Burden? Not on your later life
You will be pleased to know that
older people are not, and will not be, a burden to society. So said Dr
Alexandre Kalache, spokesperson for the Healthy Ageing Programme, which is part of the
World Health Organisation. ‘Think of longevity
as an enormous achievement’, he said, before adding a trifle ominously, that this is also a challenge.
 From the view at past 50 or 60, the world seems
rapidly to be getting younger. From
politicians to pop stars, fashion and décor, popular culture, music - everything seems to
be defined by youth. We, who have seen and
experienced a lifetime of trends, are perhaps more aware of the changes and more impervious to
them than younger people to whom they are directed. Like
policemen getting taller and younger, trends seem to happen faster and to change with
greater speed. We can’t, and most of the
time don’t even wish to, keep up with them.
This will
present a few problems if we go on extending our life expectancy. The more out of
touch we are, the more we are likely to have
our views disregarded.
The omens are
not too good. In a
European-wide survey of over-55s commissioned by Pfizer, to uncover the
lifestyle, attitudes and concerns of the 'third age', the UK compared badly to France, Germany, Italy and
Spain.
Although UK workers are more likely than their
European counterparts to work beyond retirement age on either a paid or voluntary
basis, over three quarters of those surveyed in the UK thought society undervalued their
skills and experience. Over half (54%) also believed that older people were inaccurately
portrayed by the media.
The UK over 55s revealed other depressingly
negative attitudes. Despite the fact that almost three in four took regular exercise and ate healthily, the Pfizer survey found that 83% of UK respondents thought society viewed
their health in an 'inevitable' state of decline.
Given the current pension situation, it’s not
surprising that more than a third were unconvinced that their pension would see them
comfortably through old age and 35% called for better pension and welfare benefits as the
factor that would most improve their lives.
It’s not all gloom and doom,
though. In fact, things are looking pretty good
for us olders/elders/seniors/members of the grey population (aka pensioners, old people, the elderly if you want
to be less complimentary). We really are
staying healthier for longer. Chronic
disability rates in the US are levelling off and are projected to fall. Pharmaceutical
companies are investing in ways to keep us healthy and active. So the chances are that as
we age, we can look forward to a good quality of life for longer.
And a different report, this time
from the think-tank Demos, suggests that a revolution is just around the corner. The
‘baby boomers’ born in the 1950s and 60s are now coming of age and are not
retiring into a quiet corner. They expect
society to reflect their consumer needs. They
want adventurous holidays. They are making the
trends instead of following them, and it’s their children who are beginning to do the
adjusting.
Oldish-timers like Mick Jagger,
Paul Macartney, Rod Stewart remain icons to younger generations as well as older ones. Whether it’s food, designer clothes, music,
even television programmes – the tastes of two generations are converging, claims
Demos in a soon-to-be published book.
 Am I convinced?
Not really, though I’d like to be. For
every ageing pop star, clothes designer, telly celebrity, there is likely to be a younger
version who seems incomprehensible to older generations.
Still,
it’s a start. Maybe we should have our own
Top of the Pops and make it compulsory for everyone under 40 to watch it.
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Talkback is a regular
feature in laterlife.com run by journalist and author Helen Franks. 
