“At 65 I was just really getting started,” 91 year-old Maxine Bennet, who owns and operates a jewelry store in Dallas, Texas, according to an article in USA Today. Bennet’s daughter, Beverly, 70, told the newspaper that her mother has not continued work because she needs the extra money, but rather the work provides her an outlet for social interaction, for keeping her mind active, and for giving her daily activities.
“Basically, this may be working, but this is really mother's living,” Beverly said.
Maxine Bennet is part of a growing trend of seniors who are working long past their sixties. As reported in USA Today, the U.S. Department of Labor reported that in 1990, 4.2 per cent of those 75 years and above were working full time, and by 6.9 per cent in 2010.
Darrell Reneker, an 82 year-old professor, was also quoted by the media outlet. He continues to teach at the University of Akron, and also conducts professional research. He said he hasn’t continued working for the paycheques, but the interest he gets from the work.