Everyone wants to live longer but noone wants to grow old

How true is this statement… “Everyone wants to live longer, but no one wants to grow old”?

In 2050, the global population over 60 years of age will exceed 2 billion people, a base three times larger than it was in the year 2000, and it is presenting us with a massive challenge and a huge opportunity if we choose to take it, all over the world… the opportunity to provide fulfilling lifestyles for those who are living longer and keen to participate actively in society. The opportunity to shape our society differently to how it looks today to include a picture of a long life in it.

I want to challenge everyone with my opinion that this might start by stopping the competition between generations for policy, support, inclusion and participation and start building a bridge between the generations to make the society we live in one where everyone can stay young through participation.   We have to make the little things the make each agegroup special, more special in our society instead of just valuing “work” and then losing people from active society when they finish “working”.

In a recent report, academic Simon Biggs shared his research that finds the best way to manage global ageing is principally through cultural adaptation.

“We need to stop pitting generations against each other in our country, and all over the world and start to build complementary inter-generational relations that bridge the workplace, the family, government policy and civil society.”  His paper inspired me.

He challenges that we don’t just need to find ways to get older people to work longer like the governments all over the world are saying.  We instead need to look at finding new age-specific roles and contributions for everyone at all ages.  Biggs suggests that policy for Boomers should be less about work continuation than about reinvented retirement allowing mature people to develop multiple aspects of their identity.

Imagine if our government and people of all ages embraced the roles that retirees could play in society – in so many ways.

We need to remove the competition between generations for “work” and start considering ways to work side-by-side in community, society and life, complementing each other in creating an environment where no one needs to be old until they physically have to be.

And to do that we have to slowly start to change the way we pit generations against each other in language, policy and lifestyle.  No more cut one to pay the other styles of policy… instead, societally supportive policy that encourages each generation to play the roles that society needs them to play.

In order for an over 60 to have a job, a young person does not have to go without one.  In order for an over sixty to have policy that supports them, a younger person does not need to feel like something is being taken away, and frankly, I think family needs to be seen again as a multi-generational activity in society that can be very very rewarding for all involved.   But this will take big steps taken in little ways – people letting each other in is the first way.

The generations that are getting a little older… The Boomers  (you) and the Generation Xers (me) have an unique opportunity to create an environment of participation that might just ripple through society and allow everyone to live longer without getting old.

For those of you who have come to know me, you know over the past 18 months, since starting Starts at 60, I have become quite passionate about the inclusion of over 60s in all corners of society.  I believe that as more than 25% of  the population in our country, over 60s should have a louder and more listened to voice, a media presence that truly reflects their lifestyles, a workforce that accepts the value they can bring to it if they want to, and options for participation in all corners of life as an active citizen.  But should this be in the “same” way that we contribute to society in our preceding years? Or can we appreciate inter-generations for what they are… and enormous value in themselves?

And today, after reading this I want to hear some little ideas about how people over 60 can get more actively intergenerational… whether it be through connecting in communities or workplaces, or volunteering or through hobbies and life.  I want to hear your thoughts on how cultural change can gradually start to change our perception of living longer so people can do so without getting “old”.