The research paper ‘Work Longer, Live Healthier’(1) concludes that retirement has measurable downsides – and the longer you spend in retirement the greater these are.  Retirement

- decreases the likelihood of being in ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’ self-assessed health by c. 40%

- increases the probability of suffering from clinical depression by c. 40%

- increases the probability of having at least one diagnosed physical condition by c. 60%

 Doubling the number of years spent in retirement further increases the chance of depression by nearly a fifth and the prospect of physical illness by 20%.

 Worrying figures given the UK’s increasing life expectancy and the financial pressure this is placing both on state pensions and health care costs. 

Putting a human face on these findings was Nell McFadden MBE on Thursday’s Today programme.  She confirmed the short term bounce – holiday effect – of initial retirement; those first few months were ‘magic’.  But then all the lovely free time became a burden to her and depression set in.  On going to see her doctor, she received not pills but advice: get out into the community and get involved.

25 years on, she summarised her advice to Today listeners: “Do not retire before you decide what you’re going to do afterwards.”

Wise words that would be echoed by the c900 employees of Homesitters Ltd.  When researching their retirement options, they recognise the benefits of home and pet sitting as a stimulating retirement occupation.  It’s work – but occasional, so an excellent compromise for those who do not want to retire completely but wish to escape the daily grind of full-time employment. Homesitters Tim and Jill Clark who joined the company in 2002 and are particularly fond of dogs say “Our dog sitting keeps us young because it ensures we take regular exercise, keeps our brains alert and provides wonderfully rewarding companionship.”   

For 33 years, Homesitters Ltd has been successfully doing what Mark Littlewood the director-general of the Institute of Economic Affairs is advocating in The Times on 16 May (2): recruiting and retaining staff in their sixties and seventies.  Well, how about that… ahead of The Times! 

(1) http://www.iea.org.uk/publications/research/work-longer-live-healthier-the-relationship-between-economic-activity-health-and-government-policy

(2) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/columnists/article3766103.ece

Now see   http://www.homesitters.co.uk/become-a-home-and-pet-sitter/ 

 As agony aunt for Saga Magazine   ( http://www.saga.co.uk/saga-magazine/katharine-whitehorn/2013/april.aspx ), Whitehorn is well-placed to see this manifesting itself with  “… the terrible business of the retired man who drives his wife crazy because he hasn’t got anything to do except reorganise her.”

 It’s a scenario on which Homesitters Ltd has built its business.  For 33 years, the company has been welcoming those who wish not to ‘retire’ on reaching pensionable age – but who relish escaping the straitjacket of full-time employment.

 And, with the gap between fit, active ‘retirement’ and death generally getting longer, Homesitters reports increasing interest in this retirement occupation – “a 30-year sabbatical is just not on” (Whitehorn again, back in 2010!).  Both economically and spiritually, the retirement option of homesitting:

• gives a purpose and structure to life, and the continuation of a valued role in society
• gets retired couples out from under each other’s feet at home with a new joint (or solo, you choose) interest
• provides modest earnings to supplement a pension in these straitened times

In short – something to look forward to!

Du-te de aici!

Odejdź!

Pchać się!

Na swoim rowerze!

pe Bicicleta Yer!

Sam Marsden (Daily Telegraph 22 March 2013)

( http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9949498/Half-of-squatters-brought-to-justice-by-Scotland-Yard-are-Romanians.html )

…reports that out of a total of 92 people who “have been prosecuted or cautioned for illegally occupying residential buildings in London in the past six months” 41 were Romanian, 16 were Polish, 13 were “Britons” and there were 6 Spaniards and 2 Nepalese.  So if you find squatters in your home, do try some of the Polish and Romanian phrases above.   Better still, why not install an English speaking Homesitter before you head for the airport?   Then you can be confident that they will depart immediately when requested, and your home will probably be in better nick than when you left!

If you still haven’t been to a speed hill climb, 2013 should be the year. 

The Ferrari Owners’ Club (   www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk   ) will soon be commencing their annual Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship – road-registered Ferraris driving at “10 tenths” up narrow country lanes.

The best spectator venues include

May 11 & 12   Harewood                www.harewoodhill.com              

June 1 & 2       Shelsley Walsh      www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk

June 23            Gurston Down       www.gurstondown.org             

July 13 & 14    LotonPark              www.hdlcc.com  

August 31       Prescott                   www.prescott-hillclimb.com           

September 22   Shelsley Walsh  www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk

Whether competing or spectating, you will be very welcome – but dogs are not.  Best to leave them at home with a caring dog sitter.

Our neighbouring DJs The Old Rockers ( www.theoldrockers.co.uk ) report  “Our wedding enquiries are anabatic“.   Apparently this is DJ speak for increasing and it reminds us to prepare our Homesitters who specialise in one-day assignments.    We provide a wedding package designed particularly for wedding receptions at home.  Having somebody in the house, reliable but discreet, is a tremendous help to the family.  Responsibilities include security, pets, and helping confused caterers and lost guests…

Read all about it at  www.homesitters.co.uk/newsroom/a-helping-hand-from-homesitters

 Sue, our secretarial manager, sitting at her desk overlooking the busy A41, spotted a Border Collie playing Russian roulette with the traffic.  With no owner in sight, he was making repeated attempts to cross the road, retreating as cars swerved to avoid him.

 Sue quickly brought him into the safety of the office where he settled happily, enjoying being the centre of attention – typical Border Collie, always on the look-out for fresh stimuli!

