The Fountain of Youth

If there ever was a generation who would put every resource known to man against the challenge of defeating ageing, it would be my generation.  Of course, the deeply rooted desire in humans to stop or turn back the ageing process is as old as time itself.  We have ample evidence of that in literature.  From The Fountain to Youth to Peter Pan, there have been many efforts to just stubbornly say “I won't grow up” as though stamping one's foot and refusing to participate can actually keep us from growing older.

We have always had a love affair with youth.  It is no doubt deeply rooted in our explosive teen and twenties years in which we became virtually the center of the universe as youth culture dominated the country if not the world in the sixties and seventies.  That kind of thing can convince us that as a generation we would never grow old.

But, of course, we have grown old.  But the interest in staying vibrant and active has resulted in the explosive growth of the exercise and diet industries.  Because if we can’t stop ageing from happening, we can at least not LOOK old or act like it either.

From a medical standpoint, of course, there has never been an anti-ageing medicine or pill.  Medical science has seen phenomenal changes and had breakthroughs in many areas of research and study.  We are fully prepared to fund any medical work being done that might result in the elimination of ageing or at least in slowing its relentless onset.  But medical science has not found any magic potion that could cause ageing to stop or to reverse its effects.

Even if ageing could be stopped at some level on the physical level, you have to wonder if that would be practical in light of ageing that affects the whole of what a person is.  We know that we don’t just age in body, we age in attitudes, in maturity and in our ambition and how we view our goals in life.  This has as much to do with the cycles of life from youth to parenthood to middle age and then to retirement as it does with physical changes in our bodies.

For many, the question might be, “If science could make it possible for you to never age or die, would you even want that?”   There is an intuitive knowledge in our hearts that we have a season to live on this earth and then its time to pass the torch to the next generation.  Everything works on that cycle.  You are defined by your place in life.  So, if you are in your forties, being a parent or a spouse is considered the appropriate place to be.  So too, at 70 or 80, we are expected to be wise grandma and/or granddad.  Our behaviour in society, what we value and what we look for from others is expected to be driven by our age in life which is a subset of the ageing process.

If ageing was somehow defeated entirely, that entire cycle of life would have to be completely re-evaluated.  If you knew you would live 200 years rather than 80 or 90 years, how would you plan your family, your career and your finances? 

Thankfully, perhaps, ageing remains a constant.  The good news is while we fight age with a passion, we are also capable of growing into our senior years with a lot to give back to society.  So just as we have been had a huge impact on society through every other decade, when we accept that we are going to be part of that ageing process, we will be a great generation of grandmas and grandpas as well.

Patterns of loneliness and social isolation

The research shows that patterns of loneliness, social isolation, and social engagement in retirement and how they relate to factors, including age group, sex, marital status, and living arrangement. Associations with perceived happiness, life satisfaction, and depression are also shown.

Social engagement is a fundamental aspect of the human condition. Social isolation reflects the absence of social engagement and social connectedness within a family, friendship, and community social networks. It is a multifaceted concept that is commonly defined as a low quantity and quality of contact with others and considers the number and types of social network contacts, feelings of belonging, sense of engagement with others, and related attributes.

These social dimensions have gained attention in the gerontological literature, given that social networks comprised of family and friends tend to shrink with age, resilience declines, and one’s ability to live independently in the community becomes challenged in old age. In addition, social isolation has been linked to higher health care utilization and poor health in older age.

While social isolation typically pertains to the objective social contacts in an individual’s social network, loneliness is the subjective perception that intimate and social needs are not being met. Thus, social isolation and loneliness share conceptual and empirical dimensions, but they are also unique. For instance, a person with moderate social connections may feel lonely; and conversely, an individual socially isolated may not feel lonely because they prefer this arrangement.

Subjective perceptions of loneliness and objective assessments of social isolation are both important correlates of health and well-being in middle and later life, including mental health, frailty and chronic illnesses, and mortality

The analyses reveal that:

·       Social isolation is a multifaceted concept as indicated by the variation in associations across different measures.

