Lewis Wolpert - You’re Looking Very Well

A survey of nearly 14,000 people confirmed that the happiest older people are those living in the country. One in ten picked Devon as the best place for old people to retire to. Cornwall also got high ratings. Many were aspirational, seeing retirement as the start of a new life, as they may have 20 years left. Nearly half of over-50s plan to move when they retire and just 3 per cent thought of moving to London—less then 1 per cent thought it a desirable place to live, with the high cost of living being a significant factor. Many older people in London are afraid to go out and feel very isolated.

It is almost inevitable that with age there is an increasing likelihood of an individual living alone, and loneliness can be painful. About one in ten people aged 65 and over, the equivalent of more than one million older people, perceive themselves to be often or always lonely. Millions of elderly people do experience loneliness. Nearly half a million older people leave their houses only once a week and a further 300,000 are entirely housebound. Half a million of those over 65 spend Christmas day alone. Loss of local services such as post offices and small shops makes things worse. Children, partners and friends matter. Approximately twice as many people in the poorest wealth quintile compared with the richest feel isolated often or some of the time. Living alone, in turn, is more common in the poorer wealth groups. Not surprisingly, feeling left out is more common for people living without a spouse or with a spouse with whom they do not have a close relationship. Three in five women of 75 and older live alone, while less than a third of men of similar age do. Household size decreases with age more sharply for women than for men, with two thirds of women and one third of men aged 80 years and over living alone, compared to one in ten of both men and women in their early 50s. Many are home-owners, but many of the homes lived in are in a bad state. Over 80 per cent of older people want to stay in their own homes, which is hardly surprising, but about one half of those over 75 living in their own homes have a disability. Some 400 people aged 80 and over marry each year in the UK—more men than women, as the men marry younger women.

Those who are considered to be severely socially excluded belong to one or more of these categories: those aged 80 years and above, those who live alone, have no living children, have poor health, suffer depression, never use public transport, or do not own their accommodation. Social exclusion is also related to low income, those whose main source of income is via benefits, are unemployed, or take no physical exercise. Those who are socially excluded include some of the most deprived among the older population.

There is not much public effort to improve the lifestyle of the elderly in towns and with transport, but in London pensioners’ playgrounds are planned for Hyde Park and other areas, with fitness equipment and an outdoor gym. These will be less intimidating and expensive than normal gyms. Buses need to be designed so the elderly can easily get on and off. A positive feature is that there are concessions for the fares of the old on public transport. Some 4 to 5 million in the US use mobility devices.

The lack of public lavatories makes it hard for the elderly in town centres, and unrepaired pavements can cause serious falls. In Japan, however, one fifth of whose population of 128 million is over 65, attempts are being made to cater for the elderly, including cars designed to be more responsive when the old are driving and even elderly porn. In the Sugamo region of Tokyo, the elderly flourish. Shop fronts have been modified to deal with wheelchairs and the goods in them are what the elderly need—including many medicines and walking aids. Most of the shops in Sugamo are barrier-free, giving easy access to people with canes, walkers or wheelchairs. Moreover, the layout of each shop is open and the height of the counter is rather low, and they provide an atmosphere where shop staff and customers can easily communicate. In the UK, a business network called Engage have established AGE OK to give credit to old-age-friendly products or schemes, the first being for remote controls for TV to help with poor sight.

There are currently about 1 million in the UK people of retirement age in full or part-time work, a significant increase in number. Those with middle incomes and wealth are the most likely to stay in work as they approach state pension age. The poor often stop work through ill-health or disability. Four out of five people with a compulsory retirement age in their job would not want to work beyond it. A survey in the US found that about half of those working beyond retirement age did so because they wanted to and only 17 per cent did so because they needed the money. Banks have been accused of deliberately misleading vulnerable elderly into gambling their savings in risky investments. It would be sensible for those over 70 to bring an adviser with them when thinking of such investments, and a senior manager should be involved.

Retirement only came to industrial societies in the twentieth century, when people were living much longer—before that working lives mainly ended with death. A 65-year-old man can now expect to live another 16 years. As individuals approach retirement, they need to decide when to stop working and to examine their financial situation, particularly their pensions. Age for retirement varies, but 65 is common, and it affects the cost of pensions. State money for the old came after the Old Age Pensions Act in 1909, paying an amount of between 10p and 25p a week from age 70, on a means-tested basis. Then the Contributory Pensions Act in 1925 set up a state scheme for manual workers and others earning up to £ 250 a year—the pension was 50p a week from age 65. In 1946 the National Insurance Act introduced contributory state pensions for all. The basic state pension is a ‘contribution based’ benefit, and depends on an individual’s National Insurance contributions, a system of insurance against illness and unemployment. For someone with the full number of qualifying years, typically 44 for a man and 39 for a woman, it is payable at a flat rate of £ 95.25 per week (2009/10). Less pension is paid if there are fewer qualifying years. The first report of the government’s Pension Commission in 2004 outlined some of the main challenges facing UK pension provision; it suggested that either taxes will have to rise or people will have to work longer and save more, or face poverty in old age.

There is an old saying that old people yearn for retirement, but that many who have retired regret it. Ernest Hemingway said that retirement was the worst word in the English language as it indicated the loss of the activity that was at the centre of one’s life. Denial of ageing can be very common. The restaurateur Antonio Carlucci sees retirement as death. Compulsory retirement below 65 is unlawful unless the employer can provide an objective reason. A worker can see their employment end at the age of 65 without any redundancy payment—even if they do not want to retire. However, there is a compelling case for the retirement age to rise, mainly so that the individuals can continue to earn money. The UK coalition government has recently decided to abolish the compulsory retirement age by October 2011. The young see the increase in the retirement age as blocking their own promotion, but not that there is a problem in how to financially support all those who have retired.

A survey suggested that about half of retirees found the current law satisfying, and only 7 per cent found it unsatisfying. One third said that spending more time with their families was a good reason for retirement, yet an increasing proportion of those in their mid-50s expect to be working after 65. Poor health plays a major role in deciding when to retire—more so than finance. But the nature of the job has an influence, as one third of those over 70 with jobs held managerial and professional positions.