This 81-Year-Old Still Works at Home Depot to Support Herself and Her 90-Year-Old Husband

For many, retirement is the long-awaited chapter where work ends and life begins. For Lydia and Bill, both well into their 80s, it’s a chapter that never arrived. Their days are still measured in shifts, paychecks, and the rising cost of simply existing. Yet, woven through their financial struggles is a story of resilience, love, and the small moments that make a life worth living—proof that even in the harshest realities, meaning can still be found.

Beyond the Age of Retirement: Lydia and Bill’s Reluctant Return to the Workforce

In a perfect world, Lydia and Bill Hinds would be spending their days over morning coffee, long walks, and the kind of unhurried moments that come after a lifetime of work. Instead, they wake up to the same question every month — how do we make it through the next one?

In an exclusive interview of Business Insider with Lydia, the answer lies in the familiar orange apron of Home Depot. At 81, she spends her shifts in the Berlin, Connecticut store, polishing appliance surfaces and offering directions to customers. The tasks seem simple enough, but her body tells a different story. Heart failure, diagnosed last year, has turned even short walks into uphill climbs. A recent five-hour shift ended an hour early, her breath too shallow to finish. “I feel trapped working, but I can’t stop working,” she admits, sinking into the red couch at home, where her basset hound, Brigette, is always waiting.

Bill, now 90, carries a different kind of weight—guilt. He once imagined taking on a job to share the load, but his health won’t allow it. “I feel so guilty that I can’t work,” he says. “You can’t work because of your age and your health issues,” Lydia tells him matter-of-factly. “There’s no sense feeling guilty about it.”

The arithmetic of their life leaves little room for comfort. Their combined Social Security, Bill’s modest television pension, and Lydia’s wages total about $4,600 each month. Rent for their one-bedroom in a 55-plus community claims $1,400. Add a car payment, insurance, Medicare premiums, and basic necessities, and the cushion disappears. Not long ago, their savings balance was just 44 cents.

Lydia has been with Home Depot since 2022, starting at $16 an hour and now earning $19.55. She has earned two promotions, yet even a raise can’t offset weeks when her hours drop from 22 to 17. On their coffee table, three job applications for remote customer service roles sit like small lifelines.

“What company would hire an 81-year-old?” she wonders aloud. “Hopefully one of them.” Her story mirrors that of over half a million Americans over the age of 80—roughly 4.2% of the Silent Generation—still working today, a steady climb from 3.6% a decade ago.

“We do know that the 75-plus demographic is the fastest growing segment of the workforce,” says Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience at AARP. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that Americans 75 and older are now twice as likely to remain in the labor force as they were in the early 1990s. That statistic may seem distant to others, but for Lydia and Bill, it is the only reality they know.

When Retirement Moves Out of Reach

For millions of Americans, the dream of retirement has been replaced by something far more sobering: the reality of working well into their 70s, 80s, and even 90s. Lydia and Bill Hinds’ story is deeply personal, but it’s also part of a much larger shift that’s rewriting the end chapters of working life.

One of the heaviest weights on older adults is the cost of simply keeping a roof overhead. Nationally, about one-third of households aged 65 and older spend more than 30% of their income on housing—a level economists define as “cost-burdened.” For those living alone in metro areas, just 13% could afford assisted living without dipping into their assets.

Health care only adds to the strain. Premiums, co-pays, prescription drugs, and emergency visits can turn a fixed income into a fragile one. The Social Security Administration reports that the average monthly benefit for retired workers hovers around $2,000—an amount that leaves little room for surprise expenses.

For those still willing and able to work, the options aren’t always promising. More than 90 Americans aged 80 and older told Business Insider that they are balancing health challenges, rising costs, and a job market that often offers nothing beyond minimum-wage positions.

Researcher Beth Truesdale of the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research calls it a “shocking number of people” being pushed out of the workforce as early as their 50s and 60s, long before traditional retirement, due to poor health, caregiving duties, or the toll of physically demanding jobs. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows employment participation plummets after age 51, regardless of gender or education.

Layered on top of all this is the persistent shadow of ageism. Many older jobseekers suspect that their applications never make it past the first glance. “Managers are already thinking that 60 is too old, so there’s little hope for someone who is much older,” says Janine Vanderburg, founder of the nonprofit Changing the Narrative.

Some programs, like the federally funded Senior Community Service Employment Program, help low-income workers 55 and older gain new skills. But experts say these efforts are far from enough. They point to the need for stronger workplace advocacy, expanded technology training, particularly in areas like AI, and state-level laws to give age discrimination protections more weight. Without such changes, the sight of octogenarians like Lydia stocking shelves or staffing customer service desks will only become more common.

When the Workday Outlasts the Social Circle

For Lydia and Bill Hinds, the challenges of working into their ninth decade aren’t measured only in hours on the clock or dollars in the bank. They are felt in the silences, empty chairs at holiday gatherings, conversations that no longer happen, and the shrinking list of people to call “family.” Where ten once crowded around the table, there are now three. Lydia’s relationship with her daughter has fractured over the years. Bill’s relatives remain close, but visits have grown infrequent.

The cost of this narrowing social world is more than emotional. Research from the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Connection warns that loneliness and isolation can carry health risks comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. They are linked to higher rates of dementia, heart disease, stroke, and premature death. For older adults already navigating financial instability, the erosion of connection adds another layer of vulnerability.

Yet Lydia and Bill resist letting those losses define them. They plan small escapes—a day in Hartford, a concert by the water. Bill plays Debussy and Chopin on a slightly out-of-tune piano in their community clubhouse, the notes filling a space that might otherwise feel too quiet. These moments are modest, but they are deliberate: acts of preservation, reminders that meaning doesn’t have to disappear simply because the workday refuses to end.

Practical Ways to Protect Your Future While Preserving Your Present

Lydia and Bill’s journey is a reminder that financial resilience and emotional well-being go hand in hand. While not all life events can be predicted, there are ways to prepare and to stay connected at any age.

• Prioritize consistent, even modest savings
  Financial advisors often note that small, steady contributions can compound significantly over time. Even setting aside a manageable amount each week can create a buffer for unexpected expenses.
• Diversify your income sources early
  Consider side ventures, freelance work, or passive income streams while you’re still in your prime working years. The more varied your income, the less reliant you’ll be on one employer or retirement account.
• Invest in your health as much as your finances
  Preventive care—regular checkups, balanced nutrition, and active living—can reduce future medical costs and help preserve your capacity to work or stay active if you choose to.
• Build and maintain your social circle
  Loneliness can be as damaging to your health as smoking, according to research from the U.S. Surgeon General. Prioritize relationships—join community groups, volunteer, or maintain regular contact with friends and family.
• Keep learning and adapting
  Whether it’s staying current with technology or acquiring new skills, adaptability keeps you relevant in the job market and more self-sufficient in daily life.
• Seek expert guidance before major decisions
  Consulting a financial planner, housing advisor, or elder law attorney can help you navigate complex choices about retirement, healthcare, or downsizing with clarity.

More Than Just Getting By

Lydia and Bill’s story shows two people working past the usual age of retirement, carried forward by a quiet resilience. The numbers on their paychecks may dictate the bills they can cover, but it’s the small, intentional acts—a shared joke, a spontaneous trip, the familiar notes of a piano—that truly sustain them.

Their experience reminds us that while financial security is critical, it’s equally important to protect the spaces in our lives that give us purpose and joy. The choices we make today—about money, health, and connection—shape not only our later years but also the richness of the moments in between.

In the end, survival may keep the lights on, but meaning keeps the heart lit.