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Staying busy in retirement
Posted on 12 September, 2016
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The Guardian newspaper recently highlighted that more retired people are playing an increasingly active and enthusiastic role in the Third Age Economy, highlighting that around 1.4 million people in the UK now continue to work beyond the age of 65 [i].
Staying busy and active in retirement is vital to most people’s sense of well-being and sanity.
One way for older people to keep busy is to take on a different kind of role and become a homesitter – combining the responsibility of looking after someone’s home and pets with the chance to travel and explore new places.
Our home and pet sitting services are available throughout the UK and so there is plenty of opportunity to visit new areas. Homesitters could be staying in a beachside cottage one week, a rural mansion the next or a chic urban apartment the next – the world, or at least the UK is their oyster.
One of the main benefits of being a sitter is the chance to keep fit. Many of our clients have pets, especially dogs that need walking, so homesitters can enjoy exploring a new area with a new companion.
One of our Homesitters, June Palmer says that exploring the country and keeping fit are the main reasons she and her husband enjoy the role so much.
June says, “Home and pet sitting gives us a chance to stay in gorgeous locations and get out in the countryside. We joined the National Trust so we can visit lovely houses and gardens wherever we are based. We love looking after animals too and our assignments have involved looking after cats, guinea pigs and chickens, but most of all we love walking the dogs – we go out with them for two hours or more and its great exercise.”
On assignments, homesitters also spend time doing light household duties, including gardening which also keeps them busy.
For many like June, spending time with animals is a big motivation to becoming a homesitter. Often homesitters will have owned pets in the past but as they have got older don’t want to be restricted by getting another. However, they miss caring for animals and home and pet sitting offers the best of both worlds.
Homesitters also receive a modest remuneration that can supplement a pension or other income. So if you are retired and looking for something new and rewarding to do, why not have a look around our site and see if homesitting could be for you.
[i] https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jun/22/economics-of-retirement-power-pensioner-spending
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