One of the myths about anyone over 60 is that we don’t like change. It’s said we are less adaptable. We’re technophobes. It’s younger people that love change. They welcome innovation. Younger people will try anything, whereas when you get a bit older, well you’re likely to be set in your ways.

I’m wondering how true that is. When the latest unemployment figures were published, the headline news was about the rising figures of young unemployed and what more can be done to help them. The government has injected £1.4 bn into a skills training scheme to help them find a job. Encouragingly there has been an 18% increase for apprenticeships begun by 18 year olds and a 22% increase for young people aged between 19 and 24.

For me though, the more interesting figure was one that did not feature as front page news. The apprenticeship scheme, although aimed at the young, is open to anyone. Last year there was a 900% rise in the over-60s signing up. Of course statistics being statistics, it’s now quite as ‘wow’ as it seems at first reading. 400 over-60 year olds signed up in 2009-10. During this past year, 3, 910 signed up as new apprentices. So it’s 900% of not a large number. Nevertheless this was not anticipated. Having so many older people taking advantage of the scheme has pushed policy makers into suggesting that apprenticeships should only be accessed by the young.

Wiley older person Vince Cable has said he is not concerned about the spread of age groups beginning apprenticeships and he is right.

Shouldn’t we be applauding older apprentices? Although the scheme is likely to have been used as a cost shifting exercise for retraining by some employers, because other subsidised training schemes have been cut, it is commendable that people over 60 are signing up to start all over again. I’ve heard of one 60+ guy who was losing his job and offered an apprenticeship to become a gas fitter. He has to follow the experienced fitters around and assist just the same as the 18 year olds. He even went on an outward bound course with them – and completed it. I think that’s heroic. It makes me fill up when I think about it, like watching those old black and white stilted newsreels of men marching off to war.

Why are they doing it? And why are employers happy to recruit older apprentices? I’m hazarding a guess that your senior apprentices, contrary to the myth, have the gumption, the resilience and the flexibility to do whatever it takes to keep working, and if that means learning a whole new set of skills, then bring it on. The Baby Boomers are there on the front line.

Well Done Chaps and Chapesses, heads up, backs straight, get stuck in – you can show those young’uns a thing or two.

Tags: Apprenticeships, Employment, Government policy

Haven’t been feeling 100%. Sat on a bus last week close to a man who sneezed and coughed for the whole 20 minute journey. The bus was full so on the lower deck, there are possibly 36 other Brightonians with colds over the weekend too.

Frustrated and cross, I got up on Friday morning determined a mere cold was not going to stop me from achieving work goals. I wrote up my ‘to do’ list, whilst swigging back lemsip, honey, hot water and fresh lemons. Within an hour I had collapsed back to bed feeling weak, exhausted and very sorry for myself. I gave in. I agreed with my body that we would stay in the warm and enjoy a quiet, recuperating weekend. What I’ve found through the experience is that sneezes and sniffles and staying away from everyone can be positive.

Four benefits from giving into a cold:

1. I had the perfect excuse on Friday, to lie under a duvet and listen to non-stop BBC Radio 4. I drifted into and out of sleep listening to the dulcet tones of John Humphreys, Kirsty Young, and Jenni Murray. I learnt why there are so many young Italians in London through a radio documentary, caught up with the Euro-crisis with Edward Sturton on ‘The World at One’ and sympathised with Susan Carter on ‘The Archers’.

2. When I usually go out, it is with a purpose. I stride on my way to the shops or meeting. On Saturday afternoon, feeling a little better, I wandered. I strolled down into Kemptown village for some air and winter sunshine. I nosed around the second-hand shops, bought grapes and chatted to a friend I met.

3. Sunday morning, even with a ‘feeling much better’ cold, I still had an excuse to stay in bed a little longer than usual, get up leisurely, enjoy a warm bath and read a couple of chapters of my book. Then another wander to the local shops for a Sunday newspaper which gave me an excuse to treat myself to a late roast lunch at our local pub whilst catching up on the news. With time to read the whole newspaper plus the review, having a cold was starting to feel like a holiday.

