Appropriate Retirement Age

Retirement is a condition where a person stops employment completely after reaching a determined age, when physical conditions don't allow the person to work any more, or based on personal choice. The retirement age varies from country to country but it is generally between 55 and 70. In some countries this age is different for male and females. My opinion is that a person should retire once between age 62 and full retirement age, in connection with retirement benefits for employee (personal choice) and health state.

First, the advantage of retire at age 62 and full retirement age is has retirement benefits for life after. "In the United States, while most view 65 as normal retirement age, many retire before then, sometimes with condition causes such as job-loss, disability or wealth. However, the Old Age Survivors Insurance or OASI, better known as the Social Security system has age 62 as the earliest retirement age." (Social Security homepage. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/

agereduction.htm). A person can retire at any time between age 62 and full retirement age. However, if the person start benefits early, the benefits are reduced a fraction of a percent for each month before full retirement age. So, there are advantages and disadvantages to taking the benefit before full retirement age. The advantage is that the person collect benefits for a longer period of time. The disadvantage is the benefit is permanently reduced. Each person's situation is different, so based on data, the person who want to retire must make a proper plan to receive retirement benefits.

Although, there are several cases where a person may also semi-retire and keep some sort of retirement job or have an earlier retirement age. Some job, like politician, doctor, and lecturer have an exception for retirement age, that could be longer than normal. This exception is considered by the experience, knowledge, and skill that couldn't be replaced for quite a time by some newbie. For this kind of job, older the person, more trustworthy they become and more important roles they have. On the other hand, somecertain jobs, the most dangerous or fatiguing ones in particular, have an earlier retirement age. Considered by this kind of job, older the person, more dangerous the situation it has or even risk the person's life.

Second is, people at age 62 and older basically would have health state reduction, became no more fit to do usual activity or even unhealthy because of some disease. In this condition, the person is expected to retire from any kind of job they have before, because their physical condition is already dropped to do so. For these cases, a few of the aged who became too ill or infirm to work received support from a charitable institution, such as hospital and chapel.

For example the infirmary chapel of St. Leonard's. The hospital catered to a wide range of needs, including care of the sick, maintenance of the elderly, temporary shelter for pregnant women, education of 30 choristers, and spiritual support to the poor. In 1985, St. Leonard's Hospice was founded in York as a charitable organization providing in-house palliative care and off-site services for others with serious illnesses. (Florilegium Urbanum. http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns//florilegium/popret01)

The other example is, the hospital of St. Giles. The hospital continues today as a charitable institution, under another name by which it was less formally known in the Middle Ages: the Great Hospital. It still pursues one of its original aims in providing accommodation and care for the elderly; about 200 pensioners and their wives are residents nowadays. (Florilegium Urbanum. http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns//florilegium/popret03)

To conclude, the appropriate retirement age for retirement benefits is between age 62 and full retirement age. But for some special cases including skill of a person has when he or she got older, dangerous kind of job, and health condition, the retirement age is depended on the situation it in. Retirement age could be longer or even earlier than usual. So, the appopriate retirement age is different for each person, based on the situation, kind of job and decision they choose.

References
CULLUM, P. H.(1991). Cremetts and Corrodies: Care of the Poor and Sick at St. Leonard's Hospital, York, in the Middle Ages. Borthwick Papers, no.79 .
RAWCLIFFE, Carole.(1984). The hospitals of later medieval London. Medical History, vol.28 , 1-21.
Social Security homepage. [Online article] Retrieved May 2, 2008 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/agereduction.htm
Florilegium Urbanum. Retirement homepage. [Online article]. Retrieved May 2, 2008 from
the World Wide Web :
http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns//florilegium/popret01
Florilegium Urbanum. Retirement homepage. [Online article]. Retrieved May 2, 2008 from
the World Wide Web :
http://www.trytel.com/~tristan/towns//florilegium/popret03