Adjustment Patterns and Changing Lifestyles among Retired Adults in Obudu Local Government Area of Nigeria

Occupational disengagement, social disengagement and retirement have remained very interesting topics of discussion among different professionals; gerontologist, geriatricians, social workers and pension administrators in the developing world. No doubt, this period in life especially in this part of the world, comes (though gradually) with a plethora of physiological, economic and psycho-social challenges to both the ageing adults, relations, associates and other agencies involve with providing care and support for senior citizens. Whereas this period is supposed to be anticipated with longing and a healthy desire to go into a period of rest, the reverse is the case in the developing world where this period is that of anxiety and uncertainly, hence eliciting different reactions and behavior modification in the retiring adults. This paper sought to investigate the adjustment patterns among retired adults in Obudu LGA of Nigeria. Four parameters including, changing roles in the ageing family, husband wife relations, grand parenthood and alternative lifestyle were used to examine the adjustment patterns among a sample of senior citizens randomly selected to reflect the identified demographic characteristics. The findings revealed marked differences in the adjustment of men and women, urban and rural dwellers, highly educated and poorly educated retired citizens.