"Use it or lose it": Telethon message for elderly

Ruapehu Bulletin, 17 August 1990, Page 13

"Use it or lose it": Telethon message

for elderly

"When I look in the mirror, I wonder who that old person is," said an 80-year-old grandma. "Inside, I'm just the same as always."

That face is all the world sees. And it's a world steeped in prejudice against old age. In a society that worships youth, preferably thin with a good sun tan, a job and plenty of money, older people don't merit a second glance. Ageism is so rampant in New Zealand that some schools are pondering whether to add it to the curriculum alongside studies on sexism and racism. Government and private agencies hope this year's Telethon will not only raise a large sum for a forgotten section of the community, but will also helo change community attitudes to the aged. Helen McCracken, a Health Department educator, who works solely with older people, says one of her basic goals is to attack the negative stereotypes of ageing, which can limit so much the expectations and quality of life in older age. Dotty myths Old age is a life stage riddled with myths, she says. "For instance, society tends to think that older people are denendent on others. If you ask a passerby in the street how many people over 60 they think live in resthomes, they will say one quarter or one third. In fact 94% of older people live at home." Another myth is: When you get old you get dotty. Not so, according to Ms McCracken. "This is a complete fallacy. Even among those over 80, only 20% will suffer from mental confusion." Then there are the horrors of Alzheimer's disease, which reputedly reaches plague proportions among the elderly. Ms McCracken says,

"Alzheimer's is, in fact, rare before the age of 65. Possibly 10% of those over 80 will develop Alzheimer's. But there are all sorts of conditions that are similar to Alzheimer's - such as being alone, booze, adverse drug reactions, poor nutrition, having a fall and hurting your head - and all these are curable and not inevitable." Sex memory Another common belief is that sex becomes only a memory among' the elderly. And any move in that direction would almost certainly result in heart attack or a stroke. Yet, according to Ms McCracken, most older people can lead a successful sex life. Of course it is only in recent times that people have started living to the age of 60 and beyond'. Improved medicine and a greater awareness of the importance of lifestyle and health, has resulted in a surge of people living on into their 70s, 80s and 90s. So what do we know about older people as a group? Firstly, even the experts have difficulty pinpointing when old age begins. Opinions vary widely. Joe Tait, administrative officer for the Auckland Branch of Age Concern, would not dream of calling anyone under the age of 80 'elderly'. "We don't like to call them 'old' either," he said, "they are much too fit. We would perhaps call them senior citizens or older people." Ms McCracken says the benchmark must be 60, because that's the present age of retirement and that's when superannuation begins. "But soon the retirement age will be 65 and

then we'll see how the definition of old can shift." "When we have people working into their 60s and 70s, then we will see 'old' very differently, because we measure people on who they are and what they do." Disability issue Research put together by the Health Education Unit of the Department of Health shows that disability rather than age is the issue among older people themselves. Aging becomes a reality when disability intervenes - not before. Older people are the most diverse group in our population, according to Ms McCracken. Research, however, has been able to come up with some interesting observations that are fairly common to the group. Most older people, for instance, enjoy the occasional drink of alcohol, just as most of them are on at least one prescription drug. Most receive company and psychological support from their family and have no problems sleeping at night. Health problems, the impact of news events and physical disabilities are cited as three major problems in their lives. The issues they all inevitably face are; retirement, loss and declining health. But the ways in which they cope with these issues are very different, depending on their education, life style and what they can muster in good oldfashioned luck. Use it There is a common phrase bandied around among older people: "Use it, or lose it." "As we get older we must continue to use our brains z 1 our bodies and keep on being involved with other people, explains Ms McCracken. "If we don't, we'll lose that

ability forever." She wants people to focus on the positive aspects of growing old. "If you think of the positive things, you come up with: experience, skill and maturity. "Another good thing is having some time to do the things you haven't done in the past. If you are in a relationship, you can explore where its going. You have quality time to spend with your children and your grandchildren. It is time to look back, but also to look forward." Ms McCracken says society itself needs to undergo enormous changes to help turn ageing into a successful process. On an individual level, she wants to work towards improving the quality of people's lives in their 70s, 80s and 90s. "The factors that promote successful ageing are the same for any age. We all need regular exercise, hobbies and interests, good nutrition, friendships, a personal sense of style, staying involved, keeping up with current events, regular medical attention, a bit of future planning in our lives and basic safety knowledge about things like traffic." Money needed More funds would go a long way towards helping New Zealand make the transition from an ageist society to one where older people have a greater sense of dignity and worth. Ms McCracken would Golf Waimarino Ladies Golf Club results from 15 August 3rd round - Toanui Trophy. B. Dempsey beat A. Pritt 16th; P. Mowat beat A. Roke 16th; A. Barrett beat J. Donghi 11th; K. Greenwood beat J. Martin 17th. 2nd O'Neill Trophy - Winner B. Berridge 8 up. Raffle J. Martin. Handicap Reduction: H. Woollett 28-27

like to see more money go towards the pilot programme, Home Care 60s Plus, run by the Social Welfare Department, to expand it into an ongoing nationwide scheme. The programme helps older people remain independent and out of institutional care for longer. It provides for home care workers who help with housework, transport and befriending. "The scheme is good because it is flexible and can vary from week to week." Dollars and cents could also help to change society's attitudes towards the old through comprehensive advertising and education programmes, says Ms McCracken. Groups like the 60s Up movement, run on a shoestring budget, could benefit from money to help advertise their presence among older people who would benefit from the social contact. According to Joe Tait, money is desperately needed to meet the transport needs of older people without their own cars, and to help pay the expenses of volunteers. Age Concern is about to launch an Accredited Visitors scheme, which involved befriending lonely resthome residents, who would like visitors. This follows a study done by a geriatrician who found that 40% of males in resthomes had no visitors while 30% of all residents were not visited. An Age Concern worker got 50 referrals to the scheme from five Auckland resthomes. "These are people who are lonely and depressed - and their health subsequently deteriorates," she said. As this country heads for the 21st Ctentury, the elderly population will explode as baby boomers of the late 40s and 50s plunge into retirement. Between 1981 and 2011, there is expected

to be a 64% increase in those aged 75 to 84 and a 170% increase in those 85 and over. New

Zealanders have got to start recognising the worth of their elders. It's time to start now.