Something to think about

Should you choose to go, do, and be, at the end of your life, shocked and dismayed, you'll likely assert that because of all the uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and sheer chance encounters, all of your life's good fortune must have been your destiny. 

Or, should you choose to wait, wish, and hope... at the end of your life, shocked and dismayed, you'll likely exclaim that because of all the uncanny events, wild timing, weird coincidences, and sheer chance encounters, all of your life's bad luck must have been your destiny.

There is a difference, and that difference is your attitude, so don't wait, wish and hope, get out and go, do and be.

Inactivity Among Older Adults in Canada

Numerous research studies and policies maintain the relationship between the use of regular physical activity and improvement in overall quality of ageing. Conversely, chronic inactivity is associated with negative health outcomes.  The longer older adults remain inactive and participate in a sedentary lifestyle the more likely they are to experience accelerated losses in physical fitness, health and function that will eventually lead to the following:

1.    Render them more dependent on care from others;

2.    Put them at higher risk for several chronic conditions and debilitating diseases;

3.    Make them less likely to pursue leisure-time physical activity; and

4.    Increase their likelihood of consuming larger amounts of health & primary care resources and expenses.

Health Canada (2002, p. 3) reports segments of the older adult population are particularly vulnerable to reduced levels of participation and encounter more barriers to physical activity than others in the same age category. They are:

·       Older adults with low incomes or low education levels;

·       Older adults 75 years and over;

·       Older adults living in institutions;

·       Older adults with illness, disabilities or chronic diseases;

·       Female older adults.

Infrequent participation in physical activity is higher in this age bracket for women than it is for men. Women tend to be involved in forms of activities, careers and lifestyles that require less exertion than men do. Older adults considered isolated due to location or lack of social support networks are profoundly at risk.

The most recent edition of the National Advisory Council on Aging publication, Seniors in Canada Report Card 2006 maintains the majority of older adults in Canada are inactive (less than 15 minutes of moderate exercise or <1.5 KKD/day). This inactive trend has changed very little among seniors since the last publication of the Report Card in 2001, even though ample research supports that regular participation in physical activity improves the overall quality of life in old age seniors remain inactive. The rate of inactivity among seniors in 2005 was 62%.

The rate of inactivity among males actually increased from 53% to 55% between 2000-01 and in 2005. The rate of inactivity for females in 2005 was even higher at 67%. This trend of inactivity increases even more as women age. Over three quarters of women aged 75 years and older were considered inactive in 2005 (2006, p.11).

The Seniors Report Card 2006 highlights that this lack of physical activity is the result of many factors and barriers encountered by seniors who may want to be more active. In many cases, physical activity is simply not incorporated into day-to-day living due to a lack of awareness around its importance in later life, or due to ageist attitudes that still negate its relevance. To help address this inactive lifestyle

the National Advisory Council on Aging (2006, p13) suggests that the following priorities for action aimed at improving the health of older adults as it relates to physical activity should be adopted:

·       Improve chronic disease management (e.g. self-management and community supports to adopt healthier lifestyles);

·       Improve personal health practices (e.g. regular physical activity and healthy eating);

·       Strengthen prevention programs for falls and injuries.

Physical activity for older adults is not a new component of both government and non-government policy statements and commitments in Canada. The goals of the Pan Canadian Integrated: Healthy

·       Living Strategy adopted in 2005 are to improve overall health outcomes and to reduce health disparities.

·       The physical activity goal indicated in the strategy is:

o   By 2015, increase by 20% the proportion of Canadians who participate in regular physical activity based on 30 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous activity as measured by the CCHS and the Physical Activity Benchmarks/Monitoring Program (Government of Canada, 2005, p. 10).

In 1999, the Active Living Coalition for Older Adults released the document Moving Through the Years: A Blueprint for Action for Active Living and Older Adults. The Blueprint for Action presents guiding principles and identifies priority goals:

·       Increase public awareness about the benefits of active living;

·       Develop competent leaders in active living who can meet the needs and interests of the older adult;

·       Support and encourage seniors’ desire to embrace an active lifestyle by ensuring that resources and social supports are in place;

·       Strengthen delivery systems and improve levels of cooperation, coordination and communication among interested organizations;

·       Encourage and enable older adults to advocate for a quality of life that includes physical activity, well-being and opportunities for active living;

·       Identify, support and share research priorities and results; and

·       Continually monitor and evaluate programs, services and outcomes (ALCOA 1999, p.5). Future directions may need

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

Personal Well being

 Personal well-being provides an important insight into people’s thoughts and feelings about their quality of life. Its measurement forms part of a much wider initiative and internationally, to look beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to measure what really matters to people.

Previous research has shown the relationship between age and personal well-being to be U-shaped. That is, our sense of personal well-being is highest among younger people and older people and is lowest among people in their middle years. The following report builds on this, analysing responses from more than 300,000 individuals to further examine the relationship between age and personal well-being. Understanding more about how different age groups rate their personal well-being will help policy makers target groups in most need and concentrate on issues that are fundamental to a good life.

How people view their health was the most important factor related to personal well-being, followed by employment status and relationship status. This report analyses personal well-being data for over 300,000 adults and it finds that:

·       those aged 65 to 79 tended to report the highest average levels of personal well-being ratings of life satisfaction and happiness were at their lowest, on average, for those aged 45 to 59

·       well-being ratings fell amongst the oldest age groups (those aged 75 and over) - this fall was steepest for feelings that activities they do in life are worthwhile

·       those aged 90 and over reported higher life satisfaction and happiness compared with people in their middle years

·       average anxiety ratings increased through early and middle years, peaking between 45 to 59 years, but then subsequently falling and remaining relatively unchanged for those aged 65 and over

This shift towards an older population will impact on important policies and services including the labour market, pension provision, and health and social care demand. Understanding more about how the oldest age groups rate their personal well-being will help focus on issues that are fundamental to a good later life.

Average ratings of life satisfaction, a sense that what one does in life is worthwhile and happiness peak for those aged between 65 to 79 years, however scores for all 3 measures decline in later life. The extent of this decline in personal well-being ratings was largest for average feelings that what one does in life is worthwhile, where those aged 90 and above reported the lowest average worthwhile rating of all the age groups. This particular finding might have important implications for policy when considering provision of worthwhile building activities into care settings for the over 90s. Whilst ratings of life satisfaction and happiness also fall in later life, interestingly average ratings remain higher for those aged 90 and above compared with people in their middle years.

The fall in ratings of personal well-being amongst the oldest age groups might result from a range of personal circumstances such as poor health, living alone and feelings of loneliness. Self-reported health has one of the strongest associations with all the measures of personal well-being, with those reporting higher personal wellbeing tending to report better general health. As health problems generally develop with age, it is reasonable to expect that older people are less able to participate in activities as freely as they once were. The direction of the relationship between personal well-being and health could be either way. Therefore, it is possible that creating interventions directed at improving well-being could also lead to improvements in the population’s general health.

Previous evidence has found that those aged 80 and over were also twice as likely to report feelings of loneliness compared with younger age groups. What’s more, these feelings of loneliness were found to have a strong relationship with low personal well-being ratings.

Those who reported that their health or disability had a negative impact on their ability to work had lower levels of personal well-being than those who said it didn’t affect their ability to work. This suggests that it is when disability and ill health limit people’s activities that it affects well-being most.

Personal well-being is highest among younger and older adults and dips in middle age

Differences in personal well-being between men and women are small, but women report higher ‘life satisfaction’, ‘worthwhile’ and ’happy yesterday’ levels. Women also reported slightly higher levels of ’anxious yesterday’ than men