4. I’ve been reflecting on my health. It’s only when I am feeling under the weather that I think about what being healthy means. Apart from a minor cold, this has been a good year for me. I’ve had no major injuries or illness. I am grateful to my body for keeping me safe. I’m grateful that most days, I am full of energy. I’m grateful I can touch my toes. I’m grateful for my mobility, that I can walk into town and back again. Being sick for a few days reminds me not to take my good health for granted.

If you catch a cold this winter, look at it as a blessing. Give yourself some space and time to take care of yourself. Don’t push yourself. This is your body giving you the opportunity to slow down, look around and spoil yourself – just a little bit. Enjoy the next cold you catch.

Tags: BBC, cold, health, illness, Radio4

 

What I find particularly frustrating with the media and society’s view of older people as frail and unproductive, is that many people who have given up full-time paid work continue to contribute to society for little or no money.

The economic analysts SQW calculated that older people in 2010 contributed a total of £175.9 bn to the economy, through paying taxes, delivering social care and volunteering worth 44 bn.  This is compared to welfare costs of £136.3 bn.

Contrary to common myth, people over 60 put in more than they take out.  Not all older people may be still working in the ‘getting a pay packet at the end of the month’ sense of the word, but most of us are contributing to society and saving the Government billions.

Grandparents care for grandchildren to enable parents to work.  Spouse’s care for each other at home, if either partner suffers a stroke or other debilitating illness.  And older children in their 50’s care for even older parents in their 80s and 90s.

Age UK has around 8,000 older volunteers working in their charity shops and a further 60,000 working for them or for their partner organisations. Chairman Dianne Jeffrey says that many people in their 60s are still looking after the financial welfare of their children and caring for parents, but as their 60s move into their 70s and 80s, they may find their responsibilities decrease and volunteering becomes important. 

By 2030, the estimated financial benefit of all the voluntary and unpaid caring that older people carry out will be £291.1bn compared with projected welfare costs of £216.2bn.

Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re at the end of your productive life whatever your age, because it simply isn’t true.        

Tags: Age UK, Being Older, Caring for spouse, economics, media, Society, SQW, WRVS

I’m a strong believer in ongoing learning.  No matter how old we are,  we can never know everything.  I see learning, workshops and attending seminars as part of my ongoing professional and personal development.

So when I signed up for a workshop last weekend, I anticipated a day at the end of which I would feel better equipped and supported.

The day proceeded, the workshop content was good but there was room for improvement in the presentation.  To that effect, I added a few words at the end of the evaluation form which invited ‘any other comments’.

Performance management and feedback is best given as:

• praise for what worked first,
• where things could be improved,
• and concluding with more praise

All-damning criticism undermines confidence.  We need to be told that something we did worked.  I thought I had offered fair points, both plus and minus.  Imagine my surprise then at the tutor’s response.   An email diatribe about how I was wrong, mistaken and telling lies.

It was a surprising response.  It made me think again about what it means to act with integrity.  It would have been easier for me to tick all the boxes and leave it at that.  After all that’s how many Care Home and Hospital inspections are carried out.  However when the Care Quality Commission sent inspectors to hospitals without prior warning, all kinds of bad practice was going on in many hospitals, particularly affecting elderly patients.

To the CQC’s merit, it did not hold back in detailing the failings in nursing that were found.  Listening to the radio the day after, I heard a Nurse Manager justifying why this was happening with a raft of excuses; lack of resources, changes in training, the elderly have complicated needs.  It made me wonder whether anything will change?  Hopefully hospital services for older people will improve as a result of what was honest, and very public, feedback.

As a nation, we like to be polite and not cause offence.  The problem with that is we enable bad practice to continue.

Be bold during this coming week and give feedback if you feel someone or an organisation has not given good service.  Vice versa if someone, perhaps a relative has criticised you, think before you bristle. Could I have handled this situation differently?  Why would he/she think that?  Is there some truth in what is being said and how can I improve the situation?

Finally if you ask for feedback, be big enough to take on board whatever is offered as constructive and helpful.

 

Tags: Being brave, life-long learning, performance management

 

Over the past weeks, I’ve been reading Dan Buettner’s book ‘The Blue Zones’ to understand what he found when he had conversations with happy and healthy people in their 80s, 90s and over 100.  What commonalities did Buettner find that linked these groups of people who lived in communities as diverse as Okinawa and Sardinia?

