Like much of the western world, Canada’s population is not only living longer, but more actively and healthily as well. The message from the over-40s to the younger generations is very clear: you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
By Marilyn Arthurs
Better living and working conditions, more nutritional awareness, better job opportunities, more financial stability, and of course, advances in medical research – it’s no wonder Canadians are living longer. According to Statistics Canada, back in 1851 a mere 65,000 people or 2.67% of the population were aged over 65. A century later, the figures had grown to 1,086,000 or 7.75%. By 2006, the numbers had spiralled to 4,399,200 or 13.06%. And by 2016, Stats Canada predicts that 5,894,300 or 15.88% of the country’s population will be over 65.
Not only are we living longer: we’re also more active. Not all that long ago, retirement for many meant being forced to stop work and put their feet up or just potter around. People with a lot more to give were simply written off and put out to pasture when they retired.
Gradually, that attitude is changing – and thank goodness it is! This is largely down to the post-war generation – the baby boomers – who have no intention of retiring quietly and growing old gracefully. Many of today’s population may be getting older, but they’re also happier, healthier, more secure and more dynamic than ever. In fact, many are more active and physically fit than their own children and grandchildren.
This trend has spawned a new attitude towards life: 80 is the new 60, 70 the new 50, 60 the new 40, and 50 the new 30. It has also created a societal phenomenon in which anything goes, as long as you have the health and money to see it through. As a result, we see some people preferring to retire early, while others thrive on working longer, and some follow the traditional route, retiring at 60 to 65.
The computer world refers to this new-look, new-attitude older generation as the ‘silver surfers’, while the marketing brigade are eagerly chasing the ‘grey dollar.’ Generally speaking, these people have the money to travel extensively, dine out often and shop till they drop. They’re into sports in a big way – from skiing to sailing and from golf to tennis, and they’re pursuing hobbies as diverse as gardening and landscape design, cordon bleu cooking, writing and painting. They’re also going back to school, working towards degrees, learning languages, or simply studying topics that have always interested them.
In other words, getting older has become younger, a transition to look forward to rather than dread.
So just why are we ageing better? How has this new attitude evolved? One of the biggest factors has to be the major advances in medical research. So much more is now known about many conditions largely associated with age, such as diabetes, dementia, heart disease, macular degeneration and osteoporosis, to name just a few, that we are learning how to prevent, avoid and control these problems. The inactivity that such conditions used to enforce on people is being reversed, as we are encouraged to keep our bodies and our brains as active as possible as long as possible.
And of course, we are more nutritionally aware than ever. In recent decades, we’ve learned how
oily fish, nuts and seeds can help our bones and our brains. We’ve learned about the damage smoking and excessive drinking can inflict. We’ve learned about the health benefits of fresh fruit and vegetables. And we’ve learned the importance of regular exercise and overall fitness.
It’s not that these are necessarily new concepts: it’s just that such valuable life-sustaining information was never so well promoted before. From radio to TV, magazines to the internet – health information has never been so readily available and easily accessible.
We’re learning the real value of the old adage ‘all things in moderation.’ We know that healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle gives us a much better lease on life than fad diets, undereating and overeating. And preventative measures and diagnostic testing are also helping us to live longer as they anticipate, diagnose early and successfully treat potentially life-threatening conditions.
It’s a welcome fact: the older generation has never had it so good. So if you’re one of the 40-plus club, keep moving and keep active because the best is yet to come.
George Burns, the acclaimed American comedian and actor who lived to the ripe old age of 100, said it best: “You can’t stop yourself getting older, but you can stop yourself getting old!”
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