Age of Ageing Teach your children young

The best age is the age  you are." Louis Armstrong

The following is inspired by an article  Addressing Ageism written by Susan V. Bosak

This is the Age of Aging. It's the first time in history in which human beings can reasonably expect to live even close to what we presently think of as the entire lifespan, and there are more of us older people than ever before.

Today, a Canadian at birth is expected to live 80 years compared to 47 years in 1900 – an additional 33 years. Centenarians are actually the fastest-growing age group in the country. Card companies now even make special birthday cards for people who reach this magical age.

Ageing is not optional. We are all, in fact, ageing from the moment we are born. That's life. The problem is that we all tend to have a negative attitude toward growing old, assign negative characteristics like unattractiveness and illness to being old, do not perceive anything positive about being old, and tend to prefer the company of the young and have limited contact with and knowledge of older people. I thought that I prefer the company of people my age, but I did a preference test and found out that I actually prefer to be with young people, which was a bit of a surprise to me.


I know we can't stay young forever. Ageing is as natural as the changing seasons. Advertising is full of age-defying and age-correcting products, which promise unending happiness, social mobility, or the transformation of women, in particular, from being old and undesirable to being young and desirable. 

Because older people are more numerous, more affluent, and better educated than ever before, this demographic shift may work to change attitudes toward aging. As an educator, I believe that education is key – both from the perspective of more people understanding ageing and from the perspective of how people will be when they become old. The more educated a person is, the more resources they have, and the more likely they are to be healthy, cognitively active, productive, and have a level of meaning and contentment in their life.

Why should children care about aging? Children's chances (in a developed nation) of surviving to a very old age are greater than at any time in history. They need to know how to live out that life as healthy, productive, effective individuals. They need to prepare to live their entire lifespan. Young people educated about aging are more likely to live a healthy lifestyle and maximize their chances of living long and living well. This obviously has benefits for the individual, as well as reduces the health care burden on society. 

The question isn't really whether children should learn about aging – because they are learning about aging and a multitude of other things whether we consciously teach them or not – but what they should learn about the lifelong process we call growing up and getting older.

Even before the age of five years, research shows children may have already internalized ideas that lead to ageism (age prejudice/stereotypes) and gerontophobia (fear of ageing). Most children say they don't want to get "old." They express fears that if they were old, life wouldn't be much fun and they would soon die (keep in mind that for children, "old" is anyone over 30!). 

Grandparents are living, breathing models of older adulthood and ageing. Bringing grandparents, and other older adults, into schools, opens the door to exploring life course and ageing issues with children. Children at all age levels tend to have limited knowledge about older people. They just don't know that many older people. 

Some research has shown that children predominantly view older people as passive and not much fun to be with. At the same time though, they also express deep affection for older people. They evidently feel negatively about the physical and behavioral characteristics of age, but feel a positive affection toward specific older people. In other words, children love their grandparents – they just don't ever want to be like them! So intergenerational contact in itself is not enough. It's not enough to build a good relationship with "them." Children also need an educational component so that they come to see themselves as "them."

Many adults – teachers, parents, and grandparents – are not interested in aging and, in fact, must confront their own fears and stereotypes about aging and older adults. A Grandparents Day event can be an important first step in breaking down this barrier, opening dialogue, and building toward aging/life course education and intergenerational programs.


In general, we need to teach children about:

The Aging Process: Growing old is a natural part of human development; there are normal changes that come with aging; older people have certain needs and experience losses as well as gains; and it's important to develop ways to deal with realities like illness and death.

Issues Related to Aging: The myths and stereotypes about growing and being old; the economic, social, and psychological challenges of aging in our society; the isolation and segregation of many older adults; the current and historical role of older adults in our society; the roles and treatment of older people in other cultures and the values they reflect.

Older People as Individuals: The families, education, work, and life experiences of grandparents and other older adults; the contributions of older adults now and throughout history.

Connections Between Young and Old: Similarities and differences between young and old; what younger people can expect to do with and can expect from older people; how young and old can work together to address common needs; how being old is perceived by the young versus how it's perceived by the old; how we can look at our lives from a life course perspective and how each individual is unique.

Retirement Protests, an idea by Caree Risover

Because of the tragedy in New Zealand and the role, social media played in spreading the video of the event. Many of us are upset. In her post of March 15, Caree, over at "A Retirement Blog" talks about her concerns about the use of social media and makes some very good points. I agree with her statement:

"Fanatical and populist ideology posted by dubious sources and shared across newsfeeds worldwide has become so mainstream that people I might previously have considered to be critical thinkers now seem to repeat and repost without any obvious moral compass. They fail to hear or seek to comprehend that there is a valid argument against the stance that they promulgate. Where has reasoned and reasonable debate gone? I can offer an answer for that one: it has been buried in the adoption of subconscious Orwellian mantras like "the will of the people," "strong and stable," "no deal is better than a bad deal," or "make America great again."

She goes on to say, "I know protesting seemed simpler when you could turn up at Greenham Common with a tent and wire-clippers but how many of us have actually chained ourselves to railings recently? Planet Retirement is the perfect battleground to take the fight to the doors of commercial interests and large corporations. Boycotting remains a powerful tool as does complaining, giving bad (but honest) publicity and lobbying your MP.

