Ed i to r ia l

GOTYS – Getting Older, Thinking Younger

It would appear that the over-50s in Britain are

happier now than at any other time in their lives.

The research was conducted as part of the UK

Government’s ‘Generation Xperience’ campaign to

celebrate ageing and was designed to mark the first

older people’s day on 1 October 2007. Their aim

was to raise awareness of the choices and entitle-

ments that are available for older people and those

approaching later life. In addition, it sought to

challenge the negative stereotypes of ageing to help

shift society’s attitude towards older people. The

day also coincided with the United Nations Inter-

national Day of Older People and the first anni-

versary of the anti-age legislation in the UK. The

report suggests that 50 is the new 30, with many

who have passed their half-century feeling in the

prime of life.

This group has now been dubbed ‘Gotys’ – Get-

ting Older, Feeling Younger – and they have been

found to be ambitious, financially more secure and

less stressed. They feel more inspired than retired,

eat more healthily and eight of 10 feel they have

better prospects in later life than their parents.

Nearly two-thirds say they are happier now than

they ever were and a third of the over-65s have

more goals now than they did when they were in

their 30s. Approximately one in six use social net-

working websites and internet chat rooms and 37%

use emails routinely. Some of the reasons for these

developments arise from the fact that, having paid

off their mortgages and raised their children, they

were free to pursue their own interests. When

some of the 20 million people over 50 in the UK

were questioned, less than 5% expected later life to

be boring, with later life representing ‘a stress-free

life’ (26%) and ‘a fresh start’ (28%). When asked

how they intended to spend their later years, 82%

expected to travel more, 61% want to take up a

new hobby such as painting or yoga, 60% were

going to enhance their computer skills and 43%

were going back to studying. In financial terms,

60% felt they were better off and most 65-year olds

said their worries were behind them. When it came

to staying physically active, many combined being

house-proud and health conscious with 86% using

housework as a regular work out. Also popular

were walking (78%), gardening (69%) and swim-

ming (19%) with more than one in 10 choosing

cycling and exercise classes. When it came to using

their brains, almost all read regularly whilst more

than two-thirds watched television quiz shows and

completed crosswords and number puzzles. It was

also interesting to note that exotic travel was on

many people’s agenda with nearly a quarter

intending a trip to Australia and New Zealand and

20% wanting to go to the US. A visit to the

Caribbean was planned by 16%, nearly as many

arranging a holiday in Asia and 10% wanting to go

to Africa and South America. As far as healthy

eating was concerned, nearly three-quarters

admitted they ate better now than they did when

they were younger, and more than half exercised

regularly as well as having a more satisfying social

life.

When asked to comment on the findings of the

research, Dr Sigman, a psychologist, stated that all

the evidence pointed to the fact that 40 was no

longer the milestone where life truly begins and

that we should all be looking forward to our 50s as

the start point of a rich and fulfilling existence. The

other fascinating feature of the results of study was

that the expectations and personal goals really do

match up to the reality of how older people are

spending their time.

However, it is not all one way as lawyers at the

Employment Lawyers Association have been

inundated with equal pay claims and age discrim-

ination cases by those in their 50s and 60s who

have been ejected from the workplace. Under a

new law in the UK, employees can work past the

age of 65 if granted leave to do so by their em-

ployer. Should they be refused then it must be for

‘objectively justified’ reasons. Critics say employers

will miss out on experience and ‘talent’ if they

continue to wait for the European Court of Justice

to abolish mandatory retirement ages. It is pre-

dicted that age discrimination could eventually

represent one of the most popular forms of claim.

In addition to the ‘Generation Xperience’ cam-

paign, a list of 60 goals for over-60s has been

compiled from interviews of over a 1000 people

over the age of 50 years. The list is very enlight-

ening and broad and includes: seeing the world,

taking up a martial art, swimming with dolphins,

parachute jumping, going rally driving, taking up

painting, running a marathon, starting a band,

growing a beard and last but not least, having more

sex! In fact, a study carried out by Professor Lau-

mann of the University of Chicago on over 3000

individuals aged 57–85 years found that a signifi-

cant number were sexually active into their 70s

and 80s. Health problems or the lack of a partner

� 2007 The Gerodontology Association and Blackwell Munksgaard Ltd, Gerodontology 2007; 24: 187–188 187

rather than the lack of desire were listed as the

most common barriers to sex. In fact sex with a

partner in the last year was reported in 73% of 57–

64 year olds, 53% of 65–74 year olds and 26% of

those over 75 years. Of those who said they were

sexually active, most said they were having sex at

least two or three times a month. The study’s lea-

der, Dr Lindau, suggested that, among older adults,

there is an internal drive or need for sexual fulfil-

ment. The importance of health on people’s sex

lives is also stressed as people who rated their

health as poor were less likely to be sexually active

than people in good health.

At a recent conference in Glasgow, a discussion

took place as to how the old should fit into society –

and what society should do for them. Among the

suggestions was that the elderly should consider a

move from public transport to cars that could drive

themselves, improved road signs and more public

toilets. Professor Gilhooly at Brunel University

stated that an age-friendly society should provide

state subsidies for light-weight hiker-style clothing

for older people, heated bus shelters and gated and

segregated communities for the over-55s. She also

advised older people to be a little outrageous, to

look after their appearance, tolerate no fools and to

focus on positive mental health rather than cures

for physical illness. There was also a serious ques-

tion to be asked of the official policy of caring for

old people in their homes. She believed that many

older people wanted to stay out of an institutional

form of care, but did not necessarily want to remain

in the home they were born in. One of the largest

problems of old age is advanced loneliness and

there has been a move towards group living where

everyone has their own apartment but could dip

into social activities and be provided with food and

care as necessary. There was a clear thought that

people flourish with human contact and this is not

met if services are brought into people’s homes.

Unfortunately, the major concern was that ‘ageism’

was still rampant and there was a focus on the

negative aspects of old age with research being

conducted on poor health associated with ageing

older people and the demographic ‘timebomb’ as

this was the only way to obtain financial support

for research.

The importance of mental health in later life was

also stressed by Dr Keyes and it was important to

recognise that the absence of illness was not nec-

essarily the same as positive health. His views were

that curing all the disorders was only part of the

way to good health. Some physical illnesses were

inescapable with age, but adults with flourishing

mental health had the lowest levels of helplessness,

disability and cardiovascular disease. Older people

should remain socially engaged; do things they love

doing, adapt their interests and contribute to soci-

ety. Unfortunately, older people with mental

health problems are often ignored and receive little

support. It is estimated that two-thirds of older

people with depression never even discuss it with

their doctors, and of the third that do discuss it,

only half are diagnosed and treated. A view was

also expressed that people should be flamboyant,

even outrageous, in their old age, do things they

want to do and not just do things that are approved

of. They should look the way they want to look and

wear what they want to wear, tolerate no fools,

focus on positive mental health rather than cures

for physical illnesses.

The Director of Age Concern feels that society at

large must recognise the importance of older people

as carers, workers, grandparents, volunteers and

perhaps more importantly as individuals. Older

people are not the homogeneous group everyone

thinks they are. Within the older generation there

are millions of different people, with a wealth of

different experiences, needs, cultures and values.

A wise older woman once said that she didn’t mind being

regarded as being over the hill because it’s only once you’re

over the hill that you pick up speed.

Fifty Is Not a Four-Letter Word

Linda Kelsey (2007)

James P. Newton

Editor

� 2007 The Gerodontology Association and Blackwell Munksgaard Ltd, Gerodontology 2007; 24: 187–188

188 Editorial