You’re Looking Very Well
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The older pursue more emotionally meaningful goals, while the younger look for broader horizons. They are also less sensation-seeking. And they avoid physical risk, though can be fond of gambling. Many positively enjoy retirement and old age. In the arts there are many examples of creative people who have worked till they were old, albeit with some problems. Michelangelo, at 88, was designing the monumental dome of St Peter’s Basilica; Stradivarius, in his 90s, produced two of his most famous violins; Verdi composed the opera Falstaff when an octogenarian. Bach and Beethoven were still creative composers in their old age. Rembrandt and da Vinci painted self-portraits that reflected their age; Goya at 70 made his look like a man of 50. Chateaubriand, the French writer and diplomat, so hated his ageing face he refused to have his portrait painted. But there was old Rembrandt with his penetrating self-portraits; old Titian’s sensuous paintings of virgins; and Yeats’s later works were his best. A recent pleasing example of the old being given key roles in a famous play was at the Old Vic in Bristol, where Sian Phillips at 76 played Juliet to Michael Byrne’s 66-year-old Romeo. Judy Dench played Titania in a 2010 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream aged 75, for the 79-year-old director Peter Hall, 48 years after first stepping out in the role.
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There has been a significant change in the sociology of ageing since the 1950s generation aged. They have a different perception, much influenced by greater affluence. There are more lifestyle choices, and those who were spenders when young continued as they aged. At the end of the century, retired people had more wealth than those of working age, and residential mobility had increased among the retirees. The common perception among advertising agencies is that younger age groups spend more than older age groups, but recent studies show consumers aged 65 to 74 outspend their counterparts in the 35-to-44 age group. About one in six women are now pensioners and this will probably increase to one in four over the next ten years. The idea that these women are becoming doddery and inactive is wrong. This is an image that relates to the situation 30 years ago. Now, to the contrary, the evidence is that many are active and young looking.
Older adults experience fewer stressful life events than younger adults. They have, for example, less marital conflict and job stress. Old men are less critical of their bodies than women. A study or 340,000 Americans found that levels of stress began to decline in their early 20s and when they reached 50 then worry decreased, and happiness and enjoyment then increased till 85. It is almost like having, the researchers claimed, a new life that begins at 40. There is new wisdom and the old are better able to view their life circumstances positively. Those who age successfully are in good health, with high levels of mental and physical activity, and active involvement with their environment. Most older people take a holistic view of what ‘health’ means, including wellbeing and social factors, and in general take a positive view. Social contact remains a central issue for the aged, and there is a decline in interest in national issues, yet about two thirds of the aged turn out to vote at elections in the UK. More of them vote more than young people, and their vote is very important to all the political parties.
Adults are very capable of learning well into their 70s, which is a good reason to accept lifelong learning as more than just a pleasant mantra. Likewise, it seems beneficial for teachers in the higher educational setting to be aware of the differences between the older learner and the traditional college-age student. The differences are somewhat subtle, so it will take effort on the part of an instructor to understand and implement appropriate strategies. Learning in later life contributes to physical and mental health and wellbeing. It is also associated with increased self-confidence and community activity. But participation in further education for older people is very low, with only 10 per cent of the over 75s being involved. The focus is on the young, the under 25s; and just 1 per cent of the education budget is given to the old. There should be more funds to help those who are starting new careers as they age.
The University of the Third Age provides many opportunities for the elderly. It offers the chance to study over 300 different subjects in such fields as art, languages, music, history, life sciences, philosophy, computing, crafts, photography and walking, and the number increase each year. The membership of a typical University of the Third Age is about 250, but can be as small as 12 and as large as 2,000. Their approach is learning for pleasure, as there are no assessments or qualifications to be gained. Individual membership rose to over 230,000 in England in 2009.
Exclusion from computers and the web is particularly pronounced for older people‚ with only 30 per cent of people aged 65 and over ever using the internet. Computers are being modified for the old with larger power buttons and easy-to-read menus. But it has been suggested that computer games may be bad for the elderly as they can decrease participation in more effective lifestyle interventions such as exercise. Only 20 per cent of those aged 65 to 74 and just 7 per cent of over 75s do enough exercise—30 minutes, five times a week.
When making choices about how to live, middle-aged and older adults attempt to preserve and maintain existing ways, and they prefer to accomplish this by using strategies tied to their past experiences. This may not always be wise, as a survey in 2006 of pensioners showed. They were asked what in their lives they would change if they could have their time again. While about one fifth would have married a different spouse, about one half would have saved more, and nearly three quarters would have had more sex. Old age can provide a useful excuse for men whose sexual abilities are failing. There are claims that the elderly get less pleasure from sexual intercourse, and they thus seek pleasure in erotic literature and the company of young women, and even voyeurism. Alison Park, co-director of the National Centre for Social Research’s British Social Attitudes survey, says that on issues such as marriage, pre-marital sex and homosexuality, ‘it doesn’t follow that people become more restrictive in their attitudes as they get older. People’s attitudes are shaped when they are quite young and stay with them.’
