95 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com senior living Retirement used to be the grand finale of a long career, trading in the 9-to-5 grind for shuffleboard and early bird specials. But a growing number of seniors are tossing out the old script and rewriting their life stories with an interesting post-retirement twist: their ‘second act.’ The reasons vary from financial need or missing social interaction to trying to stay at optimal health, but about 1 in 5 Americans age 65 and over continue to be part of the workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Stitching Together a New Chapter Brooke Hallman is on her fourth career. “I was a labor and delivery nurse for 25 years, raised my kids, then became a paramedic instructor for 18 years,” Hallman said. After retiring from her paramedic career in 2003, her colleagues, who knew she always kept a sewing machine in the trunk of her car, suggested she start charging for her handiwork. Just like that, Sew What was born. Now 90, Hallman works six days a week in her Mount Pleasant home, often seeing three to five clients a day. “People ask why I don’t retire. Most people my age who BY ANNE TOOLE Second Act Retirement is just the intermission www.CharlestonRetirementLiving.com | www.RetiringtoSouthCarolina.com | www.CoastalRetirementTowns.com
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