24 | NOVEMBER 21 • 2024 

W

hen I booked an 
appointment with a 
new physician who 
had recently joined my doctor’s 
practice, I was expecting a younger 
physician, which is great because a 
few of mine have retired in the last 
few years. However, 
I was in for quite a 
surprise when instead, 
an older physician 
walked in, took one 
look at my face, and 
laughingly explained 
that he had worked for 
30 years in a medical 
practice, retired last year, and after 
living through what he described as 
“the longest six months of my life,” 

joined my doctor’s practice and 
went back to work. 
In that same vein, a friend of 
mine retired about a year ago and 
is one of the busiest people I know 
… She has activities scheduled all 
day, most days of the week. But she 
reached out a few weeks ago saying, 
“Something is missing. I’m keeping 
myself busy all the time but I’m not 
doing anything truly meaningful 
with my time.” 
These stories are not as rare 
as one might think. While many 
people eagerly look forward to 
their retirement for much of 
their working years, after a brief 
honeymoon period, many feel 
unprepared for what the reality 

feels like, including:
• The sight of an empty calendar
• Realizing how much their job 
defined their identity
• A diminished sense of purpose 
in life
• Missing the daily interaction 
with colleagues and clients

A BIG TRANSITION
This is not surprising, as leaving 
the workforce at retirement is 
a significant life transition. But 
unlike most other transitions, 
we have no real preparation for 
it. Many people spend over a 
decade preparing for a successful 
transition to the working years of 
our lives including high school, 
college or trade school, graduate 
studies, internships, etc. But 

where is the training needed for a 
successful transition to retirement 
to ensure these years are just as 
fulfilling? 
Most retirement planning 
seminars focus solely on the 
financial implications of retirement. 
And while very important, having 
adequate finances is not the 
only key indicator for a fulfilling 
retirement. The lack of tools to 
manage any social, emotional and 
physical health issues that may 
arise, and no awareness of the 
need to proactively plan can result 
in an increased risk not only of 
financial difficulties, but also 
of loneliness and depression, 
a decline in physical health 
and, ultimately, a loss of 
independence. 
Jewish Family Service 
of Metropolitan Detroit 
has been working with 
Israeli-based JDC Eshel to 
bring its very successful 
retirement workshop series 
to Metro Detroit. Retirement 
Reimagined, the JFS culturally 
adapted version, empowers 
retirees with the tools and 
knowledge to create a vision 
for their post-retirement 
life and develop a roadmap 
for achieving it! Retirement 
Reimagined also provides access to 
total wellness training programs, 
including transitioning to a new life 
stage, financial and digital literacy, 
physical and social engagement, 
as well as modules focused on 
other vital wellness topics such as 
spirituality/purpose in life, physical 
strength and social engagement.

Workshop participants build 
a new network of support, feel a 
sense of excitement, hope for the 
future, pride in what they have 
accomplished, and a sense of 
vitality that keeps them motivated 
to make the most out of every day. ●

Evie Lynn Breuer, LMSW, CDP, is the senior 

director of community outreach and wellness at 

Jewish Family Service of Metropolitan Detroit.

Retirement 
Reimagined

BOOM | RETIREMENT

JFS program empowers retirees with 
the tools and knowledge to create a 
vision for their post-retirement life.

Evie Lynn 
Breuer

How Can I Start? 

If you are interested in more 
information and have been retired 
for at least one month but not more 
than five years, contact Becky 
Eizen, Retirement Reimagined 
program manager at (248) 592-
3961 or beizen@jfsdetroit.org to 
schedule an initial consultation. 
The program is funded in part 
by grants from The Jewish Fund, 
the Ben N. Teitel Charitable Trust 
and the Byron & Dorothy Gerson 
Innovation Fund.

ADVANTUS MEDIA INC.

For the Joys of 
Independent 
Senior Living

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5600 Drake Road | West Bloomfield, MI 48322

2024

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