·       The percentage of individuals reporting being lonely at least some of the time is higher among women of all ages than for men, and this percentage rises with age only for women.

·       The preference for more activity is high overall but declines across the age groups.

·       The mean number of community activities (range = 0 - 8 activities) hovers around 4 over the age groupings, the mid-point on the scale, but it is slightly higher for women than for men.

·       The mean scores in the Social Support Scale range between 78.81 (women 45-64) and 82.78 (men 65-74); thus, reflecting relatively high levels of social support across all age and sex groups.

·       The percentage of persons reporting being lonely some or all of the time is highest among the non-married/non-partnered groups: widowed, divorced/separated, and single in that order. In addition, loneliness is higher among married women than married men, but this sex difference reverses for all other non-partnered groups. Rates of reported loneliness decrease over the three age groups, except for married women.

·       The desire for more participation in activities is highest among the divorced/separated marital status group and exhibits a strong inverse association across age groups.

·       Perceived loneliness is considerably more prevalent among persons living alone versus those who live with somebody. This pattern is more pronounced among men and is maintained across age groups with only slight variations.

·       The preference to participate in more activities is highest for middle-aged persons (45-64) compared to 65-74 and 75+ age groups, and this pattern is consistent across living alone or not.

·       Individuals reporting that they are lonely at least some of the time are considerably less likely to report being happy and this trend decreases with age. Those who report being rarely or never lonely also report high levels of happiness; this finding is constant across the age and sex groups.

·       Persons who express a desire to participate in more activities tend to report lower levels of happiness than those who have no desire for more activities, regardless of age or sex category.

·       Individuals who report being lonely at least some of the time report lower life satisfaction than those stating that they are rarely or never lonely.

The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Report on Health and Aging in Canada Income and Working in Retirement

There are important insights on income and working including:

·       For the age group 55-59, rates of complete retirement for women vary considerably by province, from about 20% in British Columbia to about 30% in Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador. Comparable differences continue for ages 60 to 64 but start to fade for ages 65 to 69.

•      The same provincial variation applies for retirement rates for men albeit with somewhat lower retirement rates below age 65.

•      For both women and men, the total (partial plus complete) retirement rates of retirement by ages 70 to 74 vary relatively little by province although considerable differences remain in the partial retirement rates.

•      In a question that allowed multiple responses, no single reason received a majority of responses. The fourth most common reason was health, given by about a quarter of all women and men retirees, and of these, reasons of physical health were more commonly reported than those of mental health.

·       Taken as a percentage of those retired, about 20% of women and 30% of men. “unretire” for some period. A significant minority of each group say they did this for financial reasons but including their earnings only 5% of the unretired report that their standard of living is inadequate

·       Unretirement employment is mostly part-time, particularly for those who worked part-time before retirement.

·       Women and men who are completely or partially retired at younger ages are much more likely to have at least one restriction in Instrumental

·       Activities in Daily Living (IADL). However, this difference between those who are retired and those who are not is quite small for ages 60 to 75.

·       Income differences within age groups narrow as age increases. The income distribution in the CLSA sample is very similar to that from the 2011 National Household Survey that was associated with the Census.

·       Overall, close to 80% of retirees said they managed very well or quite well, while 17% responded “get by alright” and only about 3% responded that they don’t manage very well or had financial difficulties.

A Report on Health and Aging in Canada 1

There is a very large study of 50,000 Canadians aged 45 to 85 taking place now. The study is on Aging and is one of the biggest and most thorough studies on the health and well-being of the country’s aging population. Today and tomorrow, I will highlight a number of the key findings of this report.

The researchers out of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre and the Research Centre on Aging of the Université de Sherbrooke published a report called ‘The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging Report on Health and Aging in Canada: Findings from Baseline Data Collection 2010-2015 (pdf file)’. The report examines physical, mental, and social aspects of aging based on data from participants, who are followed every three years.

