Maltese society, like many other European societies, suffers from an ingrained ageism attitude. This is not just the result of the mindset of our political and business leaders but the way that normal people look at the social dynamics of older citizens.

Once again we have experienced a now familiar controversy that erupts whenever surgeons are forced to leave when reaching retirement age – despite the fact that they may still be capable of contributing with their experience and skills to mitigate the acute health issues that our free healthcare services are facing. Rather than find a way of harnessing the scarce resources we have we have for decades found excuses to let the ugly arguments about ageism take control of our thinking.

Most people look at older people as ‘unproductive members of society’. The impression that anyone who is over 65 is in constant need of medical care and has a limited social life is widespread. The media, political leaders and health authorities usually hint that older people are a burden to the state or the taxpayer or younger people. They do not do this in a crude way as they know that older people have a mighty weapon: their votes. But the trial of older people by innuendo is clear.

The stereotypes of older people is a pervasive negative flaw in the psyche of our society. Many of us associate old age with dependence, sickness, frailty, decrepitude and a drain on the country’s resources. Economists and politicians (usually when in Opposition) use metaphors like ‘ticking time bomb’ to describe the cost of future care for the elderly.

Let us make one thing clear: older people can and do develop chronic health problems. Many suffer from lack of support from their families at a time when they need that little extra help to continue to live independently. Cardiovascular disease, dementia and diabetes are common among older people. But the impact of these natural phenomena can be mitigated if our political and health authorities take a longer term view on how people can be made to age more healthily.

Tilda is an Irish longitudinal study on ageing. The 2015 report found that “adverse experiences during childhood were associated with an increased risk of diseases in later life”. The implication of this finding is that it is necessary to adopt a lifelong approach to health if older people are to enjoy better health in their 60s, 70s and beyond. Only through such long-term strategies can active ageing become a reality for most people.

Investment in educating people to live healthier lifestyles… will take decades to show positive results

Lancet Neurology, another respected medical journal, found that worldwide the most important risk factor for poor health in old age was low educational attainment. In Europe and the US, the next most important factor was physical inactivity: “Attention to optimum health early in life” and “upstream primary prevention” has the largest effect on reduction of later dementia occurrence and disability.”

We need a paradigm shift in the way we look at health. Our mindset – that is so influenced by ageism – needs to change so that we consider health as a continuum from birth to death and that the link between childhood, midlife and older people’s health is a critical factor that determines how well older people age.

The 2015, Ageing Report: Economic and Budgetary Projections for the 28 EU Member States notes that “while ageing per se has a non-negligible effect on expenditure, it is rather moderate. In effect, much depends on whether gains in life expectancy are spent in good or bad health”. Rather than just fret about the cost of caring for the old who can no longer support themselves, our political leaders and health authorities should be concentrating more on educating our young and not so young people on the importance of leading healthy lifestyles. Eating healthy is not just a fad that is popular with middle class snobs, but an assurance of good quality living in later years.

My worry is that our inability to improve in any significant way our educational achievement in numeracy, literacy and other academic key educational performance indicators does not augur well that we will be any more successful in promoting healthy lifestyles in our society. Investing in education is a marathon and not a sprint race.

Today’s investment in educating people to live healthier lifestyles so that they can enjoy better health in old age will take decades to show positive results.

It is never too late to start this long journey.

johncassarwhite@yahoo.com

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