Why this 70-year-old still spends three hours a day commuting: “I love meeting new people”

For the vast majority of workers, retirement is an intrinsic part of the idea of old age. The sooner it arrives, the better. However, more and more people are choosing to delay it. They do so not only for financial reasons but also to stay active, maintain a clear purpose, and, in many cases, because they believe that working helps preserve their physical and mental health.

A prime example is Elaine Meltzer, a 70-year-old woman living in Borehamwood, on the outskirts of London. Three days a week, she spends up to three hours commuting: first walking more than 20 minutes to the station, then taking the train to the capital, and finally the subway to Harley Street, one of the city’s most exclusive streets, where she works in customer service at a private clinic.

“I love meeting new people every single day and I’m constantly learning. I’m mentally stimulated,” Meltzer tells The Times. She has been in the same position for 16 years and has no plans to leave anytime soon. She acknowledges that she could live without working—she owns her home and receives a pension—but she prefers to stay active. Her salary allows her to travel and give gifts to her two children and five grandchildren, as well as giving her peace of mind: “It helps me sleep at night knowing I can pay all my bills.”

She is not alone

Elaine’s case is not unique. According to financial services company Saga, cited by The Times, by 2030 more than half of the UK workforce will be 50 years or older. Meanwhile, the insurer Canada Life notes that 37% of companies have already observed employees retiring later than five years ago, and 21% have even seen retirees return to the labor market.

The reasons are not always financial. Only one in four people over 65 continues working out of necessity; by contrast, 42% work to stay healthy, active, and socially engaged.

Investment firm AJ Bell estimates that a person with a £450,000 fund (about $562,500) retiring at 60 would exhaust their savings by 83. However, if they continued working part-time until 65, that money could last until 91 or even 100, depending on their work schedule.

“We are seeing a profound shift in the workforce. As people live longer and work beyond the traditionally defined retirement age, there are changes in attitudes, openness and motivations for work in later life,” says Nick Harding, Head of Strategy at Canada Life UK, speaking to The Times.

In a United Kingdom facing, like th US, the challenges of an aging population and increased life expectancy, stories like Elaine Meltzer’s show that for many, retirement no longer necessarily means stopping work—it means reinventing the way they work.

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