Findings from Baseline Data Collection 2010-2015

 As a country, where the average life expectancy is 80 for men and 84 for women, people are living longer. The addition of these extra years of life is a good sign in itself. They demonstrate Canada’s high standard of living, innovative public health, and high-quality health care. But we have to make sure that these extra years are worth living: More time to work and contribute wealth and wisdom to society, as well as more time to enjoy with family and friends.

Around the world, the population is aging. In 2017 for the first time, the population of Canadians 65 and older was larger than the number of children under 15. It is easy to look at aging as a challenge for the individual and for society and indeed there has been a tendency to look at aging as a set of physical symptoms, organ by organ, illness by illness, and tallying the personal, social and financial burdens imposed on families and societies.

Aging has been presented as simply an issue of decline and loss. The perception of what it means to be in one’s 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s has not kept pace with modern medicine, and neither have our ways of optimizing the extra years that modern public health and medicine have given us. If we end seeing aging only in cycles of deterioration and dependence, we can capitalize on the concrete features of aging and fund policies and plans that support not only existing longer but also living well. The likely continuing participation of older adults in society will be wasted if a change in the understanding of a certain negativity of aging does not take place.

One of the many pressing policy implications of an increasingly aging population in Canada is on health and social care affordability. Conservative forecasts suggest that the proportion of the Canadian population aged 65 years or more will increase over the next 20 years to approximately 23% to 25% of the Canadian population, or almost 10 million Canadians, by 2036.

 This increase is unprecedented. Total health and social care expenditures in Canada now exceeds $300 billion with health care alone at approximately $211 billion, the largest expenditure item in provincial budgets. As the baby boom generation moves toward retirement or enters second careers (an emerging phenomenon), the challenges, and opportunities that Canada faces in supporting a diverse and multi-ethnic aging population will intensify. The baby boomers’ shifting lifestyle choices make them one of the most compelling demographics to study. A challenge for health and social policymakers is the lack of strong evidence to inform public health and social policy decision making that is directed toward preventing morbidity and improving the health of Canada’s aging population.

The target sample size of the CLSA was 50,000 participants; in 20 5, the CLSA completed recruitment and baseline data collection from  5,338 community-living women and men aged 45 to 85 years from across Canada. Participants were asked to provide a core set of information on demographic and lifestyle/ behavior measures, social measures, physical measures, psychological measures, economic measures, health status measures, and health services use. CLSA participants undergo repeated waves of data collection every three years and will be followed for at least 20 years, or until death (or other reasons for termination of participation)

Community-based Seniors’ Services Sector in B.C.

I came across this study out of the University of Victoria Institute on Ageing and the research was done by Laura Kadowaki, PhD Student, Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University and Marcy Cohen, Raising the Profile Project. The full report can be found here. The report is part of an initiative by the seniorsraisingtheprofile.ca 

Seniors made up 15.3% of the Canadian population in 2013, and it has been estimated that by the year 2038 approximately 22 to 23% of people living in Canada will be seniors. The population in British Columbia (B.C.) is older than the national average – in 2013, 16.4% of the population were seniors and it is estimated that in 2038, 24 to 27% of B.C.’s population will be seniors (Statistics Canada, 2015a)

Most seniors want to live in their own home and community and “age in place”. Both the Office of the Seniors Advocate and B.C. Ministry of Health have recognized that allowing seniors to age in place is the preferred option for most seniors and an important policy goal for government.

Research shows that lack of social relationships is equivalent to smoking as a risk factor for mortality. When seniors are socially isolated they are at an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, depression, physical inactivity, falling and poor nutrition. Feeling isolated from others can have significant health impacts including sleep disruption, high blood pressure, decreased immunity and increases in the stress hormone cortisol.

Seniors who are caregivers, immigrants, LGBTQ, Indigenous and/or are living alone are at greater risk for social isolation. Providing social support and outreach to isolated seniors are significant priorities of community-based seniors’ services, and can help to foster resilience and well-being for seniors.

