How and why we should begin breaking barriers for older generations
When do we stop growing and start aging? Is it at 21, 30, 50? When we reach middle age and become ‘adults’ or have children?
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment we ‘grow up’. So often children are asked what they want to be when they grow up, but at what age should we start to give up on our dream and ambitions?
While most bodies stop growing in height around 17 years of age, what of our minds? In a recent study conducted by Age UK, when asking a focus group of over 60 year olds if they had any ‘hope or ambitions’ in later life, only 53% said yes. This means that a significant proportion (47%) of this group have given little to no thought about it.
We often tell ourselves we are too ‘old’ to make a dramatic change – such as a career moves, or learning an instrument. Society is just as guilty as the individual, often casting aside those of an older generation as useless or helpless, unable to learn new skills and often treating them as a burden – a drain on resources and the time of the younger generation, and a pressure on our healthcare system.
This cultural problem in turn can leave elderly individuals feelings isolated and useless and creates a fixation on youth. These attitudes can often result in the potential for our older generations to be ignored. If we support and encourage adventures later in life, just imagine what we could each achieve over the span of one lifetime?
Medical advances mean that people are living longer, healthier and happier lives, and the age of retirement is often moved back, with even health experts agreeing that the working older person is often healthier and happier than the non-working older person.
For one of the first times in history we are about to see the number of our senior generation surpass that of the youth, with those 65 and up making up 15.6% of the global population by 2050. For this group of people, it’s time to change our attitudes and get inspired to learn new skills to keep our minds and bodies active. Why choose just one dream for your life? Why not have many over the space of your life and never stop?
The new breaking barriers campaign, created by UK Company Bathing Solutions goes to show just that. That you’re never too old to live your dreams, or to learn a new skill. That just because we grow older, it doesn’t mean we have to grow up!
It’s also a refreshing change from the youth centric advertising of today – painting our older and often wiser – generations in a refreshing light. The campaign also features lots of helpful links, encouraging older generations to skill share, get involved in community discussions online and helpful links to find nearby courses based on interests in your area.
The video makes us feel inspired just thinking about it! Get involved with the campaign by using the #BreakingBarriers tag in your posts and check out the behind the scenes pictures at https://www.bathingsolutions.co.uk/breakingbarriers/
Our tips to break barriers:
- Get active online – create a blog or learn new technical skills.
- Volunteer to help in your area – either with youths or in your local park to help the environment.
- Learn a new skill – always wanted to speak Spanish? Now is the time!
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