Golden oldies refuse to go gently into the night
Society needs profound market and policy shifts to cater for this growing force who are determined to live active, engaged, meaningful lives.
Four or five times a week Maureen Soklich, her partner Jim Kerse, and a group of friends hit Perth’s dance halls. If there’s a dance floor hopping and music rocking, they’ll find it.
“We do all sorts of dancing, mostly rock ’n’ roll, but also ballroom, swing and new vogue,” Maureen says. “And when the band is having a break I’ll bring out my boom box and put on some music for line dancing. That gives some of the ladies who might be missing out on a dance a chance to join in.”
Maureen is 79, Jim almost 90. They took up dancing together a decade ago, little realising at the time the part it would play in the latter part of their lives.
“It keeps you fit, it keeps you active. We are meeting new people, going to different places. The groups are a sort of family. When we’re together it’s full of laughs. It just keeps me happy.”
Maureen and Jim are a touch older than their fellow hoofers, who range in age from 60 up. The group is emblematic of a huge new cohort of Australian golden oldies refusing to go gently into that good night.
Richer and healthier, they were never going to follow in the footsteps of their parents, who had both lower life expectancy and life expectations. While the pre-war generation might have been content post-retirement to sit back and watch Days of Our Lives for a decade or so until their own sands of time ran out, their children are likely to have longer retirements and grander ambitions.
‘The boomers know that longer lives are a double-edged sword, with years in good health and years in poor health both increasing’
They are not so much raging against the dying of the light, as Dylan Thomas urged, but positively embracing their twilight years, determined to live active, engaged, meaningful lives. More baby boomers are continuing to work well into their 60s, even beyond. And for those no longer working there is no less sense of purpose, whether it be playing a role in the lives of their grandchildren or great-grandchildren, travelling, staying fit or volunteering.
To adapt to the lifestyle demands of this cohort, who can now expect to live two decades beyond retirement, society will require profound market and policy shifts beyond 2024. Already the market is shifting in terms of providing age-appropriate travel, fit-for-purpose fitness programs and more sophisticated accommodation and care options for the very old.
And much policy thinking is afoot, with the government actively looking at how to support people to continue to work into older ages if they want, and how public funding can offer best bang for buck in aged-care settings.
But this is a burning platform given the scale of the demographic challenge that lies just around the corner. The latest Intergenerational Report published in August 2023 notes that across the next 40 years the number of people aged 65 and older living in Australia will more than double. For 85 and older it’s triple. And by 2063 there will be six times the number of centenarians.
“Australians are enjoying more years of full health, allowing older Australians to have better wellbeing, lead fuller lives and continue participating in the labour market and other activities if they choose,” the IGR says.
Some trends are already emerging. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the proportion of Australians aged 65 and over in the workforce has jumped from around 6 per cent at the turn of the century to 15 per cent. Almost one in five men aged 65 and over are still in paid work. There were around 45,000 more people aged 65 and over in the workforce in 2023 compared to 2022.
Roger Wilkins, co-director of the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey that tracks the lives of thousands of Australians, says it’s a mistake to think most people are staying on in the workforce to ensure financial security over their longer lives.
“It’s really driven by much more positive forces than fear of running out of money in retirement. A lot of people who continue to work already have substantial retirement savings,” Wilkins says. “There are plenty of exceptions, of course, but people often like working and have a desire to work longer, so in a way they are solving their own problem.”
The government is very much alive to the issue of how to give older people more choice about continuing to work, or working more, or re-entering the workforce. Taxpayers are always more attractive than tax takers. Policy change can be expected, including changes to pension eligibility.
The modern oldie has more on their mind than work. Take travel, for example.
Brisbane-based travel agent Julie Cleary says the rise of the older traveller has seen a significant shift in offerings both internationally and within Australia as the tourism market adjusts to their demands.
“I’ve seen just how much older people value travel, whether they’re well off or less so. They’ve long had it in mind during decades of work and little else that they will take the time in retirement to travel and that’s exactly what they are doing,” Cleary says.
And the travel market has adapted to them. “It’s such a huge and diverse market. There’s luxury cruises, there are big and smaller boats. Older people are attracted to this option as they only have to unpack once, and then can jump on and off as they wander in a new destination for a day. They also like the security of a boat, which will have a doctor on board for instance.”
There are walking tours and cycling tours. Even domestic coach and train travel is becoming more geared to the needs of the older traveller, Cleary says. “Coach operators will stop in one destination for three nights in a row, for instance, so the tour is not feeling like it’s on the move all the time.”
The boomers know that longer lives are a double-edged sword, with years in good health and years in poor health both increasing. A male born today can expect to have almost 10 years of ill-health and a female more than 11. To maximise their good health in their twilight years, many older Australians are hitting the gym, or the local walking and jogging tracks.
Queensland-based clinical movement specialist Martin Lanes sees many older clients who have this very goal.
“They come to me with clear objectives, most often to maintain their independence, but sometimes to achieve their retirement goals like managing a European trip or climbing Machu Picchu,” he says.
“For older clients it can be about looking after grandkids and great-grandkids, continuing to drive a car, do the shopping or maintain the house for as long as they can.”
The golden oldies, by virtue of numbers alone, are a growing force. Stand in their way at your peril.
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