The relationship between income and health is well established – the less income you have, the greater chance you will have poorer health. Income also has a strong impact on two other important social determinants of health – housing and food security. Many community-based seniors’ services specifically target low-income seniors and provide food and other programs to support these seniors.

Community-based seniors’ services play a critical role in supporting seniors to age in place by providing a broad range of services that support seniors to remain physically active, socially engaged, and as healthy and independent as possible

Community-based seniors’ services provide seniors with access to a range of low-barrier programs in six core areas:

1. Nutritional support

2. Affordable Housing

3. Health and wellness

4. Physical activity

5. Cultural, educational and recreational programs

6. Information, referral and advocacy

7. Transportation

These programs and services are offered through a range of municipal and non-profit agencies including:

• Senior centres

• Community centres

• Neighbourhood houses

• Community Coalitions

• Ethno-cultural organizations

• Multi-service non-profit societies

Community-based seniors’ services receive funding from a variety of sources including:

• Municipal governments

• Community foundations

• The United Way

• Local businesses/donors

• The federal New Horizons Program

• Community Gaming Grants

• Regional health authorities

• The Ministry of Health

Unlike the dominant disease-centred medical model, comprehensive models of health incorporate broader social determinants of health (e.g., social support, income security) and factors that foster resilience in older adults. Consequently, research has found the medical model is much less elective than comprehensive models of health in predicting which groups of older adults are at greatest health risk.

For example, despite having a significant impact on seniors’ health, factors which put seniors at risk of social isolation, such as poor mental health (loneliness), sensory function (hearing) and mobility, are rarely considered by the medical model.

The recent increased focus on comprehensive models of health is resulting in more visibility and awareness of the health promotion and prevention programming that is offered by the community-based seniors’ services sector. The contributions this programming makes to the health and well-being of older adults can be seen as fundamental to an effective healthcare system

8 TED talks on Ageing

I received the following email from Kimberly and I thought I would share. The videos are easy to watch and very informative.

I work for a digital marketing agency in Denver called Volume Nine (v9seo.com). I am writing today to pass along a wonderful blog post called "8 Incredible TED Talks About Aging" 

Here is the direct URL: http://westminsterplace.org/incredible-ted-talks-about-aging.html

This post features short videos from TED speakers on the topics of ageing from brain function and health to living passionately and happily as you get older. This is a great grouping of videos to watch for blog audiences of all ages! 

Please feel free to share this blog with your blog readers as we are excited to share this content and think this would be great information for your blog audience. We are not looking for any type of promotion or links - we just want to get this great content out to the masses. 

A little background: Presbyterian Homes is an independent, not-for-profit, faith-based organisation that provides quality independent living residential communities, health-care programs, and services for older adults. 

Are you old, senior or elderly?

As more and more Canadians pass 65, it may be helpful to use gerontology terminology to describe our age group. Gerontologists divide "older adults" into four categories, by age:

· 65 to 74 is "young old"

· 75 to 84 is "middle old"

· 85 to 99 is "older old"

· 100+ is "very old"

So, I am young old and will be for a few more years. My friends and I approve of the terms "senior" and "old age," when followed by the words "discount”. For the most part, we agree that "elderly" should be reserved for people who are frail with diminishing faculties, and not used automatically for anyone over, say, 65.

And, we think that the tendency to use words like "elderly" without consideration, indicate an aspect of ageism.

Some of us think that ageism is beginning to fade, in part because as famous baby boomers enter their senior years, they're not stepping out of the spotlight. Yet others think it still exists in spades, just watch the Saturday Night Live episode of May 13th to see ageism in action.

But on the other hand, just look at some of the stars that are still around, The Rolling Stones, or Tina Turner I watched Dolly Parton on television last night. I don't call Dolly Parton old! (In case you missed Dolly's last birthday: she's 71.)

So, our gerontologists talk about the 'young old,' the 'middle old,' the 'older old,' and the 'very old.' So, the 'young old' would be 65 to 74, 'middle old' is 75 to 84, 'older old' is 85 and over, and then the 'very old' are centenarians. Which leads me to my question:

How would you like to be referred to when you're over 60 (ish)?

