Flourishing in older age: Scottish and other realities (Positive Ageing) Professor Mary Gilhooly Director Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies Presentation Centre for Confidence and Well-Being Glasgow October 11, 2007

Positive ageing Why should we care? –Wish to reduce burden on the NHS –Wish to encourage participation and productivity –Wish to make older people happy

Ageism is rampant Gerontologists are partly responsible for negative views of old age –We focus our research on poor health and other ‘problems’ associated with ageing, older people and the demographic ‘time bomb’

Positive ageing Successful ageing Active ageing Productive ageing Healthy ageing

Why I dislike these terms Trendy Politicians use them Used interchangeably No inherent meaning

Moral dimension  Suggestion that the problems of old age are an individual, internal, or psychological matter, rather than something to do with the way we structure society and exclude older people from access to jobs and other meaningful roles  Puts an obligation on older people to stay active, healthy and happy  Victim blaming

Many examples of active/ successful/ positive ageing

59 year old woman

At 60 years

I was riding down the mountain with a sheer drop to my right when I suddenly thought………….. “I wouldn’t walk down a path like this, what am I doing on this horse?” “If I die, who will look after my mother?!”

Healthy ageing Age is the main risk factor for almost all diseases –Heart disease –Stroke –Alzheimer’s disease Disability levels rise with age –70% of disabled people are old There is little evidence for ‘compression of morbidity’ –Major disability levels are decreasing in USA; minor disability levels are increasing –Not much sign of compression of morbidity in Scotland

Q. Why is age the main risk factor for disease? Increased exposure to toxins over a life time Ageing itself creates the conditions for the emergence of disease

Health is more than physical functioning WHO definition

Psychological well-being Dementia Cognitive functioning Depression?

Social well-being Negative life events increase –Loss of spouse –Loss of friends Poverty is linked to age –A high proportion of those who are defined as poor are old. –Women are more affected by poverty in old age than men

Facts Ageing without disease is almost impossible Cognitive functioning declines with age Social networks diminish, friends die

Quality of life All the factors known to be associated with a good quality of life decline with age –Health –Wealth –Social networks and support

Future cohorts (baby boomers) of older people will be healthier. Not –The baby boomers are too fat –And they drink too much

Q. In the face of these realities, what does it mean to age positively?

Lest you think that interest in positive ageing is new….. –Cicero challenged the negative stereotypes of old age and pointed to the importance of motivation, values, good habits and social encouragement for optimising human potentialities in later years. –Jung and Erikson elaborated normative stage theories of adult development that were a reaction against the negative stereotypes of ageing predominant in the late 19 th century

There is no denial in these writings about the reality of old age Assumption of generalized age changes

Recent theorizing Focus on differential ageing that is… Why it is that some older adults show characteristics similar to the negative stereotypes of old ages, whereas others age much more positively

Positive Ageing = Adaptation

Thank You Flourishing in older age: Scottish and other realities (Positive Ageing) Professor Mary Gilhooly Director Brunel Institute for Ageing Studies Presentation Centre for Confidence and Well-Being Glasgow October 11, 2007

Thank You