It is important to dispel the myth that as men get older their sexual abilities will significantly decrease. There’s really no physiological or anatomical reason why a healthy man who takes good care of himself, and who doesn’t have attendant medical problems, shouldn’t be able to have a fulfilling and active sexual life. A comprehensive national survey of senior sexual attitudes, behaviours and problems in the United States has found that most people aged 57 to 85 think of sexuality as an important part of life and that the frequency of sexual activity, for those who are active, declines only slightly from the 50s to the early 70s, and that this activity continues into the 80s.
If the old have energy for sex, they also have sufficient energy for crime. In England and Wales, prisoners aged over 60 are the fastest growing age group in prison. The increase in the elderly prison population is due to harsher sentencing policies, which have resulted in the courts sending a larger proportion of criminals aged over 60 to prison to serve longer sentences. Between 1995 and 2000 the number of elderly males given custodial sentences increased by 55 per cent. In 2007 there were some two thousand prisoners aged over 60 in England and Wales, including about four hundred over 70. The majority of elderly men in prison were there for sex offences. The next highest offence was violence against the person, followed by drug offences. More than half of all elderly prisoners suffer from a mental disorder, mainly depression, which may be caused by or aggravated by imprisonment. In the USA, the number of prisoners over 50 is more than twice as many as a decade earlier.
One of the greatest pleasures of old age is having grandchildren—I have six. They usually need a minimum of care and they are a delight. Perhaps they will help look after me in my very old age—but I would not rely on it. Looking after grandchildren is a possible role for the old. Patsy Drysdale from Stranraer was crowned the UK’s best grandparent in the 2008 Age Concern Grandparent of the Year Awards in association with Specsavers. The annual competition‚ now in its 1
9th year‚ is a celebration of how important grandparents are to family life. It gives grandchildren the chance to say thank you for all the love and support they receive from their grandparents. Patsy was shortlisted for the national award from hundreds of entries. She was nominated by her granddaughter Gina‚ aged 13‚ to thank her grandma for taking her in when it looked she was going to have to go into care following the death of her mother. Patsy has supported Gina through difficult times and Gina has been there when her grandmother needed her‚ nursing her after a cancerous tumour was removed from her lungs. In 2009 Christine Levin from Falmouth‚ Cornwall‚ was crowned the UK’s best grandparent, again nominated by her granddaughter.
But there are also problems associated with the role of the caring grandparent. A study in London showed that children did better if they went to nursery school than if they were cared for by their grandparents. Their social skills at 3 years were worse and they had more behavioural problems already at 9 months, though their vocabulary was better. Worse still, it was found in the US that grandparents who looked after grandchildren or lived with them were in worse health. A recent study found that for many, friends and hobbies are more satisfying for the old than grandchildren.
With regard to the age of parents, researchers analysed the scores of children who had been tested at regular intervals in a variety of cognitive skills, including thinking and reasoning, memory, understanding, speaking and reading, as well as motor skills. Regardless of their mothers’ ages, the older the fathers, the more likely the children were to have lower scores. By contrast, children with older mothers generally performed higher on the cognitive measures, a finding in line with most other studies, suggesting that these children may benefit from the more nurturing home environments associated with the generally higher income and education levels of older mothers.
There are great benefits to be had from pairing the elderly with pets, but there are also some risks and one has to be careful in the selection of a dog. Companion dogs can be very comforting and can bring much joy to any elderly person, and studies have proved that the overall wellbeing of old people can be improved when sharing love with a four-footed friend. Doctors, social workers, home care workers and nursing homes recommend companion animals to help the elderly, and this includes not just dogs but birds and cats. Dogs can provide more than just affection: studies have shown that they can lower blood pressure, offer a sense of security and safety, and decrease feelings of isolation. There is also good evidence that touch is very important to the wellbeing of humans. A cat curled up in the lap or the friendly touch of a dog’s nose can give a sense of reassurance and satisfaction. Stroking a beloved pet can lower blood pressure and lift depression. The elderly will be kept active by feeding, grooming and caring for their pets. Dogs get them out of their living quarters and into the fresh air and sunshine, and this also helps them to get to know other people in the neighbourhood. Caring for a pet’s needs gives the elderly an incentive to maintain their normal activities.
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Ageing is more than an innate physical process; it also reflects patterns and choices made at individual and societal levels. The proportion of older people in England’s rural areas is significantly higher than in urban areas. It is a trend that is likely to continue, as more people move to the countryside for quality-of-life reasons in their middle age, and stay on into retirement. Findings from Age Concern show that almost all older people in rural areas consider their local post office to be ‘a lifeline’‚ with over half of over-60s in the countryside fearing that post office closures would leave them more isolated. Rural post offices provide much more than just a postal service to older people. Many pensioners use their post office as a ‘one-stop shop’ to access their pension and benefits‚ pay their bills‚ get advice and information‚ and meet and socialise with others. Closures leave many older people increasingly financially and socially excluded.