1. Give it to me straight: I'm old

2. I think "senior" has an air of dignity to it

3. I like the technical terms: young old, middle old, etc.

4. Why are you trying to put me in a box?

5. Other: Zoomer, Older Boomer, Sonic Boomer or ...

Let me know. My answer is Other "I am a Sonic Boomer"

The Business of Ageing

New Zealand recognizes the contributions of seniors to its economy, in a report, The Business of Ageing, updated 2015 the authors draw some interesting conclusions. Here are some:

Many perceive our ageing society as a burden, yet it’s one of our greatest achievements. A growing number of older people are in good health, have valuable skills and experience and are making a significant contribution to our economy and society.

As the older population grows so will their spending power. Businesses will need to better understand this group and the role they will play as consumers in the future. The rapid expansion of businesses signing up to the SuperGold card shows how this market is growing. At the same time, as the traditional ‘working age’ population shrinks, businesses will need to retain and harness older workers skills in order to sustain their long-term growth and profitability

Older people are becoming a large consumer group

Older people’s incomes come from sources such as the Government (especially New Zealand Superannuation), investments, gifts, asset sales and employment. Owing to the expected growth in those aged 65-plus (and the implied improvements in their health):

The after-tax income for this group is projected to be more than $73b by 2051 – a significant increase on the 2013 projection of $68b 

Spending by older people (including GST) is expected to rise from $13.8b per year in 2011 to about $39b in 2031 ($36.3b in the 2013 update), $65b in 2051 ($60.3b) and $85b in 2061

If these trends follow current spending patterns, 27 percent of this spending will go towards foodstuffs, clothing and footwear, and 22 percent to housing and housing-related items. Further down the list are health (11 percent), transport (13 percent) and recreation and culture (11 percent).

Older people will play an increasing role in the labour force

This update projects trends in older people’s labour force participation using the Treasury’s 2012–13 Long Term Fiscal Model (LTFM) and Statistics New Zealand’s National Labour Force and Participation Rate Projections.

The LTFM provides relatively detailed demographic and detailed labour force projections to 2061, while the Projections derive from and complement the LTFM and are closely associated with the National Population Projections.

Unfortunately for this update, the expected release of the updated National Labour Force and Participation Rate Projections has been delayed until at least the end of 2015 – so the 2012 figures have been used instead.

The 2012 Labour Force Projections were that:

The number of people aged 65-plus in the labour force would climb from about 130,000 in 2012 to 240,000–500,000 in 2036 and 280,000–660,000 in 2061

The largest growth would occur between 2011 and 2031 as the baby boomers move into the 65-plus age group.

The Participation Rate Projections suggested that:

By 2051–2061 the percentage of 65- to 69-year-old men in the labour force would have increased from 45 percent to 65 percent, and women from 31 percent to 55 percent

By mid-century 12 percent of men aged 80-plus and 10 percent of women in the same age group would be working

>>The labour force participation rate for older people would increase from 21 percent to 31 percent in 2031, falling slightly to 29 percent by 2051

>>The percentage of older people in the overall labour force would rise from around 5 percent to 13 percent by 2051.

Older people’s earnings from paid work will increase

The 2013 Household Income Survey, which was released on 28 November 2013, indicates that:

17.5 percent of people in New Zealand aged 65-plus are in some form of paid work, up from 15.5 percent in 2009 but lower than the 19.6 percent recorded in 2012 (partly due to the increasing number of people aged 80-plus)

The average weekly earnings for this group has risen from $439 per week in 2012 to $557 – a 27 percent rise

The average weekly income for self-employed people has risen from $243 to $251.

The 2013 Census provides additional detail on older people’s income. It indicates, for example, that 40,600 people aged 65-plus earn more than $82,000 a year from all sources, representing about 7 percent of those in the age group. This is well below the 10 percent recorded for the overall population.

