Skip to content
Curriculum · Stage 6 of 7 · Ages 45–64

Life skills for midlife, 45 to 64

Midlife skills are about keeping what you have: strength and balance, old friendships, good judgment, and savings that have to turn into income. The seven units in this stage cover getting up off the floor without your hands, sitting with someone's grief, deciding when to claim Social Security or CPP, and protecting older parents from scams. Lessons for this stage are still being written; the outcomes below set out what they will teach.

7
units
24
outcomes
3
lessons

What to be able to do by 65

By area

Body

Strength, balance and mobility

  • Can get down to the floor and back up without using hands
  • Can stand on one leg for 10 seconds
  • Can keep strength training on at least 2 days a week, because unused muscle is lost with age
  • Can get back on a bicycle after years away
  • Can book the screenings due for your age in your country

Mind

Grief

  • Can sit with someone's grief without trying to fix it
  • Can go to a funeral and say very little, which is the right amount
  • Can expect grief to arrive out of order rather than in neat stages
2.5 What to wear to a funeral, where to sit, and what to say2.6 What to write in a sympathy card2.11 The 7 stages of grief, and why grief comes in waves instead

Judgment and uncertainty

  • Can give advice when asked, and not otherwise
  • Can say “I don't know” in a room that expects you to
  • Can leave a problem alone overnight and let the idea come back
  • Can leave on time

People

Keeping friendships

  • Can contact a friend you have not seen in a year
  • Can keep a standing date
  • Can make a new friend after 40

Money

Retirement income

  • Can decide when to claim Social Security (62 to 70) or CPP (60 to 70) and OAS (65 to 70)
  • Can turn savings into income without running out
  • Can work out what you spend now and what will change

Information

Protecting family from scams

  • Can set up two-factor login and a password manager for a parent
  • Can agree a family code word for phone emergencies
  • Can talk about scams without making anyone feel stupid

Kitchen

Hosting a meal

  • Can host a holiday meal without hiding in the kitchen
  • Can carve a roast
  • Can let other people bring things

Looking for a checklist? The adult checklist lists every skill in the curriculum, each with its lesson.

Take the 2-minute test