A survey of nearly 14,000 people confirmed that the happiest older people are those living in the country. One in ten picked Devon as the best place for old people to retire to. Cornwall also got high ratings. Many were aspirational, seeing retirement as the start of a new life, as they may have 20 years left. Nearly half of over-50s plan to move when they retire and just 3 per cent thought of moving to London—less then 1 per cent thought it a desirable place to live, with the high cost of living being a significant factor. Many older people in London are afraid to go out and feel very isolated.
It is almost inevitable that with age there is an increasing likelihood of an individual living alone, and loneliness can be painful. About one in ten people aged 65 and over, the equivalent of more than one million older people, perceive themselves to be often or always lonely. Millions of elderly people do experience loneliness. Nearly half a million older people leave their houses only once a week and a further 300,000 are entirely housebound. Half a million of those over 65 spend Christmas day alone. Loss of local services such as post offices and small shops makes things worse. Children, partners and friends matter. Approximately twice as many people in the poorest wealth quintile compared with the richest feel isolated often or some of the time. Living alone, in turn, is more common in the poorer wealth groups. Not surprisingly, feeling left out is more common for people living without a spouse or with a spouse with whom they do not have a close relationship. Three in five women of 75 and older live alone, while less than a third of men of similar age do. Household size decreases with age more sharply for women than for men, with two thirds of women and one third of men aged 80 years and over living alone, compared to one in ten of both men and women in their early 50s. Many are home-owners, but many of the homes lived in are in a bad state. Over 80 per cent of older people want to stay in their own homes, which is hardly surprising, but about one half of those over 75 living in their own homes have a disability. Some 400 people aged 80 and over marry each year in the UK—more men than women, as the men marry younger women.
Those who are considered to be severely socially excluded belong to one or more of these categories: those aged 80 years and above, those who live alone, have no living children, have poor health, suffer depression, never use public transport, or do not own their accommodation. Social exclusion is also related to low income, those whose main source of income is via benefits, are unemployed, or take no physical exercise. Those who are socially excluded include some of the most deprived among the older population.
There is not much public effort to improve the lifestyle of the elderly in towns and with transport, but in London pensioners’ playgrounds are planned for Hyde Park and other areas, with fitness equipment and an outdoor gym. These will be less intimidating and expensive than normal gyms. Buses need to be designed so the elderly can easily get on and off. A positive feature is that there are concessions for the fares of the old on public transport. Some 4 to 5 million in the US use mobility devices.
The lack of public lavatories makes it hard for the elderly in town centres, and unrepaired pavements can cause serious falls. In Japan, however, one fifth of whose population of 128 million is over 65, attempts are being made to cater for the elderly, including cars designed to be more responsive when the old are driving and even elderly porn. In the Sugamo region of Tokyo, the elderly flourish. Shop fronts have been modified to deal with wheelchairs and the goods in them are what the elderly need—including many medicines and walking aids. Most of the shops in Sugamo are barrier-free, giving easy access to people with canes, walkers or wheelchairs. Moreover, the layout of each shop is open and the height of the counter is rather low, and they provide an atmosphere where shop staff and customers can easily communicate. In the UK, a business network called Engage have established AGE OK to give credit to old-age-friendly products or schemes, the first being for remote controls for TV to help with poor sight.
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There are currently about 1 million in the UK people of retirement age in full or part-time work, a significant increase in number. Those with
middle incomes and wealth are the most likely to stay in work as they approach state pension age. The poor often stop work through ill-health or disability. Four out of five people with a compulsory retirement age in their job would not want to work beyond it. A survey in the US found that about half of those working beyond retirement age did so because they wanted to and only 17 per cent did so because they needed the money. Banks have been accused of deliberately misleading vulnerable elderly into gambling their savings in risky investments. It would be sensible for those over 70 to bring an adviser with them when thinking of such investments, and a senior manager should be involved.
Retirement only came to industrial societies in the twentieth century, when people were living much longer—before that working lives mainly ended with death. A 65-year-old man can now expect to live another 16 years. As individuals approach retirement, they need to decide when to stop working and to examine their financial situation, particularly their pensions. Age for retirement varies, but 65 is common, and it affects the cost of pensions. State money for the old came after the Old Age Pensions Act in 1909, paying an amount of between 10p and 25p a week from age 70, on a means-tested basis. Then the Contributory Pensions Act in 1925 set up a state scheme for manual workers and others earning up to £250 a year—the pension was 50p a week from age 65. In 1946 the National Insurance Act introduced contributory state pensions for all. The basic state pension is a ‘contribution based’ benefit, and depends on an individual’s National Insurance contributions, a system of insurance against illness and unemployment. For someone with the full number of qualifying years, typically 44 for a man and 39 for a woman, it is payable at a flat rate of £95.25 per week (2009/10). Less pension is paid if there are fewer qualifying years. The first report of the government’s Pension Commission in 2004 outlined some of the main challenges facing UK pension provision; it suggested that either taxes will have to rise or people will have to work longer and save more, or face poverty in old age.