This update projects that, in 2013 dollars:

Older people’s total work earnings are likely to increase from about $2.8b in 2011 to about $11.3b in 2031 and $18.2b in 2051

Remuneration for older self-employed people is likely to rise from about $0.4b in 2011 to about $1.6b in 2031 and $2.6b in 2051.

An ageing population presents both public spending challenges and economic and social opportunities. As well as participation in paid work, experienced and wise older people contribute to their communities. They add value through their volunteer work and helping their families, and many support others to participate in paid work, such as by caring for their children.

The updated figures reinforce the conclusions on older people’s economic value outlined in the 2011 and 2013 reports.  The Business of Ageing Project highlights the need to act to make sure that the ageing population increases productivity, economic growth and living standards, rather than constraining them.

Responses other OECD countries have implemented to realise the economic potential of its ageing population include:

·        promoting age-friendly infrastructure

·        creating flexible workplaces

·        reforming pension systems

·        introducing active ageing policies

·        removing barriers to older worker employment, such as removing mandatory retirement

·        tax credits, and informing employ

Thoughts on Ageing

I  was reading a post from Smart living 365 which focused on a review of a book, by Ann Jenkins, the CEO of AARP, called Disrupt Aging—A Bold New Path To Living Your Best Life At Any Age.  As part of the post, the following 10 myths were put forward as a reason why society sees ageing as an issue. The issues raised by the post may be true and have to be addressed. 

The problem I have with these statements is that they make broad statements about a group of people which are false. Try an experiment as you read each of the myths, substitute the word "women" or the word "Black" or whatever minority group you can think of,  where the word ageing is placed.  We have to reject myths that stereotype any group, because it is wrong. However, as more Boomers retire and continue to enjoy life to the fullest as do the people I work with, these myths will slowly fade into distant memory.

To be fair, and I have talked about this before I flunked retirement after three months and decided to go back to work part time not because I had to but because I love to work. While I was working part time, I started to focus on finding meaning in things that I did to help people. I am lucky to say I found it, first through my work at SHARE Family Services and now in my role as a Workshop Facilitator on senior issues.

I focus on mature adults and seniors and helping them understand what a healthy and active ageing looks like. Over the last two years of doing these workshops, I have met with over 1,200 seniors that I had not met before, and I listened to what they have to say and what they think is important. So, I am going to address the 10 myths from my understanding of these issues as seen by seniors that I interact with on a weekly basis as to why these ways of thinking of ageing are out-dated. (My thoughts are in Italics)

Myth One:

Society tends to collectively believe that ageing is a huge societal problem and older people are seen as a burden or mostly a problem that needs to be fixed. Seniors don’t think we are a problem, we are too busy building or rebuilding, relationships with family, pursuing our hobbies, meeting with old friends, working part-time or travelling to worry about how society sees us. No senior I have met sees themselves as a burden, we all believe we are contributing to our society.

Myth Two:
While we do share responsibility for certain parts of aging like taking good care of our health and our finances—the choices, options, and abilities are not equal for everyone. Depending upon our sex, our race, our education, and our socio-economics, we either have advantages or disadvantages that should be considered. This is an interesting point, the seniors I have met, believe that at every age, the individual has responsibility for their health, their finances and choices. We know that options and abilities are not the same for everyone, but we understand that this is true no matter your age.  

Myth Three:

The best we can hope for as we age is a life of ease, comfort, reasonably good health (and a little entertainment) while we wait out the remainder of our lives. This is so far from the reality of the people I meet and interact with it is laughable. I am not sure if there are many seniors that believe this nonsense. For the seniors I meet with, life is about learning new things, taking new adventures and sharing stories and life with liked minded souls.

Myth Four:

Getting older is all about increasing decline and dependency. Seniors are living longer, working longer, and are healthier longer. An average 70 year old is in as good as shape as a 50 year ole was 30 years ago.  We fight to maintain our independence and we value our ability to stay independent.

Myth Five

We must do everything we can to be young, or at least seen as young because only the young have something valuable to offer the world.

