Newsletter and IYOP Initiatives Australian Coalition '99

AC '99 UPDATE - EDITION No. 7 (March 1999)

AC '99 IN THE MEDIA

EDITORIAL FROM THE AGE 9 JANUARY 1999

THE YEAR OF GROWING OLDER
Humanity Longevity should be celebrated. Some United Nations "International Years of..." pass by virtually unnoticed. How many people, for example, were aware that the year just passed was the International Year of the Oceans? The International Year of Peace in 1996, and the International Year of the World's Indigenous People in 1993 unfortunately also failed to generate much excitement. But other designated years, such as the International Year of Women in 1975 and the International Year of the World's Disabled People in 1981, did make a significant contribution towards raising awareness of the special needs of these groups. The year of 1999 has been designated as the International Year of Older Persons and it is likely to be one of those years that will receive a good deal of attention - if only because most of those people in charge of governments, media, business and law making around the world either already are older persons or are staring at the prospect of becoming older persons.

The world is getting older and so is the human population. Since 1950, according to the UN, the proportion of the global population are aged 60 or more has grown from one in 13 to one in 10. By 2050 an estimated one in five persons on earth will be over 60. By 2150 - a time that in the present order of things no-one reading this will live to see - it is estimated that one in three will be over 60. Moreover, the older population itself is ageing at present, persons over 80 make up 11 per cent of the over-60s; by 2050, 27 percent of the older population will be over 80.

Some countries are ageing much faster than others: one in five Europeans is 60 or over, compared to one in 20 Africans. In Australia in 1995, the proportion of the population aged 60 or more was 16 per cent (compared to 6 per cent in 1911). Those aged 85 and over are projected to rise from 1 per cent of the population in 1995 to 4.4 per cent in 2051. Of those over 80, 65 per cent are women.

The "problem" of an ageing society is in many ways no problem at all. Increasing longevity - global life expectancy has increased by a massive 20 years since 1950 - is a triumph of human biology. And an ageing society is a prosperous society. It is a result of advances in nutrition and medicine, but it is also a result of the fact that couples are having fewer children. This phenomenon exists in all developed countries, and is caused by an increased access to contraception and the greater opportunities available to women in these societies.

While these developments are generally welcome, the fast-changing age demographics will present social and economic challenges for all societies, including Australia. How, for example, will the deteriorating ratios between taxpayers and dependents be dealt with? To some extent, the greater number of dependent older persons will be offset by the declining number of dependent children. Nevertheless, there are likely to be calls for older people to, on the one hand, get out of the workforce and leave the jobs for younger people, or on the other hand, to stay in the workforce so they are not a drain on the taxpayer.

As governments are already signalling that people will in future not be able to rely on taxpayer support in their old age, it is clear that in order to retain income security, as well as for their health and psychological well-being, older people will need much greater access to part-time work and more ability to withdraw gradually from an active working life, and at a time that suits them.

What about the massive increases in the costs of health care of an ageing population? The strains on the health system are already being felt, and as advances in medical technology continue to increase the ability to treat the diseases of ageing there will be debate about how resources should be allocated. Will there be a time when a decision will be made that no major surgery should be performed on people over a given age? In any case, it is likely that older people will increasingly want to make such decisions themselves. It is also certain that the debate on voluntary euthanasia will continue and intensify. The problems of caring for the frail land infirm elderly will also intensify, particularly as the traditional carers, women, are more often these days in the paid workforce and unwilling to give up their jobs. The UN principles for older persons include that they should have access to adequate food, water, shelter, clothing and health care - which sounds like a motherhood statement in this society but is not axiomatic in all societies . They should have the opportunity to work, have access to appropriate education and training programs and "the cultural, spiritual and recreational resources of society", and they should "participate actively in the formulation and implementation of policies that directly affect their well-being". There is every reason to believe older Australians will continue and increase their participation in decision-making roles. Indeed, the growing electoral importance of the "grey lobby" has been recognised for some time. There is also reason to hope that in coming years older people will live healthier, more active, happier and fulfilled lives than ever before. Indeed, the definition of what is old may well need to be changed. When people over 60 make up one-third of the population, this can hardly be described as "old" or even "elderly". (We certainly don't think it is.)

The challenges of coping with an older population are not impossible to overcome, but will require careful, planning and the participation of all sectors of society. The theme for the UN Year of Older Persons is "towards a society for all ages". In recent times, in Western, youth-oriented societies such as ours, we have tended to forget how important to the welfare of the community the old have always been. It is they who, by passing on their accumulated wisdom and values to the young, have ensured the survival and progress of their societies. If, during this year, we regain a measure of the respect we used to accord to the aged, the year will have been worthwhile.

Discrimination on the basis of age is the most foolish discrimination there is, given that it is a condition in which, if we are lucky enough, we will all one day find ourselves.