People used to retire at 55 because their minds and their bodies couldn’t cope up with the work demanded of them. Now people retire at 55 because they and their employers think retirees can’t contribute anything useful anymore.
That train of thought is so 20th century.
It really does not matter if you’re 55 or 75. Advances in medicine, lifestyle, health awareness and the outright willingness to continue working make the seniors of today a useful national asset. What matters now is that a potential retiree is able and willing to perform the tasks expected. A person that possesses these qualities can thus be as valuable as (or even more valuable than) their younger peers.
Retirement can even serve to dull the wits and senses of perfectly capable individuals. Remember how much you have to catch up to in the office when you get away from it all for a week or two? That is exactly what retirement does: dull your abilities and make you stupid.
This is not just a topic for philosophical or political debate. Soon-to-be-retirees need to start planning how they can market themselves to their employees; that they are still perfectly capable of doing their jobs even if the years are catching up to them. Employers also need to be able to assess the true capabilities of their senior employees and not just depend on antiquated standards for retirement.