OPINION
AGEING WELL IN THE THIRD AGE BETTER ACCESS TO AGED CARE, BETTER QUALITY OF CARE, AND BETTER AGEING The Hon. Ken Wyatt AM, MP, Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care
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iving to 100 years old was an exceptional feat for previous generations. Today, there are more than 3,500 living Australians who have passed that milestone.
We are living longer than ever before, which is great news. But we need to plan and take action to get the most out of those extra years. Ageing well means staying in the best possible shape across the board—physically, mentally, socially and financially. In turn, this means changing our habits and our attitudes. First up, we can abandon the idea a 60 year-old person is ‘old’. If we live to 90 or 100, 60 is just the start of our ‘third age’. It’s a time when we can enjoy our intellect and wisdom, and although we may not be as strong as we once were, we are still physically capable.
As individuals and as a society, our view of the life journey must include these later, third age years. Our health system and our aged care system also need to change. Our goals must be a health system that prevents disease and an aged care system that provides flexible support to encourage independent, connected and safe living as long as possible. But we also need to take responsibility for ourselves. There are many things Australians can do to ensure they age well and are prepared so they can enjoy those later years. One of them is to become part of a community. I grew up in a country town and I love the friendly feeling they generate. Everyone gets to know each other, and generally, that means they care about and support each other.
Minister Wyatt promotes the Life Checks website.
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