 

 

Buettner found 9 attributes that people universally shared:

1                    They took regular, moderate exercise

2                    Stopped eating when they felt 80 percent full

3                    Ate mainly unprocessed food and cut down on meat

4                    Drank a glass of wine every day

5                    Had a strong sense of purpose

6                    Took life more slowly

7                    Belonged to a spiritual community

8                    Put their loved ones first

9                    And were surrounded by people with the same values as theirs

Today I’m looking at what Buettner says about the last two behaviours common to each community of elders with whom he talked.

Lesson 8  Putting Your Loved Ones First

Family life is important whether you live in a burning desert or an air-conditioned high-rise city flat. People who live long lives, lives where they remain sharp to the end, lives where they are valued and contribute, have strong family ties.  I use the word ‘family’ in its broadest sense. Having lived in New Zealand for many years, I learnt the Maori name for family is ‘whanau’ and that your whanau extends to include anyone who is close and dear to you.

Whanau/Families that meet for meals regularly, celebrate birthdays together and are there for each other in times of crisis build strong bonds.  Buettner found that older people who lived with their children had lower levels of stress, healthier diets and a lower incidence of accidents.

At whatever time of life we are at, investment in family life pays off.  In the busy lives we all live these days, it’s sometimes hard to fit in a family meal together or make that phone call to an Aunt.  But it’s as important to tell the people you love that you love them as it is to complete that project within deadline or make that last business call of the day.

Lesson 9   Be surrounded by people with the same values as yours

Making social connections with people you like, people you work with and people with whom you socialise is a key to longevity.

Women are often better at this than men, but we all have to make an effort if we want a magnificent old age.  Good social connections offer mutual support. Going out for a coffee with a friend, sharing a fear or good news helps us to feel we are not alone.

Dan Buettner also found that “Of the centenarians interviewed, there wasn’t a grump in the bunch.”  If you’re positive and fun to be with, people will want to spend more time with you.  And with friends, as well as family, make sure you diary time to keep up your friendships.  There is nothing nicer than getting a surprise telephone call from an old friend who just rang you up for a chat and to see how you are.

(Dan Buettner’s book is  ‘The Blue Zones’ .  Photo courtesy of  Free Digital Photos)

Tags: Being Older, Family, happiness

 

I’m spending time thinking about the changes I want to make to give me the best chance of enjoying a happy, healthy mature years.

Last week I shared lessons about diet and exercise.  This week it’s about how we can live our day to day lives.  This is what author Dan Buettner learned when he interviewed centenarians living in communities where a significant percentage of people were over 90 years old.

Lesson Five:  Be Clear About Your Purpose In Life
Having a purpose in life has cropped up time and again during my research about the best formula for great senior years.  Buettner says a clear goal in life, a reason to get up in the morning means you are more likely to feel fulfilled and less likely to be stressed.

You don’t need to want to change the world.  Just being there for your children or grandchildren, or working in a voluntary capacity, or maybe tending your garden can give you a sense of purpose.

Lesson Six: Take Life A Little More Slowly

I’m not an advocate of ‘slowing down’ just because I’m over 60.  But I can see the sense of taking time to walk to my local shops rather than jumping in the car and dashing around a supermarket.  Life becomes more pleasurable when I live it a little more slowly.

One of Buettner’s studied population groups was the Seventh Day Adventists in the USA.   They follow a Saturday Sabbath to create what they describe as a ‘sanctuary in time’.  During 24 hours, they commit to enjoying activities with the family which could be as simple as going for a joint walk on the beach.  Buettner says it helps them to put into perspective whatever has happened to cause stress during the rest of the week.

I remember when shops always closed on a Sunday. I remember the quiet of the streets and the feeling of peace in the silence.  Although I appreciate the convenience of being to shop on a Sunday, I do wonder whether we have lost our sanctuary in time, when Sundays offered space for us to step off the roundabout of life every now and again.

Lesson Seven:  Join a Community of Belief

In Buettner’s book, he says that “Healthy centenarians everywhere have faith”.  Belonging to a religious community means you are more likely to live your life as a decent, honourable human being, according to a moral code handed down from on high.  I’m excluding extreme fundamentalists that unfortunately are found in every religion.  Generally speaking, there’s something about having faith and sharing that faith in religious acts of worship that calms and sustains us.