 Then the fun began: trying to track down his owner.  The Tring address on his identity disc turned out to be out-of-date, but after some doggy-detective work a local vet ( www.springwellvets.com )  was able to confirm Tito’s current abode.  A keyholding neighbour told us that a dog walker visited twice a day to walk Tito while his owner was at work.  Seems that after that morning’s walk, the front door had not been secured properly; when it blew open, Tito saw an irresistible opportunity to take himself off for another outing.

 A very relieved owner later appeared at the office with a gift of chocolates for looking after his beloved pet.  And he is now giving fresh thought as to who should be looking after Tito… On that day’s performance, we’re top contender for dog sitting when he goes on holiday.

” Official figures now show that most men reach the age of 85, while the majority of women should see 89. And as the population ages, so does the workforce. On current trends, 2013 will be the year when the number of Britons who are over 65 and still in employment passes the one million mark for the first time. 

The latest numbers show that one in four people between the age of 65 and 74 is still earning a wage. The report carried out by the insurance group Aviva revealed that 23 per cent of people in this age group are still economically active, compared with 18 per cent when they launched their first Real Retirement Report almost three years ago

( www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/9779144/One-in-four-people-between-65-and-74-are-still-earning-a-wage-report-finds.html )

People are taking advantage of what Ros Altmann, director-general of the over-50s group Saga, calls the “bonus years”.

“Most people are not old at 60, or even 70, any more,” she says. “And there are a lot of people who won’t be doing themselves any favours if they try to stop working at the traditional pension ages.”

For the abolition of 65 as the default retirement age signalled that not only can we work longer – but that many of us have to. The pensions system was never designed for people to anticipate 20 years of leisure after their working lives. As a result, the state pension age is due to increase to 67 by 2028, with the Chancellor planning to link future rises to improvements in life expectancy. “

( www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/9793200/Silver-workers-turning-their-backs-on-retirement.html  )

Back in 1980, Homesitters became one of the larger employers of “older staff”; clients have always recognised the benefits of maturity.  Petsitting, particularly, was – and is – an excellent compromise for those who have reached retirement age but don’t want to give up work completely.   Mutatis mutandis, I suppose…

“…I’ve come up against what financial data collection company Defaqto discovered in a report five years ago: namely that inviting low premiums are on offer only to new customers. The premiums of old customers, meanwhile, are ramped up annually. As the report’s author, Brian Brown, put it: “It would appear that, increasingly, loyalty never goes unpunished and rewards are only available for the disloyal.”   ( http://www.easier.com/16086-loyal-consumers-penalised-by-home-insurance.html )

“…More recent research has put an actual figure on it, and found that customers, if they stay with their existing insurers, are being landed with a £180 “loyalty premium”. Or, as Time magazine put it in September in a report about how TV and Wi-Fi providers escalate longstanding customers’ bills each year: “We appreciate your business. And as thanks for being a loyal customer all these years, we’re going to overcharge you.” ( www.business.time.com/2012/09/06/proof-that-loyalty-is-for-suckers-best-customers-get-penalized-with-higher-bills/  )

“…In a shopping-around culture the loyalty of ordinary people is despised and penalised rather than rewarded. Indeed, it has become suspect: if you fail to do your consumerist duty and shop around, you’re a sucker who deserves what you get. You don’t erode the concept of loyalty, though, without there being wider consequences. If you commodify everything – services, relationships, even people – then you also dissolve social bonds, whose value is only cherished once it’s gone. If we feel no sense of loyalty to the places where we live and work, then truly there is no such thing as society. “

Good point.  Loyalty and trust are the keystones of Homesitters.  Our clients trust us and our sitters; and  when you trust a supplier, it makes sense to be loyal to them – which possibly explains why many of our clients have been with us since the 80s.

If the market for petsitters is influenced by celebrity endorsement then Homesitters should be benefitting substantially – except we never  make use of  our clients’ names.  All our assignments – and everything about them – are completely confidential.  It’s very pleasing if an MP recommends us to a colleague in the Pugin Room; we’re equally happy if we come up in conversation at the AMOC * or amongst some of our favourite clients at the Garrick ( http://www.garrickclub.co.uk/art.asp ) – but we’re not allowed to boast about our work. Our Homesitters are recruited for their tact and discretion (not least in a long list of sensible criteria), and where they go and what they see remains secret.

Apparently this is comforting to some of the Security Services (who have been known to visit our offices) but rather disappointing for journalists and biographers who telephone us for the lowdown (“What photos are in XXXX’s bedroom?  What do they leave in the ‘fridge?”).  Homesitters keep schtum.

* Aston Martin Centenary Dinner (Hilton Hotel, 15th January 2013)

( http://www.amoc.org/component/option,com_jcalpro/Itemid,887/extmode,view/extid,1683/ )

“The biggest reason I keep my number off my site and my cards is that phone calls take up a lot of time and are not that necessary in the beginning. As I pointed out, if someone needs to call me, they will get my number. Or, if they are a client, they will get my number. But, the average Joe who is looking for information about my services doesn’t need to call me. An email request, tweet or dm will work perfectly fine, gets their message across and takes up less time. I can also respond to emails in more places than I can answer a phone – and I can do it when it fits into my schedule.”    

Crikey, as they say…

Well, each to their own, but we promote the Homesitters telephone number 01296 630730.  Bob Hoskins says “It’s good to talk” and we agree.  All contacts – prospective clients, Homesitter applicants, people flogging advertising space – are media.  They’re an opportunity to reinforce perception of the name, even if the conversation is brief.   And from the outset, talking to enquirers is fundamental to understanding their needs and establishing if the relationship has a future. In addition to the general phone number 01296 630730 all Homesitters and clients have a private line which they can call at any time – every minute of the year – and it’s answered promptly by a human.

We try to provide what people want.  Enlightened self-interest, I suppose…