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Exploring the rewards and challenges surrounding later life

We often have unchallenged views and opinions about getting older that have been absorbed from society, our families, teachers and peers. The media, entertainment and business are, to a large extent, age-phobic. Yet change is afoot, many older people are no longer prepared to sit on the settee and watch TV for 20 years. There is so much we elders can be doing for ourselves, for our communities and for the planet.


“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."
Robert Frost, from Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening


News

January 17th

CharityComs: "the way we talk about growing old and ageing is often negative and based on lazy and outdated stereotypes."

New York Times: "The Joys (and challenges) of sex after 70"

December 16th

The Guardian: "With life expectancy creeping towards 100 and pensions failing to compensate, we are heading for a new era in the workplace."

December 9th

The Centre for Ageing Better: "The State of Ageing in Leeds: What life is like for people aged 50 and over in Leeds"

The Guardian: "Saga, the travel and insurance company for the over-50s, is to give employees a week of paid leave to celebrate the birth of a grandchild."

December 7th

Gallery updates December at Dartington.

December 6th

The Guardian: "A new start after 60: ‘I was done. Burnt out. Then I moved into a motorhome and found freedom’"

December 5th

The Guardian: "We’re in our 70s and he’s perfect – except he doesn’t want sex…"

November 29th

The Guardian: "Moreno is a couple of weeks short of her 90th birthday, but look at her and you would knock off 20 years. Listen to her and you would knock off another 50."

November 28th

New article: How come you are so alive?

November 25th



November 23rd

BMJ Open: Housework is good for you!

The Register: IBM researcher suing for age discrimination

November 20th

The Guardian: "A trip to Switzerland in search of a good death: ‘All this instead of just doing it in Brighton’"

November 14th

The Guardian: "the enforced extension of UK working lives has been accompanied not only by flourishing ageism, but by the related and somehow more respectable generationalism"

November 10th

Gallery updates Autumn at Dartington.

November 7th

The Guardian:"Instead of investing to cheat death, we should be trying to make old age livable and dignified for all"

The Centre for Ageing Better:"Older and Greener - a campaign to highlight the important contribution older people make to tackling climate change."

October 17th

The Guardian:Billy Connelly at 78

The Centre for Ageing Better:"Healthy Ageing 2021 Conference: Mon 15 & Tue 16 Nov, 9am-1.30pm"

The Centre for Ageing Better:"Exploring the barriers and enablers to active travel among 50-70 year olds"

The Guardian:"If I don’t stay active, I’ll fossilise"

October 1st

The Guardian:"‘I started sketching at 72 – and graduated with a fine art degree at 96’"

September 26th

The Guardian: Marina Abramović, "74, talks about embracing mortality, her purely emotional art, spirituality and communism, and sex getting better after the menopause"

September 25th

The Healthy Aging Project: "The Healthy Aging project investigates the influence of an early aging immune system and its effects on chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular diseases and COPD. Hence we aim at investigating the effect of nutraceuticals on this aging process."

September 23rd

Blog After Dinner

September 17th

The Guardian: "I’m an old guy! Once you are in your 70s, 70 is not the new 30. You’re 70! I feel totally comfortable about it.”"

September 16th

The Centre for Ageing Better: "The report also shows that over 55s are more likely to live in poor-quality housing, as are those most vulnerable to COVID-19 – such as people with health conditions or from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds."

The Guardian: "Life expectancy in England falls to lowest level since 2011"

September 6th

Blog The trees let go.

September 5th

Gallery Autumn approaches along the River Dart at Dartington.

September 3rd

The Centre for Ageing Better Reframing ageing: Public perceptions of ageing, older age and demographic change

The Guardian A New Start After 60: "‘Exercise is my lifeblood – so I decided to run my first marathon at 74’"

Aug 27th

The Guardian A New Start After 60: "I’m a big fan of old age. I think everybody should experience it."

Aug 26th

The Centre for Ageing Better "The Good Home Inquiry: How to get the homes we want"

Aug 23rd

Gallery OnePictures for July and August, 2021

Age UK "Given that we are generally living a lot longer than we used to, the chances are that many of us are going to be ‘older’ for a considerable length of time, so we might as well make the most of it and do it as well as we possibly can."

Aug 12th

The Centre for Ageing Better "Traffic, poor driver behaviour and a lack of confidence mean that too many people are just too afraid to engage in active travel, particularly cycling."

Aug 8th

The Guadian "Books, clean air and socialising thought to have helped the latest five mark their 100th birthdays in Perdasdefogu this year."

Aug 5th

The Centre for Ageing Better "Walking and cycling ‘not safe or attractive enough’ for many in their 50s and 60s."

Aug 4th

The Guardian "A recently published study has found that body satisfaction increases with age."




UKEU Elders Network

Creating a circle of support, caring and adventure

The UK and EU Elders Network is a newly created community of folk who are committed to a conscious and joyful third phase of life. The network is open to anyone with an interest and/or involvement in all aspects of ageing. It is an informal network not a business or a formal organisation. Rather, the Network will function as a place to create and communicate, to share and to connect. (The Network is associated with Sage-ing International, though membership of SI is not at all required.)

Part of the vision we hold for the Network is that it will be a space responsive to our needs as UK/EU folk. Our different nationalities ask for different responses as we hold ourselves in our common human experience of life, growth, ageing, dying and death.

The Network might offer webinars, workshops (educational as well as inspiring), a book club, Wisdom Circles, discussion groups, connections with Sage-ing International, a film group - whatever might be needed/wanted by the group. As elders we have enormous resources and wisdom that are simply waiting to emerge. It is our most passionate hope that we can grow them together.

If you are interested in joining in this Network of like-hearted elders please email ukeuelders@gmail.com. Your details will not be shared with anyone and certainly not sold to anyone! Nor will you receive an avalanche of emails.

The UKEU Elders Network has been initiated by Felice Rhiannon and Charlie Ivermee with the support and encouragement of Sageing International.





Awakening the Sage Within


A workshop from Sageing International

This workshop is aimed at elders, those approaching elderhood, people working with elders and anyone wishing to explore the second half of life. As evolving elders how might we foster wisdom, hope and resilience in the light of the difficult challenges that come with being human? How might we bring joy to ourselves and others. We can learn to tap into the perspective that our decades of life offer. We can turn our experience into wisdom and our wisdom into compassion for ourselves, our communities and this beautiful earth that sustains us.

More details can be found at Awakening the Sage Within.
For more further information please email info@thejoyofageing.org




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