Senescence in African & western countries.

Abstract

In Western countries, old age may be marked by retirement, which usually occurs at the age of 65 for men and a little earlier for women. During retirement, people need to develop new interests, or to pursue their hobbies to keep themselves active and to give meaning to their existence. Retirement does not necessarily mean that people stop working altogether. Many people who have retired from their career jobs take up parttime jobs with other employers, or with the same employers under different terms and conditions of service A limited number of Africans are employed in the public, private and business sectors. The majority of Africans are self-employed and thus the question of retirement is not a dominant concern. Most continue working until they are no longer able to do so, which may be either before or beyond the conventional retirement age.Given the nature of old age, it is doubtful that many people, whatever their cultural background, look forward to it.