Goldie owes our golden oldies
The older generations who laid the foundations of this city have been all but abandoned during this pandemic, while even at home they are being squeezed out
It’s time for our city to focus on a new generation … the old. While once we were a Paradise for seniors (or perhaps a pre-paradise … “God’s Waiting Room” as once we were known), now it seems we’re anything but a refuge for retirees.
Although the Gold Coast itself is still a young city, and much of our charm comes from this dynamic and developing character, we still need to make room for our elders – because these have been some heartbreaking years.
The generations who literally laid the foundations of the city we are today have been all but abandoned during this pandemic, while on the Coast itself they are slowly being squeezed out of the sites they loved.
Both in words and actions, the message being sent to older generations is that their lives are extraneous.
I know I’m guilty of it myself.
When I hear the latest Queensland Covid death toll, with most victims in their 70s, 80s and above, I mentally shrug. It’s awful but it’s true, because it’s how we’ve been conditioned to consider our elders.
And what’s worse is that they damn well know it.
“The subliminal message (in the pandemic) is if you’re old, it doesn’t matter – you don’t count,” says Older Women’s Network national president Beverly Baker, speaking to the ABC.
“We have productive years left. Yet because of bad planning, everything is cut to the bone ... We run the risk now of being told, ‘bad luck, you die early’.
“The government opened up with no regard for the elderly. Preserving the economy was far more important than looking after people’s health – and now … people are not going out but staying home because they’re afraid, so our economy has crashed, not bloomed.
“Once you get afraid, you get angry. People are now very, very angry. We have started to finally realise that there was no national strategy.”
That fear is especially hitting home here on the Coast, where many elderly are refusing vital help due to concern they will contract Covid.
Meanwhile, in our aged care facilities, staff shortages are causing chaos.
Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia chief executive Geoff Rowe says he is witnessing a significant group of older people who are at home, without contact and without access to services.
“They are a group of people who won’t put their hand up and say, ‘I need help’, so I’m very concerned about that group of older people, I’m very concerned about their welfare,” he says.
“We hear about the crisis in aged care daily because they’re our staff who are speaking out about it.”
Outside of aged care and beyond the pandemic, our seniors are struggling to find their place in the city they have long called home.
Downsizing the family home is becoming ever more difficult as property prices continue to skyrocket. Selling an ageing suburban dwelling for a unit closer to the coast and amenities frequently requires an upsize in mortgage payments.
And even outside of the home, socialising is a challenge as our seniors struggle to find sports and entertainment precincts that cater to their needs.
The favoured sports of the older generations – lawn bowls and croquet – occupy precious coastal sites sought by developers, a threat well understood by members.
A report by licensed clubs publication ClubTIC says a number of bowls club sites on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane have been closed and sold to developers.
Meanwhile, when it comes to dining out, I’ve watched first-hand the struggle for our older diners to find somewhere they fit in.
While my own mother is in great health, hanging out at the likes of the Burleigh Pavilion really isn’t her scene … and even the smaller restaurants in our area have music pumping so loud she doesn’t stand a chance of having (or hearing) a conversation.
Not that we need to be all early-bird silent diners, but catering to more than just one crowd would be great.
As our city continues to grow and mature, we must ensure we make a place for every generation – young and old.
And we’re not alone. With the world’s population getting older and more urban, the needs of older residents will play an increasingly important part in the shaping of cities.
Which is why the Gold Coast should join the more than 1100 cities in 44 countries signed up to the World Health Organisation’s Global Network of AgeFriendly Cities and Communities.
Membership is not an accreditation for agefriendliness, but it reflects the fact that a city is committed to listening and working with its older population to create that environment.
And listening is one of the simplest and most effective signs of respect. Which is what our older generations surely deserve.
One day this pandemic will be over, but we must never forget that not just every life, but every year counts.
We need to respect that every person should have the right to make every one of those years the healthiest and happiest it can be. Because, one day, it will be us.
Read Ann Wason Moore every Tuesday and Saturday in the Bulletin