Dr. John Beard | Switzerland
Dr. John Beard has spent much of his career championing the cause of ageing well. For 10 years, he worked as Director of the World Health Organization’s Department of Ageing and Life Course.
Since leaving the WHO in 2018, Dr. Beard remains actively engaged in the world of ageing, working across several large international research projects, and currently serving as a Board Director for GCMA.
Recently, Dr. Beard took some time out of his schedule to speak with the GCMA about modern ageing in 2021 and beyond.
Where historically older people were often viewed as frail or withdrawn, over the past 20 to 30 years, Dr. Beard explained there has been a shift in the way people view ageing.
“Today, older people are now much less likely to be stereotyped as old, frail and withdrawn, and have more opportunities to actively engage in society, although many barriers persist.
“The past few years have seen an active global shift to combat ageism and stereotyping, and we continue to see scientific improvements and technologies that are designed to help people live longer, more healthy lives.”
Through ideas like the WHO’s network of age friendly cities, governments and the wider community are working to overcome barriers to the well-being and participation of older people explained Dr. Beard.
“There is an appetite for change – a shift from the idea that your chronological age defines a day when you suddenly wake up “old”. People are beginning to understand that ageing is something that happens across the whole of life. Now we need to create much more flexible and socially acceptable pathways through life that allow us to express our diverse aspirations regardless of our chronological age.”
Three key recommendations Dr. Beard highlights to help Australia lead the charge in ageing well, include:
1. Shake off the shackles of outdated thinking: “As we age, our needs and situations become more diverse and it’s important to remind ourselves that ageing takes place across the whole of life.
“As a nation, we need to ensure we don’t stereotype older people, and leave them with limited options. Instead, we should engage with them to identify and co-design policies, tools and technologies that will ensure we maximise the ability of people to be and do the things they value.”
2. Shift the mindset that talking about ageing means talking about frail people who drain the economy, instead consider ageing an opportunity for exciting and new initiatives that will improve the lives of all Australians: “There are so many opportunities for Australia to lead the way in ageing well. Technology and health care are key drivers of change, so we need to ensure there are longer term, technology enabled, and higher touch systems made available to all Australians.
“Innovation in technology for this massive growth market will benefit everyone – technology co designed with older people, to be used by older people, with their individual needs and circumstances in mind is key to improving ageing for all of us.”
3. Don’t only live for the moment, but for the moments to come: “Start early. If you are young, you should already be thinking about how you can live a long, healthy life and working towards this.
“Thinking needs to shift – if you are 50, it’s not too late to go to university and study for a new career, or if you are 40 and need a career break to spend time with your family, you should take it. We are living longer, working longer and we need to find ways to enhance our work-life balance so we can live our most fulfilling lives,”
