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Speaking as someone who barely survived a critical date for my modest pension and retiree medical options back in 2012, this pains me.

My father got laid off shortly before he qualified for a pension. The stress of finding a new job and keeping the family together led to 3 heart attacks and 2 strokes. The stress literally killed him.

I lost my job after 17 years and what kept me going without having the stress get to me was seeing what it did to my father.

The experience you describe with your father became more commonplace the past decade. The company I worked for was in perpetual layoff mode starting in late 2006. My first WARN was written in early 2009. I survived several of those for the next 3 and 1/2 years. Many co-workers didn't fair as well. As soon as Obama became POTUS in 2008, the layoff pace increased.

My pension is quite modest, but if I had been laid off prior to the middle of 2012, it would have been reduced by 60%, and I would have lost the option of retiree medical insurance. The stress all those years was overwhelming at times. Add in the passing of my mom in early 2012, and it's a miracle I didn't suffer through the same fate as your father.