Ageing 'well' in the 21st century
As AAG celebrates its 60th anniversary, we pause to consider what it means to grow older in modern society.
How should we define ‘old age’?
In 1900, reaching your mid 30s was a notable achievement. Thanks to improvements in public health, nutrition and medicine, Australians can expect to live well into their 80s. International comparisons put Australia fifth in the world for life expectancy.
How, then, do we define ‘old age’ and what do mean by it? What does ageing mean for different people? What are the common and unique experiences of ageing?
In our online poll in 2023, we asked ‘How old is too old?’ in the context of the United States presidential elections, noting the two main candidates are aged over 75 years. The majority of respondents reassuringly said that age per se is not issue, but rather their skills. This response in itself raised assumptions on physical and cognitive status and decline with age.
When we asked what ‘ageing well’ meant, respondents highlighted the importance of physical, mental and social engagement. People who were thought to be ‘ageing well’ were those who were ‘still’ maintaining an active lifestyle. However, our physical, mental and social health does change as we age. Does that suggest that ‘ageing well’ requires that we actively work to ameliorate those changes?
Our online poll also revealed problems with terms such as ‘ageing well’ or ‘healthy ageing’, as they carry an assumption of the ‘correct’ way to age and imply the possibility of failure.
Overall, it is clear that there are many influencing factors when it comes to age and ageing. Most important to our poll respondents were access to support, family and friends, financial security, community engagement and affordable and secure housing.