‘The land of faery … where nobody gets old’

And what do we mean by “ageing population”? Everybody is “ageing” from the time they are born. By 2020 some 25 per cent of the Australian population will be aged over 65, and in fact right now 25 per cent of the NSW population is aged over 55. According to the media (and perhaps public opinion?) the framing is alarmist: we use language like “a drain on our economy … our health system, our environment, our services”.

I question the language of older people as a burden to the economy.

Older people are not simply existing in an unsustainable vacuum of decrepitude and senility: many pieces of research show that they continue to contribute more to the economy than they take out. A recent South Australian survey of almost 400 people aged 65 to 101, found that 26 per cent provided loans or gave financial help to relatives; 50 per cent helped care for other adults outside the household; 33 per cent were involved in volunteering - those aged 85 to 101 engaging in productive activities for about 27 hours a week, while the "young" elderly devoted 44 hours a week to economically useful work inside or outside the house.

Based on the sample, the economic contribution of South Australia's 200,000 elderly was estimated at up to $1.38 billion a year. The cost of providing aged care was $1.8 billion.

We speak of our ageing population as if somehow they have landed on our planet - aged, frail, in need - destined to drain our resources, our economy, and our services. Yet it is these same people who built the Snowy Mountain scheme, the Harbour Bridge, our cities and our rural economies.

They were the architects of social and economic policy, the ambassadors and politicians, the agenda setters that helped create the UN, UNESCO, the WHO and much more. They have contributed decades of their lives paying taxes, buying goods and services, raising families, caring for less fortunate family members, and volunteering. It is they, in fact, who designed, toiled and launched the world we now live in and enjoy here in Australia.

One could say that growth in the economy should be shared by everyone; that the gains made now were built on the foundations and infrastructure created by older people when they were younger - and indeed, those foundations continue to be strengthened by the spending of their retirement incomes. It can also be said that the way we treat older people reflects on our integrity as a nation.

So what do I want as I progress along this continuum that we all inevitably must progress?

I want to know that in this community in which I live I will have choices and be recognised as a valued member of the community, treated with dignity and respect whatever my age, cultural background or state of health.

Remember Humpty Dumpty? “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more, nor less”. This, to me, is the concept of retirement: choices! Older people living out their lives to their full potential, whatever they choose that to mean.

Yet I want to know also, as I age and my needs may change, that I can expect responsive systems which promote a healthy and active life-style - and also provide quality care as and when needed.

I want to know that - as far as possible and for as long as is feasible - my choices include the option of staying in my own home, and being supported in that choice - but that if I do have to take the option of seeking residential care I will not be incarcerated in a ghetto for the elderly.