Improve the wellbeing of older people – before and after 64
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Many aspects of UK society have changed since 1967, when the Beatles release their age-themed song, ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’.
More than five decades since the Fab Four’s track became popular, so what does being 64 signify in this day and age, asks our Chief Executive, Dr Carole Easton OBE.
Valentine’s Day hasn’t long passed, and for those of us who love the Beatles, a very relevant song linked to that romantic tradition was ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’. I for one can sing along to this and when it was first released, I could barely imagine being 64.
Here is a reminder of a couple of verses:
When I get older losing my hair
Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a Valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine
If I'd been out till quarter to three
Would you lock the door
Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I'm sixty-four
The song was released in 1967 when the retirement age for men was 65 and for women it was 60, and the life expectancy for women was 75 and 69 for men. Now life expectancy is nearly 83 for women and almost 79 for men.
So, the age of 64 signified something different when Paul McCartney penned those words to what it signifies now. It remains a significant milestone but with a different significance.
After this age, as well as being at risk of no longer receiving a Valentine’s card, we are at risk of being rendered invisible and irrelevant. For many this may have happened sooner.
I am sure everyone over 64 has their own examples but here are just a few that I have noticed recently:
I was looking at how much Vitamin A and B I should take, and the NHS web pages refer only to those aged 19-64. What does this suggest? Do I not need to worry about these vitamins? Have they just forgotten people over 64?
I now have to self-refer for breast cancer screening even though my risk increases as I get older. Maybe there is a good reason for this, but no-one has told me about it.
I was wondering about current employment rates and the ONS website tells me that 74.8% of those aged 16-64 are in employment. But what about those people who are working above the age of 64?
The State Pension Age will be 67 by the end of this Parliament, but right now 65- and 66-year-olds are lumped in with everyone over 65+. You have to dig deep on the ONS website to find figures for that age group. They’re “working age”, but the numbers don’t treat them like that.
Sadly, we know that the rate of poverty in this group increased by nearly 100,000 individuals the last time the pension age was increased. As the Beatles sang at 64 you most certainly can still be handy. More employers need to recognise that value as they increasingly need to retain or recruit older workers if they are to fill their labour shortages.
I am not alone. Research done by the Centre for Ageing Better shines a light on the experience of older people. Here are some of the shocking statistics:
- 60% of people have experienced ageism from others since turning 50.
- More than half of people over 50 have faced the assumption they can’t do something because of their age.
- In employment, ageism is encountered by 37% of people.
One of the big news stories this week came from the Women and Equalities Committee report which identified “widespread’ and culturally embedded” ageism in this country.
The committee of MPS found clear evidence of ageist stereotyping, including portrayals of older people as frail, helpless or incompetent, or conversely as wealth-hoarding "boomers", as highly prevalent in the UK media. In comparison, the Beatles version of older age seems quite well rounded for a three minute pop song.
Of course, it’s not all bleak news. There are undoubtedly many benefits to being older, and a great deal to celebrate. A recent report has highlighted increased satisfaction for many over 50.
But we must also face up to the reality that ageism is pervasive, and it is in everyone’s interest that we notice it and challenge it.
A lot has changed since a 14-year-old Paul McCartney (now 82) wrote the music hall-style song that raised so many rhetorical questions about our later years.
The number of older people in our society has grown, with now more than two in five being over 50. But attitudes have remained stubbornly stagnant.
Want to be part of creating a future where we can all age without limits? Find out how you can challenge ageism.