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Add a Little Spice for a Healthy Retirement!

Martha Hinman and Cynthia Watson

As more “Baby Boomers” plan their retirement, many are faced with some fear of the unknown. While some individuals will explore additional employment or volunteer opportunities, others may focus on travel or leisure activities that they previously found little time to pursue. However, for those who have made no specific plans, retirement may create a void that can lead to boredom, loneliness, or depression. In particular, the outlook for retirement may create mixed emotions for individuals who have devoted their lives to helping professions such as education, counseling, health care, recreation, and social services. They still seek some productive and rewarding activity to fill their time and utilize the passion that first drew them to their careers. Such activity is certainly a critical ingredient for maintaining one’s mental health and fitness as we age. The Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree program at Anderson University in South Carolina, USA, is a relatively new educational program in a faith-based institution that has a strong service mission. As with all graduate, professional programs, our DPT program follows a very rigorous and challenging curriculum plan that creates a great deal of stress for students. One mechanism we created to help cope with this stress is our “SPICE of Life” program. This term is commonly used to describe a variety of experiences that enrich our lives (i.e., “adds flavor”) and makes us more well-rounded individuals. In our program, “SPICE” is actually an acronym which stands for “Senior Partners In Clinical Education.”