The men and women I talk to on a regular basis, are young, young at heart. They are not as concerned about being seen as young and understand that with age comes wisdom we lacked when we were young. Some segments of society and media like to think that all seniors want to be young, but the people I meet with value their age.

Myth Six

We tend to blame most of our age-related limitations on getting older when many of those limitations actually come from an environment and culture that was designed to encourage and support the young. Seniors understand that we have political muscle. Although we do not see many issues with the same view, some of us are Conservative and some of us are Liberal we understand that politicians know we vote. Issues that affect us are taken seriously by our elected officials or they may get thrown out of office. Media portrays seniors as a group that wants to stay young, but Boomers have always accepted the realities of whatever age we are.

Myth Seven
Seniors who work are taking jobs away from young people and adding nothing to the economy.

I and many of the people I meet continued to work while after we retired, not because we had to but because we wanted to and we realized that our skill sets were in demand. Many of the positions that seniors fill would be left vacant if we were not filling them. There is a myth we are taking away jobs from the young which is not true. 

Myth Eight

Instead of seeing all of life as a continuous process of growth and development, many of us consider ageing as either having “arrived” or over the hill. I am not sure which group of people think this, maybe some youngsters that are daydreaming about retirement. None of the people I meet with, see being retired as “over the hill”, they are too busy growing and developing, going on trips, taking courses reading new books, volunteering or going to the theater. I think this myth goes back at least two or three generations, when people retired and died soon after, because of health issues.

Myth Nine

We stop celebrating the achievements and milestones of a growing and evolving human once we retire as though nothing worthwhile is occurring. The people I meet love any reason to celebrate, to mark the milestones of growing and evolving as people. Boomers always loved any reason to party, and we continue to do so.

Myth 10

Once we retire or consider ourselves a senior, we often stop planning who we want to become in the days ahead—Jenkins calls that “mindless aging.” I have yet to meet any senior that has stopped planning, most of the people have goals, that focus on their needs. Now I admit that I only meet people who are motivated to learn, and who come to our workshops on Healthy Ageing, but I suspect that they are a representative sample of my cohorts. Many people do not come to a workshop because they are too busy. Go to your local Senior or Community Center any day of the week, and you will see a lot of people engaged, active and excited about what they are doing. There are, of course older people who don’t have goals and don’t plan, but when I was in my 20’s I met people who did not plan and who did not focus on what they could become. We have to stop thinking about these issues as senior issues they are issues for all ages.

Age is a relative concept

Age is a relative concept. We were stuck, the workshop we needed to update, needed a new title and we wanted to remove the word Elder from the title. After much discussion and no resolution, we left with the resolve to attack the problem at our next meeting. As I drifted off to sleep, I woke up with a start and realised that age is a relative concept.

When I was 9 or 10, I could hardly wait until I was old enough to drive, which was 16. When I turned 16 I could hardly wait to be old enough to go into the pub at 21. At 10 I saw 16 as old, at 16 I saw 21 as old.

In my 20’s I worked with some old/experienced people in their 30’s. In my 30’s I thought, "I hope when I reach my 40’s I will be in as good as shape as old so and so". In my 50’s I though those in their 60’s and old and now in my 70’s I see those in their 80’s as old.

I am not alone, a recent survey showed that most Canadians believe that old is defined as someone who is at least 10 years older than they are now.  We live longer, we live healthier and we live happier than we did 30, or 40 years ago, and that is a good thing. 

I know I am getting older, but the question is not if I have aged, but whether I have realised my purpose in life, and if I have not yet done this, what plans have I or will I implement to make sure that I do this in my future.

So, when my group meets again, I know we will remove the word “Elder” from our workshop title and come up with a title that reflects the content of the workshop not the age of the workshop attendees.

As we live longer, Agism can be a problem for society

As we progress into the twenty-first century, ageing has become increasingly recognised as an important issue facing individuals, families, communities and nations. Increasing age is related to long-term health conditions, higher rates of disability and poorer reported health status.

