Positive Ageing Week

Positive ageing – a new agenda for later life

Positive ageing week 2022 is a time for all our local authorities and Older People’s council to organize events for our seniors. Events that encourage interaction and activities to keep seniors active. But what is Positive ageing?

Positive ageing is for those who want to do ageing di erently. e traditional approach tends to be passive, fatalistic and rather downbeat. e new positive approach is very di erent. It understands that the ‘mind’ can have a signi cant impact on our physical and emotional wellbeing and positive ageing therefore focuses on the emotional and psychological aspects of ageing.

Research has shown that negative beliefs, thoughts, ideas and attitudes about ageing can have a detrimental impact on our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing as we age. is negativity about ageing is evident in the stereotypes about older people which are prevalent in society. ese attitudes tend to become internalised as we age and can generate rather defeatist, de-motivating and self-limiting ideas about ourselves and our journey through later life. is can undermine our health and wellbeing as we get older.

To counter this, a positive ageing approach proposes three principal strategies to prevent these negative outcomes. We are encouraged to: • 1. Develop a more balanced understanding of the reality of ageing which recognises the positive aspects of ageing as well as the more challenging ones • 2. Apply techniques drawn from humanistic psychology to gain a degree of control over negative mental states • 3.Consciously build our emotional wellbeing and inner resilience so that we are better able to negotiate the signi cant challenges in later life.

Positive ageing is more than a philosophy – it is a practical way of improving the chances of having better life as we age. A positive ageing approach is underpinned by the following presuppositions: • A. It is not what happens to us in later life, but how we respond, which will determine our wellbeing as we age. • B. External conditions and life events are obviously in uential, but the choices we make on how to interpret and react to events in our lives is what makes the di erence to our experience. • C. It is important to develop and maintain a positive and optimistic mindset which rejects self-limiting beliefs based on what is considered ‘age appropriate’ or ‘normal’ for some of our age. • D. Such age-related limitations should be challenged. • E. Age denial, the attempt to resist or cover up our ageing process, is a form of rejection of our future selves and needs to be challenged. • F. We should be proud of whatever age we are and not succumb to age denial through anti-ageing potions or attery about ‘not looking our age’. We are the age we are, and we look the age we look, at the age we are. #BeAgeProud • G. Acceptance of getting older, including our mortality, is key to our wellbeing and happiness. Equanimity about this part of life’s journey is more bene cial than resistance and despair.

So, there we have it. For the past number of years, the South East had come together and put together programmes for our seniors. is year that group unfortunately did sit or collaborate and coordinate events. e week or two week of positive ageing events gives us an opportunity to show society age is just a number on a piece of paper. erefore, Lets get out there and enjoy this period of our life and avail of the services we have. Join an active retirement group, Seniors Forum group, Residents groups and keep going till we can’t! And hopefully that is years or even decades away.

New supports for old supporters

KILKENNY GAA has put in place a number of supports to assist pensioners in gaining access to club matches. As always their support and inclusion is paramount to the spirit and success of the structure of the GAA as a community entity. e following methods are in place to assist all pensioners to attend any match they wish and will be given all and any help or assistance by stewards or club members.

To help people access tickets using QR Codes. Attached are QR codes so people can access tickets directly on their phones.

But before we get to the stages of ticket entry requirements pensioners have free access to all club games up to and including Quarter-Final stage - Pensioners have free access to games on presentation of their O cial Government Pensioner’s Card (including the photograph).

Clubs bene t entirely from income from these gates. In Kilkenny, income generated by gate receipts goes back to the participating clubs directly on the day of the games. All proceeds bene t grassroots GAA in clubs.

When we get to the concluding end of the various championships concessions will be available to Pensioners for Semi-Finals and Final. For our semi- nals and county nals pensioners can avail of discounted/concession prices.

Tickets for Senior SemiFinals and Final will be available to purchase in Supermarkets - as we have done for a number of years, we will aim to have tickets for these games sold through Centra/Supervalu outlets. ese games are always the games with the biggest attendance throughout our games programme so we advise pensioners to obtain their tickets early. Also for their own safety, ease of access and enjoyment they should arrive early at the venue to secure the most advantageous viewing point possible.

Above all we at Kilkenny GAA hope you take advantage of attending what we are sure will be entertaining and hard fought encounters. Occasions we hope you enjoy and share with family and friends.

Saturday 1st October Kilkenny Honda Centre Minor “A” and “B” Finals

stiles on Hebron Road. 1.00pm - Minor “B” Final: Rower Inistioge v Thomastown 3.00pm - Minor “A” Final: Dicksboro v James Stephens General admission €10 - Can be bought ONLINE by scanning the below QR Code.

Pensioners free

(on production of Public Services Card)

Under 16’s free

Please note that only Ardan de Gras will be open for this xture with access via

Sunday 2nd October St Canice’s Credit Union Quarter and Semi-Finals

2.00pm – St Canice’s Credit Union Quarter Final: Clara v Shamrocks Ballyhale 3.45 pm – St Canice’s Credit Union Semi Final: James Stephens v Dicksboro. General admission €15 – Can be bought online or in the Centra & Supervalu Supermarkets You can access the on-line booking portal by scanning the below QR Code.

Students & Pensioners €10 – Discounted Tickets can only be bought ONLINE in advance of this xture.

U16’s free.

