75-year-old retiree returns to work as intern

Originally published by Benefits Canada.

Robert De Niro may have changed the way Sun Life Financial Inc. looks at its intern program.

“One rainy day a few months ago, I watched the movie [The Intern],” says Isabelle Hudon, senior vice-president of client solutions at Sun Life. In the film, senior citizen Ben, played by De Niro, cuts short his retirement to head back to work as an intern at an Internet-based clothing company.

“It’s a fun and light movie, but still behind the scenes, there’s a few things that are true to our reality today,” says Hudon. “And I look at my dad. My dad is 75, in top shape and he has a lot still to offer. But he’s fully retired and he’s not necessarily contributing anymore to the economy and to his community. And it makes me sad, because there’s a lot that he could give back and share with younger generations.”

Read: Help clients find purpose in retirement

With those thoughts in mind, Hudon went out and hired Sun Life’s first senior intern, 75-year-old George Graham, who retired from the company in 2003. Since taking on the position in the spring, Graham has been helping retirement consultants communicate better with pre-retiree and retiree clients.

Read the full story at Benefits Canada.

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