My old fella was put onto his old age pension early . He was just over 60 when he was made redundant ( for about the fifth time in his life). He went to sign on , to be told that he would be put straight onto his pension , when he questioned it , he was told quite bluntly that no employer would give a job to a, diabetic , 60 year old , ex steel worker. He wasn't ready to retire , so he asked for some sort of training , and he did a 12 months training course to become a upholsterer , Then took his pension , and spent the next few years making furniture for friends and family.