Today I have absented myself from my Facebook account whilst contemplating its deletion. With over two billion active users monthly, imagine if only half its users did likewise. Ten percent of its current subscribers are apparently over 65; the deletion of two hundred million accounts isn't going to happen, but it would be some protest if it did!

Boomers were not the first generation to protest, but we did work hard at it in our youth. Over time I think got complacent and lazy. We believed we had won the battles that were important to us. We believed we stopped the war in Vietnam, we believed we had created a more open and forgiving society. We believed we had reduced, and some of us in our naively believed, we had overcome prejudice about race, sex, gender. Of course, none of that is true, but we believed it to be true. There may have been some movement in all of these areas, but not enough. 

Through social media sites, today those who hate, find each other and thrive in their own little worlds, and the rest of us ignore them or tolerate them and their views.  Our parents fought against the rise of the right-wing hate that is with us today, we lived in a time when we thought we knew the difference between the good guys and the bad guys. We were wrong, the bad guys were always there but they were underground and hidden in their own tiny frightened world.

In the day of the 24-hour news cycle, the agencies we used to trust to give us the facts, give us innuendo and rumour disguised as facts. In the "mainstream media" reporters, editors fearing for their jobs, latch on to the latest outrageous event, embellish it and attempt to grab our ever-shortening attention span. 

Over a period of time, the outrageous becomes the norm, the fringe becomes acceptable and the bad guys crawl out of their hidden worlds and creep into the mainstream through social media. We ignore them and we go on with our lives. I agree with Caree, we need to take a break from social media to gain back a sense of our understanding of humanity. By taking a break we can, I think, begin to move back to a time when we would not accept the fringe as the norm. 

So I ask you to do what Caree and I are doing which is taking a break from Facebook. Boycotting remains a powerful tool as does complaining, giving bad (but honest) publicity and lobbying your elected representative.

You Could Be a Citizen Science Volunteer

Want to make a difference for Canada’s birds and their habitats? Looking for a new favourite activity? Maybe our owl survey, marsh monitoring program, or loon survey is right for you.

Give a hoot and help us monitor owls

As you will read in the Owl Survey Updates, additional Nocturnal Owl Survey volunteers are needed in some parts of Canada. These volunteers spend one spring evening counting owls along isolated roads to document population trends and breeding range limits. Find out more.

One rail, two rail, Green frog, Wood frog

Join the Marsh Monitoring Program for a unique and rewarding experience contributing to the understanding and conservation of wetlands, some of North America’s most vital and sensitive ecosystems. Whether you are new to identifying frogs or a top-notch birder, this more intensive program lets you get outside and spend your spring collecting data. Volunteers are needed to survey marshes on both sides of the Great Lakes, in Québec, and in the Maritimes. Find out how you can get involved helping wetlands in your region.

Do you summer at the lake?

Kayak your favourite bay? Return yearly to your traditional fishing hole? Then the Common Loon needs YOU! If you will be at a Canadian lake at least one day in each of June, July, and August, you can help steward your lake and loons by joining the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey and monitoring loon chick survival. To learn more visit the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey webpage or contact Kathy.

Citizen Scientists

In fall of 2018, Bird Studies Canada invited volunteers like from across the country to participate in a research study and I responded along with over 500 others. The research inquired about wellbeing, connection to the natural environment and experiences as Citizen Scientists (collecting and contributing information about birds or other species to add to scientific knowledge

The researchers are happy to report some preliminary results, which I would like to share with you.  The 510 of us who responded range in age from 9 to 85 years, with the average age being 52.1. The majority (63.5%) are female and live either in city suburbs (30.6%), a small town (21.8%), or a rural/farm area (32.9%).

It seems many Bird Studies Canada volunteers reside in places with good opportunities for viewing wildlife, whether they have a backyard feeder or are able to hike, walk, or paddle in nearby nature areas. Participants are engaged in a variety of Bird Studies Canada projects, with the Christmas Bird Count, Great Backyard Bird Count, and Project FeederWatch being some of the most popular. Many volunteers submit data to eBird Canada, and contribute to bird surveys and breeding bird atlases.

Overall, the survey respondents reported high levels of connectedness with nature. Unsurprisingly, these findings suggest that Bird Studies Canada volunteers have a strong bond with the natural environment. This includes a sense of identity or self-concept that includes the natural world, as well as a comfort with and desire to be in nature. Our relationship with animals such as birds is an important part of our connection with nature; survey respondents reported concern for all aspects of the biosphere. Participants’ environmental concern for all living things was strongest, followed by altruistic concern for other people and future generations, and concern for how the environment affects one’s self interests.

Bird Studies Canada volunteers also reported being happy. They have more positive than negative moods, feel vital and alive, and also experience feelings of awe, curiosity, and fascination (emotions often associated with time spent in nature). Although all survey respondents reported high levels of wellbeing, overall, people who feel the strongest bonds with the natural environment are also the happiest (connectedness with nature positively correlated with happiness indicators). It is possible that being happy causes us to feel more connected to nature (as opposed to the other way around), but research on nature’s benefits for human mental and physical health suggest the effect is likely in the alternate direction. That is, spending time in nature and developing a sense of connection with the natural world enhances our health and happiness.

The links between nature connectedness and environmental concern also tell us that spending time observing and learning about birds and other wildlife is essential for helping people to develop a conservation ethic.