What are your thoughts on working into old age?

Don't worry: we're not trying to sell you the idea of working long after you wished you'd been exploring the world on exotic holidays, or indulging an idle interest like painting or theatre-going. Nonetheless, here at the senior citizens online guide Ask Granny (http://www.askgranny.com), we thought we'd ask: what is the attraction of working into old age? Would you like to do it, for reasons other than strict financial necessity? Or would you rather just put your feet up or do something completely different?

For some seniors, there's a definite attraction to continuing to work, into their 70s, 80s or even 90s. They may possess certain specialised skills in their job that young people no longer have, keeping them in demand with their present employer. Or they might love their job so much, that it seems a waste to stop for simple reasons of age. Others may feel, far from their job leading to their physical and/or mental deterioration, that the opposite applies - that retiring would leave them floundering. We're sure that there is a vast range of views on the subject amongst yourselves, the readers of our grandparents journal.

There are various other factors that might determine whether you plough ahead with work, or call it a day. The employment market is presently uncertain in many countries, of course, and you may simply find it too difficult to find work - a sad situation if you would actually like to continue working, of course, but true all the same. Or if you are in a job, you may be feeling a little guilty about potentially denying the chance of work to someone decades your junior. By all means, feel free to make your own decision on that one - but this particular grandparents guide certainly believes that you should never move over, simply because you feel that you 'should'.

Then, there's the simple, physical reality of ageing to consider. If your job involves hard labour or is highly intellectually demanding, remaining in the same post into old age becomes immediately less feasible or desirable. That is not to suggest that opportunities don't exist to switch to another, perhaps similar role, or even just one that calls upon much of the same knowledge and expertise, while being much less physically and/or mentally taxing. We'd suggest that you keep an open mind if you are in this situation and would like to continue working - while bearing in mind the importance to your loved ones of their grandparent's health.

Or maybe there's an activity that you have long wanted to do, but that has quickly become a paying job? It could be that your oil painted landscapes are proving in demand with buyers, or you may have made some money from writing work, perhaps as a novelist. If you've concluded this blog thinking that working into old age might not be quite so bad after all, then maybe Ask Granny (http://www.askgranny.com), the online guide for grandparents, has done its job!

Editor’s Note: Ask Granny (http://www.askgranny.com) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.