Celebrate ageing

“For older people to have a positive outlook on life they must have a say and remain involved”

Speaker’s Corner
James Reddiough

WHEN you think of yourself in years to come, do you think of days filled with meeting your friends, enjoying your hobbies and playing a full part in your community? Or is ageing something to fear – with your latter years dominated by limited opportunities and isolation?
Age Action firmly believes that ageing is something to celebrate. We are all growing older and, thanks to the miracle of modern nutrition and science, we are all healthier and stronger for longer.
That is why Age Action is organising Positive Ageing Week (September 28 to October 6), to highlight the contribution that is being made by older people in the many voluntary agencies at local and national level. For the first time in its five-year history, six towns around Ireland have been chosen to be Positive Ageing Week towns. And Castlebar is among the chosen six!
Plans are under way to organise a series of events in the town during the week to recognise the major contribution which older people have made – and continue to make – to the town.
The local committee now needs help from all sections of the community to make it a truly memorable week. Can you organise an event within your own club or society? Or can you help the organising committee which has already been established.
For older people to have a positive outlook on life they must have a say and there must be opportunities for people in retirement to remain involved. This is what positive ageing is all about – people having fun and partaking in what they enjoy and in activities that best suit their areas of expertise. Activities like volunteering in the community, undertaking further training, joining new clubs and associations, learning about new areas in life, and having time to travel are all part of what is now termed the ‘Third Age’.
So what are the hallmarks of positive ageing? First and foremost, older people should be part of society and have full participation rather than be sidelined in life. Older people should not feel at a loose end. They should not feel that, once they reach a certain age, they are disengaged from life. Instead, the ‘Third Age’ should be something that is welcome.
Older people have many talents and skills that can be used in society and this has implications for their working life, either as paid staff or volunteers in organisations. 
The Life-long Learning Programmes that are being provided for older people are a good example of positive ageing, with the message that learning never stops being driven home. One example of this is the University of the Third Age Programme run by Age Action Ireland where older people form their own learning groups to teach each other about a diverse range of subject areas and skills. Other organisations that are promoting positive ageing are the Active Age movement and the Federation of Active Retirement Associations and these are strong in the west owing to the development work being carried out since 1999 in Galway, Mayo and Roscommon.
The Active Citizenship Task Force announced by The Taoiseach’s office in the Autumn of 2006 has also included older people and this is welcome. To be fully in touch with the world people must have some basic knowledge of information and communications technology and, here again, in the past seven years there has been a number of programmes to ensure that funding is provided for older people to learn computer skills.
So get involved in Positive Ageing Week this year from September 28 to October 6, by organising an event in your area or finding out what is happening near you in Mayo.
For people in the Castlebar area, a host of events are being arranged so watch out for further details of these in the coming weeks.  It promises to be a week of fun and learning, so do join us.