helping a parent adjust to retirement

If she retired on age grounds she should have known it was coming. A lot of the PS have retirement workshops that take about 2 days. Everything that normally occurs in life after retirement is covered. Was anything like that provided for her?

Get her an ipad! Load it with games like words like friends and quizup, make her an fb account and ad her friends and relations and authors she likes etc. Even if she's stuck inside more than she would otherwise have been she'll feel more connected to the world.

Really its natural that it be an emotional transition though. She's leaving behind everything familiar and the familiar concept of herself as young and capable and she probably worries that will ebb away and be replaced with a notion of herself as older and all the worry that naturally brings with it. I think you'll have to give her a little time to grieve the losses she might feel before she comes to the realisation that a brilliant life might await her in retirement if she's willing to grasp it.
Encourage her to volunteer in something she's interested in, to join a book group, to take a class in painting or yoga or whatever she's into. She'll eventually find she won't know how she ever found time to go to work, really, I've seen it happen to loads of people my mum is friends with. Infact I quite envy alot of them. One lady in particular volunteers in a primary school homework club and loves it so much, she's living out her childhood dream of being a teacher, rather than a banker as she spent most of her life at.
For now make plenty chances to bring her for a coffee during the day and doing those small nice things she couldn't do when she was working. She'll get her groove back, don't worry!

This thought has been on my mind also for some time as my mother is due to retire this summer.

My dad has been retired some years and has dealt with it very well but it took some effort (and still does). After retiring, he got a part time job over the next couple of years working a few days a week about 6 months work around the summer period. That eased him into retirement and gave him a social outlet as well over that time. This might not be an option for your mother but maybe finding something which she can treat like a job may help. Even if it is only one day a week but that sense of purpose is key I think. I imagine that if you have nothing to do then it can be very difficult to put the time down. My mother has discussed possibly a few hours helping in a charity shop or even calling to a hospital or an old folks home to visit people who may not have regular visitors as something which she may devote an afternoon a week to. The hope is that she will find something that becomes "her thing" it doesn't have to provide an income or take 40 hours per week but it may provide a focus to occupy the mind and help her to feel she has a purpose.

If possible, maybe suggest finding a way to fill the first month after her retirement, a trip here, a specific job for a day there and so on which again may help with respect to the transition. If that is somewhat successful it may be less daunting for her. Not every day has to be completely planned or at a 100 mph an hour pace but knowing that she will not be left looking at the same four walls day after day may help.

Have you spoken to your mother specifically about how she feels about it and if she is concerned then what are the key points which are worrying her? If someone feels that they will have financial issues when they retire then suggesting charity work will not help them relax. You mentioned that she is good at her job, independent and strong. Maybe she feels that the job defines her and without the job she may lose that identity. If you and your siblings (if you have any) can tell her how much ye care for her and recognize what she has done for the home all her life then hopefully that may help her feel better. As a previous poster mentioned, there may be retirement workshops which are definitely worth attending while they are an option for her.

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers, understanding the source of the discomfort is the first step to overcoming it. You obviously care a lot for her so hopefully you can help her to get to a place where she can deal with this without getting too upset. Good luck.

Has she got any hobbies or pastimes?