Social isolation among over 50s in England is on the increase. In October a Project entitled The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), published a report stating that “One in six over-50s in England are ‘socially isolated’ with few hobbies or engagement with society…They have few socially orientated hobbies, little civic or cultural engagement with society, and may have very limited social networks…the least wealthy over-50s suffer the most social isolation”.
ELSA is a project that “aims to understand the economic, social, psychological and health concerns of an ageing society.” This is the fifth biennial report of the project which commenced in 2002. It is “an extensive research study that follows the lives of more than 10,000 English people throughout their older age and which reveals the complex inter-relationships between personal finances, social detachment and overall health and well-being. Previous reports from the project have shown how social engagement is closely linked with long life and healthy ageing.”
ELSA coordinator, Professor Andrew Steptoe said that “…the link between psychological well-being and long term health and survival was independent of other factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, wealth, education and baseline health…We also found social detachment is more common among individuals who never married or have been separated/divorced or widowed than members of couples.”
On November 1 the Daily Mail reported on statistics from The Office for National Statistics which found that 7.6 million people live alone in 2012 in the UK: “The decline of marriage has left ever-increasing numbers of middle-aged men and women living alone. Almost 2.5million between 45 and 64 have their own home but no spouse, partner or children to live with them. The army of such loners has grown by more than 50 per cent – 800,000-plus – since the mid-1990s. And the number of men on their own has increased far more than women.”
The findings in these two reports are worth reading and have implications for pastoral programmes in our parishes. The world’s population is growing older – affecting most countries, including T&T. This fact presents us with challenges as well as opportunities.
“At the global level, the number of those over age 60 is projected by the UN Population Division to increase from just under 800 million today (representing 11% of world population) to just over 2 billion in 2050 (representing 22% of world population)” (Population Ageing: Facts, Challenges, and Responses – 2011 Working Paper (see: www.hsph.harvard.edu).
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There have been a number of reports/papers on Ageing in the Caribbean e.g. Vulnerable Groups in the Caribbean – “Older Persons” by Jennifer Rouse (2009) and Ageing in the Caribbean: Exploring Some Major Concerns for Family and Society by Dr Joan Rawlins (2010).
Klaus Schwab’s Preface in a 2012 document produced by the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ageing Society: Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise? states:
“Global ageing, in developed and developing countries alike, will dramatically alter the way that societies and economies work. The issues include how individuals find fulfilment, at what age they retire, and their quality of life once they do retire; how governments devise social contracts to provide financial security; how the older and younger generations interact as they divide up the economic pie; how businesses staff their jobs to compensate in many countries for shrinking workforces; and how health systems respond to the altered needs of those living longer.
“If policy-makers and leaders fail to plan adequately for the changes ahead, they will be inundated by the effects of global ageing, such as a dearth of workers, strained pension systems, and overburdened health care systems. But the good news is that if we act now, in a creative and proactive manner, we will have the greatest chance of realising the potential benefits of the ageing trend – such as utilising the immense social capital of older people – while avoiding its perils.”
I share the above with the hope that our Catholic organisations and educational institutions in T&T will be encouraged to conduct research to determine how parishes can and do meet the challenges we face as we seek to promote integral human development of all our people and build an inclusive society.
At a recent seminar at Bourg Mulatresse, I urged Catholics present to embark on a project such as: “Adopt a Granny/Grandad”. We also need to draw on the wealth of expertise that exist among our elderly/senior citizens and to encourage intergenerational links which will assist in promoting respect for life at all stages and in all circumstances.
