Get involved – that’s the message from British research into the wellbeing of older people. The research was carried out by the Age UK charity which analysed information from almost 15,000 people.
Its most striking finding, the report says, “is the importance of maintaining meaningful engagement with the world around you in later life – whether this is through social, creative or physical activity, work, or belonging to some form of community group”.
People with the highest levels of wellbeing “are all involved in some form of creative and cultural activity”.
Engagement in creative and cultural activities makes the highest contribution to one’s overall wellbeing, contributing 5.75 per cent to the score out of a long list of factors.
What about the effect of chronic illness or disability? “Having a long-standing illness or disability has a negative effect of 4.21 per cent.”
This suggests that if the illness or disability allows one to take part in social activities, the negative effect can be more than balanced out by these activities.
Carer’s wellbeing
Caring for a loved one, usually a partner, is often a feature of old age. When the caring is fairly low intensity, it actually has a positive effect on the wellbeing of the carer, according to the report, perhaps because it enhances the carer’s sense of purpose. When the caring is high intensity it has a negative effect on the wellbeing of the carer perhaps because it can prevent the carer from working or from getting involved in other activities.
Those in the top fifth in the wellbeing table are all involved in some sort of creative and cultural activity. By contrast, those in the bottom fifth are far less likely to be involved.
Those in the top fifth rate their neighbourhood – as a place in which people talk to each other and can get advice from each other – more highly than those with the lowest levels of wellbeing.
In some cases, though, “people with exactly the same circumstances may rate their life satisfaction differently – ‘a glass half full’ versus ‘a class half empty’ attitude”.
It’s tempting, therefore, to conclude that some of these differences are a matter of attitude. That might be too tempting.
Influencing factors
Many of the differences, it seems to me, are outside individual control or, at least, to be strongly influenced by factors that the individual cannot control. For instance, among those in the bottom fifth in wellbeing, as many as 88 per cent, a remarkable proportion, have a long-standing illness or disability. This is true of only a quarter of those in the top wellbeing bracket.
Money matters too. Among the top fifth in the wellbeing league, the average financial wealth was more than £50,000 sterling (€57,900). Among those in the lowest fifth, 27 per cent were on a means tested benefit.
As the report says, “Taking part is likely to be easier if you have ample income, good health, good social networks and live in an area with good facilities and transport network.”
Nonetheless, it is clear that the creation and maintenance of social activities is of huge importance. The poor – and perhaps soon to be poorer – bus services in rural Ireland directly affect people’s wellbeing when you look at the issue from this perspective. The local post office is often cited as an important social contact point, especially by those arguing against the closure of a service and the same can be said of the banks and, indeed, the rural pub. This isn’t just parish pump politics; all of these contributors to the social fabric are contributors to wellbeing.
And this isn’t just about rural Ireland. To the extent that neighbourliness, social activities, community involvement and the arts suffer in city areas and towns, then the wellbeing of people suffers also.
That’s something we really need to remember when we find ourselves thinking of our country as an economy rather than as a society.
At all ages we are social beings living in a wider social setting and we need vibrant and healthy social lives.
Padraig O'Morain is accredited by the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. His latest book is Mindfulness for Worriers. His daily mindfulness reminder is free by email. pomorain@yahoo.com Twitter: @PadraigOMorain