Well I'm still a long ways off from retirement, but for me it's a lovely way to try to recapture what I think is a very valuable skill that is getting lost in my family. Both of my grandmothers were dedicated sewers; both made quilts for every one of their children & grandchildren. NONE of my aunts or uncles or either of my parents kept that skill alive. Zero. I don't think any of my cousins sew either, and my sister certainly doesn't. I really really wish my grandmothers were still alive so I could learn directly from them now, but I spent lots of time watching with curious eyes and "helping" out when I was a kid so I feel I got a benefit from their experience in an oblique sort of way. And of course I've studied quilts from each of them that I own in great detail.
I'm a creative/crafty person so I'm always trying new things, and I often try to "recapture" skills that I know my grandmothers had & that my parents sort of let go of. Embroidery is another skill I made sure to learn. Cooking, of all things (I come from a family where everything came from a can and/or out of the microwave). Soapmaking. Basic things like that, that were necessary skills in my Grandmothers' days, but are considered luxuries now. Store-bought quilts/food/soap just aren't as good as the best I can make on my own. Cheaper, in most cases, but not BETTER. ;-)
MOST of the quilters I've met are at around retirement age, but there are a lot of us "younger" crowd (I'm in my 30's) too and that makes me happy. Quilting is going to be around for a very loonnnng time.