This is a hard one for me because I’m not a believer.  But I do see that there are benefits to be gained from believing in something.  I have always loved communal hymn singing for example.  All those voices raised as one, a rattling good tune and thunderous organ playing  - it’s all seductive uplifting stuff.  Yesterday morning, on BBC Radio 4’s ‘BH programme,  atheist, Sir Jonathon Miller talked about his favourite hymn.  He likes ‘Immortal, Invisible God Only Wise’.  Maybe my belief is about the synergy created by a group of like-minded souls.

What do you think about Dan Buettner’s lessons?  Do the three above work for you?

 

(I’ll share the last 2 lessons from Dan Buettner’s book ‘The Blue Zones’ next time. You can hear Jonathon Miller speaking about faith and hymn-tunes on ‘BH’ via the BBC’s listen again facility. Photo courtesy of Free Digital Photos)

 

 

Tags: Being Older, centenarians, Dan Buettner, finding space for the family, Lessons in life, Life Balance, living life with a purpose, religion, taking life more slowly

 

 

I’m still tussling with a problem.  Not so much a problem as a way of life.  Having researched many books and papers about the secret of happy longevity, I’m still asking myself what changes I should make in my life that give me the best chance of a energetic and at the same time, contented old age?

This week I’m sharing four of the nine lessons Dan Buettner learned from his travels around the world meeting people living in communities where there are a significant higher percentage of healthy oldies, including many people living to be over 100.

Lesson One: Move Naturally.

Keeping a fit body is not about going to the gym every day.  It’s about moderate, regular exercise. It’s about us all taking care of our gardens, walking to the shops, maybe some yoga classes, having fun dancing or riding a bike.  Exercise that makes you smile, not grimace in pain.

Lesson Two: Stop Eating when Your Stomach is 80% Full.

This is what the Okinawan oldies do.  They consume less calories than the rest of us.  Cutting back on food, not to the Victoria Beckham level, but just eating a little less than we normally do, keeps us healthy.  Put your food on a smaller plate.  You’ll still clear your plate but won’t eat as much.

Lesson Three:  Cut back on meat

Buettner found that most centenarians he met ate little or no meat.  Medical experts told him that our bodies can’t store protein and too much protein gets converted to calories and if we’re not exercising them away, the calories turn to fat.  We do need some protein but in the developed World, we are eating far more than we need.

Lesson Four:  Drink red wine in moderation

Increasingly research is showing that a glass of red wine each day is good for our overall health.  But it’s not about drinking to excess.  Wine can also over damage our livers and has been linked to breast cancer.  So again it’s all about moderation.  Sardinian elders have a glass of red wine with an evening meal every day.

Dan Buettner has 5 further lessons learnt through his research.  I’ll share them with you shortly.

In the meantime, if you’d like more information about Buettner’s research, he has a website: www.bluezones.com.

His book is called ‘The Blue Zones – Lessons for Living Longer from the People who’ve lived the Longest.’  Published by the National Geographic Society.

Tags: Diet, Drink red wine, health, less meat, regular exercise, walk more

 

Making the decision to stay in England and buy a flat in Brighton has started me thinking about what else I would like to change in my life?

After all I don’t have any responsibilities, which is not the same as saying I don’t worry about my kids from time to time, even though they are all adult, reasonably law-abiding and generally remember my birthday.

After a succession of dogs, cats, hamsters and husbands, I don’t have anything to put into kennels when I go away.

The research for my book includes conversations with celebrities and non-celebrities. They all love their lives regardless of age and are teaching me that there is a good way to age and a bad way.

I want to use the rest of my life to age happily and healthily. If I am going to reinvent myself to face the coming years with the best approach to life and the least risk of falling sick, I need to take responsibility for change.

This week I’m going to think about what key threads of my life I want to strengthen, restart, change or throw off a cliff? How do I build a solid wall of resilience to cope with the hard stuff that may come my way? How to I give myself the best chance of happiness in my senior years?

If you have ideas you think will help me, let me know.

Tags: celebrities, change, dancing, fun, happiness, health, Life Balance, Older, shoes