Tickets must be purchased in advance online or in Centra & Supervalu Supermarkets throughout the County. Entry on both sides of the grounds for these two games.

The good news on being older & bolder

e American comedian Groucho Marx famously said ‘I wouldn’t want to belong to any club that would have me, they should have higher standards’. Many older people feel the same about their age, and who can blame them? ey may not want to be categorised as older due to the negative attitudes that society can hold towards older people. is is Positive Ageing Week, an annual seven days designed to shed a positive spotlight on being older. It is a Week to salute the achievements of older people and to broadcast the good news on being older and bolder. ere is a lot to celebrate. We are living longer, twice as long as our ancestors did 200 years ago. Way back then, life was short and brutish, the concept of retirement was unknown, and people worked until they died.

While childhood and productive adulthood are still the rst and second ages of life, we have a new third age. is is post-retirement life when we may no longer need to toil, but are still healthy enough to reap the rewards of our labours with opportunities for new choices and adventures. As the years go on, we will all inevitably face the fourth and nal age of dependency. But here is the good news, the more we help to keep people in the third age – healthy, active, engaged - the better for the government in exchequer savings, for families and, most of all, for older people themselves.

So how can we maximise these bonus years? ere are a few steps. One is to embrace retirement and to nd new purpose and meaning to replace the world of work. While some people can’t wait to leave the nine to ve daily slog, others can nd retirement very di cult. Work gives more than a wage, it gives structure to our day, meaning, role, identity. After a standard working life, retirement gives 2,200 hours a year extra to ll. It may take practice to see this as a gift and not a burden. ese days can o er the leisure to walk and stay t, to read and learn, to stay connected with family and friends, to see new places and try fresh experiences.

Professor Rose Anne Kenny, author of the recently published ‘Age Proof, e New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life’ o ers some simple steps on having our best life yet.

Take care of your friendships.

Good friends can add years to our lives. ere is evidence linking strong social bonds with mental improvement, reduced stress levels and less heart disease.

Have a good laugh.

Laughter boosts endorphin levels and is good for circulation and digestion. As children, we laughed up to 400 times a day, now it may be an average of 15 times at most. Let’s laugh more this Week.

De-stress once a day.

Stress is ageing, negatively a ecting our hormone, nervous, immune and metabolic systems. De-stress suggestions include gardening, switching o and paying attention to our breathing.

Stand on one leg.

Falls are the main cause of fractures and accidental deaths as we age. Balance starts to decline after 40 and is one of the common reasons for falls. We could make like a stork and stand on one leg for short periods, building up the time with 30 seconds as a target.

Limit our screen time at night.

It’s not only the grandchildren that are glued to their screens. ese days we are all exposed to blue light from TV screens, mobile phones and computers. Blue light suppresses serotonin, the body’s natural ‘sleeping tablet’. Avoiding blue light an hour before bed will help confer a good night’s sleep, enabling us to wake up ready for each new tomorrow.

‘AgeProof: e New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life’ by Prof Rose Anne Kenny is widely available (€13.99). SeniorLine, Ireland’s national con dential helpline Freefone 1800 80 45 91, open 10am-10pm 365 days a year.

ink Ahead simpli es and demysti es advance care planning in Ireland

Irish Hospice Foundation (IHF) expands and updates ink Ahead – its comprehensive advance care planning toolkit.

ink Ahead - what is it?

ink Ahead Planning Packs are easy to read guides for patients, their families, and caregivers to start putting their a airs in order for their end of life. With ink Ahead, people can make their care wishes known, appoint somebody to act as their healthcare advocate, keep track of important documents, and more. In the 10 years since ink Ahead was initially launched, it has become a key advance care planning resource for people in Ireland. Planning ahead can reduce stress or anxiety people may feel when facing dying. Using ink Ahead can also reduce con ict between family members. Over 100,000 people have already received a version of ink Ahead through their GP, at events, or by ordering from IHF.

What’s new in the revised and expanded ink Ahead pack? My Personal Wishes and

Care Plan booklet asks people completing the forms how they would like to be cared for, in the face of illness or injury. ey can record where they would prefer to be - at home, in hospital, or hospice; what is important to them - such as having visitors, spiritual or religious beliefs, favourite music; as well as how to care for them. is document also allows patients to keep track of legal and nancial information, and for the courageous - what type of funeral and afterdeath care they would prefer.

My Advance Healthcare

Directive booklet guides patients in how to refuse or request treatment for a later date, if some illness or injury means they cannot express their choices and they can appoint a trusted person to make healthcare decisions on their behalf.

Medical Summary Form

on which patients can summarise what has been detailed in their ink Ahead documents once completed and ask their healthcare team to make a copy for their medical le. is ensures that if the time comes, everybody who needs to know is already aware of a patient’s recorded choices.

All enclosed in a handy folder for safekeeping.

To learn more:

is Autumn, IHF is taking ink Ahead on roadshows around Ireland where people can learn how to use ink Ahead packs and start conversations with their loved ones.

Valerie Smith, IHF’s Public Engagement Lead knows talking about dying can be hard, “but talking about it can make dying and death less fear- lled, and a better experience for everyone.”

For information on roadshows and packs: • Visit www.thinkahead.ie • Call IHF on (01) 679 3188 • Email thinkahead@hospicefoundation.ie

For training for your community or workplace, contact Valerie Smith, at valerie.smith@hospicefoundation.ie or call (087) 330 9292.