Future of ageing

I've just been reading a really interesting report published by the ILC entitled "Fiction, Facts and Future of Older People and Technology".

It makes a number of really good points, such as, "words do more than describe the world, they create it", which is an interesting comment on the terminology we use to refer to older people and the danger of creating a world that we are trying to avoid by careless attention to detail.

It then mentions the contemporary gerontologist's view of ageing "we should understand ageing not in terms of disability, dependency and disadvantage but as a project of identity, experience and meaning".

I think we'd all find this a more motivating and acceptable approach to ageing and if we can keep on reinforcing these kinds of positive words in relation to getting older then hopefully the creation of this world will follow.

Equality Bill

It was good to see Harriet Harman and Trevor Phillips talking about the impact of the forthcoming Equality Bill but Phillips also warned there was a lot of ageism in the City, saying: "The financial services industry has a very particular age structure; it hires and promotes preferentially between 25 and 39, and that in itself immediately poses a disadvantage to women," he said. "The culture of the industry effectively says that, after 40, you haven't got anything to contribute." This kind of ageism is also prevalent in other industries particularity advertising for example where the bulk of employees,95%, are under the age of 50.

Bearing in mind that the older generations have often been called "the invisibles" it's a bit scary if you start to be invisible from the age of 40. However, hopefully the increase in the number of older people who are healthier, better educated and more demanding than previous older generations and who are keen to vote will help to ensure that in time this kind of ageism will die out. It would be good if the Equality Bill could in some way accelerate this change.

Role models for the future

Soon the second war generations of the "Dunkirk spirit" and "make do and mend" mentality will be passing on the baton, making the "baby boomer" generations the elders of our society. This gives us a tremendous responsibility and also a great opportunity to be role models for future older people. We can start to change attitudes towards getting old. We can show that by staying fit and healthy, having a wide range of stimulating interests, sharing our experiences and supporting others and engaging in meaningful activities can make a difference to our older years and how we are viewed.There again,this applies to all generations.