Older Americans Seek Meaning and New Experiences in Retirement Years; Say Health Is the Biggest Factor to Achieving Their Goals
June 26 2019 - 9:30AM
Business Wire
A new survey finds that top retirement-age
worry is losing mobility, cognitive ability or becoming
hospitalized
In a new survey, nearly 70% of Americans ages 62 and older said
physical health is most important to them as they age, followed in
order by cognitive health (16%), social health (13%) and financial
health (6%). While most are feeling good and being proactive to
maintain or improve their health, nearly all are worried about
ending up sick or hospitalized.
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According to a recent UnitedHealthcare
survey, older adults say health is the biggest factor to achieving
goals in retirement (Source: UnitedHealthcare).
To address this, most have made a change in recent years to make
themselves feel healthier, with diet and exercise improvements
being the top steps people are taking; and 56% say they are working
to improve or maintain their mental health.
“The findings of this survey validate what we hear from our
members about the value they place on health, and the role health
plays in fulfilling their goals as they age,” said Ben Kehl, vice
president of member experience, UnitedHealthcare Medicare &
Retirement. “At UnitedHealthcare, we want to be an active partner
in helping our members live healthy and feel confident in their
health care decisions, so they can focus on living a life they
love.”
Top Goals for “Retirement” Years Include Recreation,
Socialization, Meaningful Work and Good Health
The survey shines a light on the new generation of
retirement-age Americans – many of whom think of their retirement
years not as a time to relax and retire, but as a time to dive into
their passions and hobbies, and perhaps even start a new type of
employment. Survey respondents said the next stage of their lives
is a time for them to:
- Seek New Experiences. Among those who have goals for
retirement, many hope to enjoy extended travel (45%), achieve a
fitness-related goal (38%) and get more involved in their community
(26%).
- Be Healthier. Living a healthy life can mean different
things – nearly 70% reported starting a new routine to make
themselves feel healthier, such as a new diet (40%), fitness
routine (34%) or finding volunteer opportunities (11%).
- Be Social. 75% host or attend social gatherings each
month. Among those who are socially active, they attend, on
average, five social gatherings per month.
- Keep Working. 67% have not re-entered the workforce
since retirement. However, of those who have re-entered the
workforce, 50% wanted to work again to have something on which to
focus their energy, while the remaining 50% felt they needed to
generate a source of income.
“More than 10,000 people turn 65 each day,1 and they’re bringing
a fresh approach to this phase of life,” said Kehl. “We have a
unique opportunity to help these people forge a new path and
redefine aging. Understanding the goals of our members enables us
to design and deliver programs and services that will help them
achieve those goals, whether that means staying active, improving
health or navigating complex health care needs.”
Knowing the Medicare-eligible population is varied, both with
respect to age and health status, UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans
are developed to address personalized needs no matter where someone
falls along that continuum. Often that means supporting those who
have already taken control of their health through programs like
Renew Active, which provides access at no additional cost to
participating fitness locations as well as online brain exercises,
or guiding others through challenging health care experiences on
their journey to better health, through one-on-one support programs
like Navigate4Me.
People enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans can learn
more and take advantage of their specific plan offerings by calling
the number on the back of their health card or visiting
AdvantageUHC.com for more information.
For more ways to improve health and well-being, visit the
UnitedHealthcare Newsroom at Newsroom.UHC.com.
Survey Methodology:
The UnitedHealthcare Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research
(www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative
U.S. adults, ages 62+, between March 27 and April 3, 2019, using an
email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to
ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult
population ages 62 and older.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier
lives and making the health system work better for everyone by
simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and
wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care
providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full
spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and
Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
more than 1.3 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also
provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned
and operated health care facilities in South America.
UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group
(NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more
information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC
on Twitter.
Plans are insured through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or
one of its affiliated companies, a Medicare Advantage organization
with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in these plans depends on the
plan’s contract renewal with Medicare.
Participation in the Renew Active™ by UnitedHealthcare program
is voluntary. Consult your doctor prior to beginning an exercise
program or making changes to your lifestyle or health care routine.
Equipment and classes may vary by location. Services, including
equipment, classes, personalized fitness plans provided by fitness
centers, and brain activities provided by BrainHQ, are provided by
third parties not affiliated with AARP or UnitedHealthcare. AARP
and UnitedHealthcare do not endorse and are not responsible for the
services or information provided by this program. Availability of
the Renew Active™ program varies by plan/area. Renew Active is not
a standard benefit available on all plans. Some plans require the
purchase of an additional fitness rider.
Navigate4Me by UnitedHealthcare is not available in all
plans.
1 Pew Research Center. Baby Boomers Retire. Published Dec. 29,
2010, at
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2010/12/29/baby-boomers-retire/
Y0066_190620_104843_M
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Kristen Thistle UnitedHealthcare 952-931-5201
kristen.thistle@uhc.com
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