Thrive, don’t just survive: Unwrapping the cotton-wool on ageing

Positive ageing requires a proactive mindset, not just from the older individual but also their support network.

Safety vs Independence - striking the right balance

There is growing sentiment that we, as humans, are capable of much more than we give ourselves credit for. ‘You are worth it’, ‘You are enough’, ‘You are strong’ - all common encouragements we afford each other as we navigate the challenges of the modern world. Unfortunately, and for no good reason, this optimistic belief seems to abruptly stop at a certain age. When people cross that arbitrary threshold and become ‘old’ we can be guilty of flicking a switch and the default priority suddenly becomes safety at all costs. The consensus shifts from one of challenge, promise and hope to that of avoidance, worry and fear. This (overly) conservative mentality can come at the expense of seniors utilising their available functional capacity, maintaining their independence and enjoying quality of life.

Unravelling the cotton-wool

This ‘cotton-wool’ approach encourages older people to eliminate all possible risks no matter what - ‘don’t go outside because it is not safe’, ‘just sit down I will bring you the dinner’, ‘we don’t let her spend time in the garden anymore because she is too frail’. As a natural progression, this external noise can influence the way older people think about themselves and can limit their self-belief - ‘I haven’t left the house in years because I’m afraid I will fall and then I am done for’, ‘I couldn’t possibly do that exercise because I am old now, don’t you know I am 75?’.

Let’s be clear, this (over)protective mentality is usually always a product of good intention, and may well reduce acute risk in the immediate term (slim as it may be a lot of the time), but at what cost to the person’s overall capacity and long-term independence? If we don’t afford older people the permission/opportunities to be active, independent and do the things they enjoy, the ensuing sedentary behaviour will accelerate functional decline toward complete dependence on support services and a loss of autonomy. Isn’t this a serious ‘risk’ we should be avoiding?

Quantity AND Quality

The goal should be to prolong the number of years lived while prioritising how those years are lived. As the seniors we support often tell us, what is life without a reasonable quality of life? The idea of positive ageing is to maximise the years spent enjoying things that are meaningful to each individual, whether that be connecting with family, creating memories with friends or engaging with old (or new) hobbies.

At AgeHappy we strive to empower our older community to ignore societal stereotypes and to continue living with a positive mindset, trusting they can stay safe while also being active (within their potential) and enjoying the things that bring meaning to their lives. It should be emphasised that this approach to positive ageing does NOT promote reckless abandon! The key is to live positively and courageously while remaining sensible - minimising obvious unnecessary risks versus extreme avoidance of every conceivable risk.

Child-like adventure, confidence and joy should not stop at a certain stage of life. Regardless of age, we believe everyone is capable of maximising their own potential. It is our responsibility, as a community, to encourage our older neighbours to THRIVE, not just survive!