Q. is the rising proportion of pensioners (those over 65 years old) really a 'crisis' or merely a demographic change that economic strategy needs to find a way of navigating successfully & humanely?

We should see this as a success for health care & shifts in the way we live, work & eat; it is certainly a challenge if societies shift towards a larger group who have moved beyond their working lives successfully.

But framing this as a 'crisis' tends to demonise the old!

#ThirdAge #retirement

There's an assumption in certain quarters that retired people have a lot of time on their hands because they don't 'work'.

If we are anything to go by it's not entirely true.
Yes we do have more 'free' time but....... read on

Healthcare : as we age the time spent attending health appointments and collecting (& chasing) medication increases.

Childcare : many grandparents (& aunts /uncles) become ad-hoc childminders, sometimes for family quite a way away. Sometimes taken for granted too.

Carers: if your family is well & in good health then fine, but being a carer for a spouse, sibling or child can be time consuming & draining

Volunteering: this can be a fun & useful way of getting exercise & maintaining contacts.

More: there's always more!

All of which is bloody exhausting at a time of life when you often have less energy, less fitness, and less motivation.

Be kinder to the old buggers.

#retired #retirement #oldAge #thirdAge

Time for an #introduction

I used to be active on twitter as a #servicedesign academic/consultant. Wrote a few books on #design. During lockdown, co-hosted #DistancedGathering. Now full time #ThirdAge person.

Currently learning how to write differently thanks to #CityLit and exploring the #culturalhistory and #musichistory of #London’s #Soho. This involves a #photography and #storytelling project that includes #walkingtours

We document this on Instagram as #sohowows and publish on SubStack