In 1960 the UN estimated that there were just 225 million people aged 60 years and over worldwide, while 30 years later in 1990 that figure had doubled to 450 million. Globally, the proportion of the population aged 65 years and over is projected to reach 25 percent in the more developed regions, 14 percent in the less developed regions and 8 percent in the least developed countries of the world by the year 2051. The worldwide population aged 80 years and over is also expected to experience a more than fivefold increase by 2020 (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004).

The ageing of the world’s population is primarily a result of the high fertility levels reached after World War II combined with reduced death rates at all ages. Along with the significant increase in the proportion of the world’s population that is elderly will come a need for further understanding of older populations and their specific requirements around the world, with an aim to anticipating and meeting the changing needs of an ageing international community

Ageism does not discriminate. It comes in many forms and from

many different sources. In Canada:

•      Age discrimination towards seniors 66 and older comes primarily from younger people (56%).

•      More than one-in-four (27%) seniors say they’ve experienced age discrimination from government

•      More than one-third (34%) comes from healthcare professionals and the healthcare system

•      Nearly nine-in-ten seniors 66 and older who encountered ageism from the government, attribute it to programs and policies that do not take into account the needs of older people

•      Nearly eight-in-ten seniors 66 and older who reported age discrimination in healthcare, said a healthcare professional had dismissed their complaints as an inevitable sign of aging

•      The three most common forms of age discrimination faced by Canadian seniors include:

o  being ignored or treated as though they are invisible (41%)

o  being treated like they have nothing to contribute (38%)

o  The assumption that they are incompetent (27%)

o  Two Unique Views on Aging Older Canadians are much more positive about aging than younger generations, underscoring the need to challenge ageist attitudes.

Canadians overall have a negative perception of aging:

•      89 per cent of Canadians associate aging with something negative like not being able to get around easily, losing independence or being alone

•      Gen Y and Gen X are the most likely to hold a negative perception of aging; they are the least likely to think people 75 and older are pleasant, independent or healthy, yet the most likely to describe them as grumpy. A further one-in-three describe them as dependent, sick or frail

We are living longer and as we learn more about aging, this trend will continue. We know that there are very specific risks to avoid if we want to age in good health. A report from Australia on the study of Aging, shows some of the things we need to do to live longer are:

•      Eat well and eat healthy

•      Exercise: people who did not exercise were found to be at high risk of mortality over the first 2 years of the study. Those who reported exercising more, survived longer, were more likely to be male and have better self reported health.

•      Stay involved in Social networks; Social Networks comprising discretionary relationships were protective against mortality

•      in a ten year follow up. This was found for participants living in both the community and residential care facilities.

•      Psychological factors including intact cognitive functioning, higher expectancy of control over life, and for women, better morale, were linked to better survival odds over 8 years, independent of health and physical functioning.

•      Try not to get depressed. Depressive symptoms present a greater risk of mortality for men than women, with incident depression in old age representing a greater risk for m

Society around the world is aging and it is clear that if we don’t address ageism as a societal issue now, it will compound and become more entrenched as our population ages. Change however, won’t happen overnight, and it is not the exclusive responsibility of any one group. In collaboration and consultation with older people, individuals, organizations and policy makers all have a role to play in building an age-inclusive society.

As individuals and as a society, we must shine a light on the issue of ageism. We need to recognize, call out and challenge the negative stereotypes and assumptions about aging and older people. Rather than make assumptions about an individual’s abilities or quality of life based on their age, we need to be open-minded, view aging with optimism and reach out to older adults as vibrant, important and valued contributors to society.

Organizations need to raise awareness of ageism and be active contributors to ending it. As employers, the value and significant contributions older workers can and do make should not be overlooked. We also need to better understand and meet the diverse needs of older consumers – after all, they encompass a broad age range, and the needs of a 65-year-old may be quite different to those of an 85-year-old.

Policy makers, both government and non-governmental agencies, need to collaborate and plan for an age-inclusive Canada. Building on the work that governments are already doing, there needs to be continued focus on developing policies that enable people of all ages to have the choices they need to live their lives to the fullest.