Case studies needed

We are often approached by journalists who need real life case studies of people in their prime (i.e. 50s and 60s) to interview for newspaper or magazine articles they are writing. Just at the moment we have a request for women who are currently planning a retirement dream – the interview will focus on financial planning aspects and will be published in a new financial services magazine coming out early in 2010. The closing date for potential interviewees for this is September 18^th. 

However, on an ongoing basis, we are always happy to hear from anyone in this age group who feels they have an interesting story to tell, particularly in relation to a special achievement in later life or perhaps starting a business or taking a change of direction. We can feature you on the Prime Examples section of our website (www.inmyprime.info) and of course, could then contact you if we were approached by a journalist looking for case studies such as yours. For those of you who do have a business it can be a great publicity opportunity and, this aside, your story can be a huge source of inspiration and a role model to other people who are rethinking their lives.

Please get in touch!

Email enquiries@inmyprime.info

The doers and the done tos.

Last Thursday I attended the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Help the Aged/Age Concern’s JustAgeing? seminar. It was held  to launch their new research report “Socio-economic inequalities in older people’s access to and use of public services”. The seminar itself was interesting, not least for its emphasis on the need for innovation, creativity and co-creation in devising services for the aged (and indeed for any other group who might be on the receiving end of things being done to them/for them). 

Predictably, one supposes, during the Q & A session the argument emerged about the extent to which those outside a target group i.e. the young in this instance, have the insight, knowledge or right to design programmes, policies or whatever for those whose characteristics and needs they do not themselves share. It’s an old chestnut and applies equally to race, gender, faith, unmarried mothers or whatever other group you choose to focus on.

For me it once again accentuated an acute disparity. Senior politicians, bureaucrats, decision makers etc. tend in the main to be over 50. They are powerful people who make, or approve policies whose beneficiaries are the “over 50s”. Yet these over 50s – the “done tos” – are never linked to the former. Instead they are treated as if they are voiceless, powerless, and lacking in representation. How come?

What it seems to underline is that ultimately it’s not about age. It is, as ever, about social and economic status. And what it seems to imply in this particular context is that the first group of over 50s i.e. the wealthy and powerful are not the slightest bit interested in aligning themselves with the “done tos” and are unlikely themselves ever to want access to older people’s public services.  Once again the message cannot be reinforced strongly enough – all over 50s do not have standard needs.

Understanding the meaning of age

The more we study ageing the more it becomes apparent that what we know is less about fact and lived experience and more about perspective. The topic is researched, monitored and analysed from the economist’s perspective, the medical practitioner’s perspective, the historian’s perspective, the sociologist’s perspective, the psychologist’s perspective, the employer’s perspective - and many more. And often the information we are exposed to is what is reported upon from the journalist’s perspective, i.e. what makes a good story.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that and to accept what we read and hear as “fact”. Fact it may be in a particular arena but without a context the implication and importance of it all is debatable.

When interpreting the significance of trends on our own ageing selves we need to bear in mind that every rule will have its exceptions. For example, we may all be living longer overall but many will still die in “young” old age. What this means is that as individuals we need to cherry pick our own best case scenario and use that as our guiding perspective. After all, belief precedes action; if we believe that we will, individually, have a happy, secure and fulfilling old age then we have a better chance of making it so. Not by pure belief alone but by manoeuvring our own way through the forest of predictions and perspectives and choosing those actions which will help fulfil our own vision of the future.

Is this the way to Amarillo..?

A recent US report on housing development for the elderly was illustrated by this picture of a resident room in a facility for the elderly in Amarillo Texas.  The 60-unit facility combines a high-quality resident experience with a supportive environment for families. Each 350-sq ft private room features wireless networking to connect to the outside world; window seats provide sleeping spaces for overnight visits. Resident beds can be wheeled outdoors onto terraces.

What is most noticeable is the amount of daylight, the wonderful view and sunlight. Whilst we can’t do a great deal about the latter in the UK this nevertheless looks like a superb template for sheltered accommodation. Particularly (hallelujah!) wireless networking. How about putting some of our currently under-utilised architects into coming up with similarly exciting projects here?