A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

166The Australian Office of Ageing uses the term ‘positive ageing’ to denote:an individual, community, public and private sector approach to ageing thataims to maintain and improve the physical, emotional and mental well-being ofolder people. It extends beyond the health and community service sectors, as thewell-being of older people is affected by many different factors including socioeconomicstatus, family and broader social interactions, employment, housingand transport. Social attitudes and perceptions of ageing can also stronglyinfluence the well-being of older people, whether through direct discriminationor through negative attitudes and images (cited in NCAOP, 2005a: 22).These understandings of well-being are in line with the definition and conceptof well-being employed in this report. They capture the idea of an ‘age-friendly’society which is person-centred and which does not impose social constructs onindividuals (NCAOP, 2005a: 27).Much of the debate on older people has been in the context of ‘demographics’and the consequences of ‘demographic ageing’. People are now living longer,having fewer children and retiring earlier than in previous generations. In future,these trends will have implications for labour markets, social security and healthcare systems as well as on the structure of our society. Much of the commentarydescribes this as the ‘demographic time-bomb’, conceptualised as a large ageingand dependent population. In contrast, the ‘active ageing’ discourse sees this as anopportunity. Older people today are better educated and in better health than everbefore. Many make an ongoing and valuable contribution to society in paid andvoluntary capacities. The challenge is for the institutional frameworks to overcomethe challenges of an ageing population and tap into the opportunities provided byan actively ageing population.These sentiments are captured in the Madrid International Plan of Action onAgeing:A positive view of ageing is an integral aspect of the International Plan of Actionon Ageing, 2002. Recognition of the authority, wisdom, dignity and restraint thatcomes with a lifetime of experience has been a normal feature of the respectaccorded to the old through-out history. These values are often neglected insome societies and older persons are disproportionately portrayed as a drainon the economy, with their escalating need for health and support services.Although healthy ageing is naturally an increasingly important issue for olderpersons, public focus on the scale and cost of healthcare, pensions and otherservices have sometimes fostered a negative image of ageing. Images of olderpersons as attractive, diverse and creative individuals making vital contributionsshould compete for the public’s attention. Older women are particularly affectedby misleading and negative stereotypes; instead of being portrayed in ways thatreflect their contributions, strengths, resourcefulness and humanity, they areoften depicted as weak and dependent. This reinforces exclusionary practicesat the local and national levels (UN, 2002, Madrid International Plan of Action onAgeing: para 102).