The Individual Plan for Retirement

Abstract

Persons with disabilities aged 65 and older are a large and rapidly increasing cohort of the population of those who qualify for rehabilitation services. In providing services to this age group, one issue that has been barely mentioned in the literature is retirement planning. This article argues for the need to address this issue as an integral part of the rehabilitation counseling process with older consumers and proposes the development of a formal Individual Plan for Retirement (IPR) as a supplement to the Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) for these consumers. The article suggests a six-step process for constructing and implementing an IPR (RETIRE). Relevant literature on adjustment to retirement and on vocational rehabilitation, independent living, and avocational counseling for older persons with disabilities is summarized.