions since 2010. He is active in several family life ministries. In preparing for his Third Age, he had to confront a number of uncomfortable questions, which he will raise in the workshop. He will also share with participants, for their consideration, some of the answers he has discovered on how to transit into this new and different stage of life.