Why wait to retire? These Canadians are embracing the adult gap year instead

Melanie and Nick Thompson's children, from left, Raina, Walter, Penny and June, play with donkeys and a dog near their temporary home in Ecuador. (Submitted by Melanie Thompson)

Nick Thompson and his wife, Melanie, love to watch their kids swim in the river near a waterfall on the property where they live in southern Ecuador, on the edge of the Amazon rainforest.

The couple left their home in rural Ontario's Norfolk County a little over a year ago with their four kids, ages five to nine, in tow. "We're on a mini-retirement," Thompson said, and the kids are homeschooled. 

Human resources professionals say Canadian companies are seeing more employees asking for permission to take longer absences from work than standard vacation time allows. Some call it a mini-retirement; others refer to it as an "adult gap year."

This isn't an option for everyone, especially in the middle of an affordability crisis.

But HR consultant Cissy Pau said there appears to be a change in how some Canadians are thinking about their employers, and how willing they are to wait until retirement to live out their dreams.

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Why employers should do more to embrace neurodiversity in the workplace

People who are neurodiverse often face challenges in a working environment that can be made better in a work culture that allows employees to choose whether to work in isolation or around others, experts say. (watchara panyajun/Shutterstock)

When Rebecca Shaw was diagnosed with autism, she found it liberating. She says it helped her make sense of how her brain works, and the different way she thinks.

But she says that shortly after sharing her diagnosis with her employer, she lost her job. When she got another similar position she was terminated again. She believes her manager found her accommodation needs too challenging.

Neurodiversity is the broad term used to describe people who have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), are on the autism spectrum, or have a disability that affects their ability to focus and keep things in working memory.

Neurodiverse people have long been unfairly accused of laziness or procrastination, but in reality they just have an atypical way of thinking. According to Margaret Gibson, an associate professor of social development studies and social work at the University of Waterloo, it benefits both employees and the employer if neurodiversity can be accommodated.

Here's what you need to know about rabies

Bats are the most common carriers of rabies in Canada. (Submitted by Cori Lausen)

Dr. Scott Weese doesn't mess around when it comes to rabies. The infectious-diseases veterinarian recalls when he, his family, as well as some visitors all had to receive vaccinations after being exposed to a potentially rabid bat. 

"It was a bit of a mess, but it … shows a lot of things we need to consider when it comes down to who actually is exposed," he told The Dose host Dr. Brian Goldman. 

Human cases of rabies are extremely rare in Canada, but some people do still come into contact with rabid animals. A Brantford, Ont., child recently died after coming into contact with an infected bat, in the province's first domestically acquired case of rabies since 1967.    

The Dose has what you need to know about rabies, including how it spreads and how to protect yourself.

'He is God's problem now': Texan pays tribute to funny, foul-mouthed father in obituary 

Charles Boehm, right, paid tribute to his late father, Robert Adolph Boehm, left, by writing a comical obituary that honours his father's sense of humour. (Submitted by Charles Boehm)

When Robert Adolph Boehm died on Oct. 6, at age 74, his son Charles Boehm decided to honour his memory by writing an obituary as chaotic, irreverent and expletive-laden as his father was in life. 

The obituary, posted online by Robertson Funeral Directors, opens with a bang.

"Robert Adolph Boehm, in accordance with his lifelong dedication to his own personal brand of decorum, muttered his last unintelligible and likely unnecessary curse on October 6, 2024, shortly before tripping backward over 'some stupid mother**ing thing' and hitting his head on the floor," it begins.

Not only did it feel like a fitting tribute, Charles says, but it's also brought him some much-needed levity and a sense of community during a very difficult time.

The obituary has been shared thousands of times on Facebook. "It's like people are with me. Everybody's remembering my dad the way I remembered him, and that makes the world a better place," he said.