Be active...have a routine, says TV’s Joan. Age really is just a number!
PRESENTER, author and
Joan Bakewell says that at busier than ever.
She credits her remarkable energy and lust for life for keeping her mind and body firing – and wants Britain’s army of pensioners to do the same.
Nine in 10 of those aged 70 and over say they want to retain their independence, and four in five say a routine is the secret to achieving it.
Baroness Bakewell said yesterday: “I have been drawing my old age pension for 25 years. Age is just a number.
“I am constantly urging people to stay active, to have a routine. Then they feel independent and continue to follow a pattern of life, rather than slumping.
Independence
humanist 85 she is
“I am 85 so I am not going to worry about anything... other than losing my tablets.”
Research found 77 per cent of septuagenarians said maintaining their independence made them feel more positive and in control, while nearly half said it made them feel younger.
But many are anxious about being a burden on their families and friends and three-quarters said it was important to remain independent so they do not.
Baroness Bakewell, who presents Portrait Artist of the Year with Stephen Mangan for Sky, was described as “the thinking man’s crumpet” in the 1960s and she was a role model for intelligent, ambitious young women. Today, the mother-of-two is a figurehead for independence in old age.
She said: “I don’t like wasting time. I was a war child so there was a lot of stored up ambition to enjoy life... and then the 1960s came along.
“Between the cradle and the grave you have got to fit as much in as you can.
“It’s a worry what people do when they stop work. Some get very isolated and then get depressed and then forgotten.”
A poll by EDF Energy and tech startup Howz found two-thirds of retirees might turn to technology to live independently and a fifth of those aged over 80 would consider home sensors to track their movements, letting their families know they are well.
Smart home monitoring can recognise a routine and send alerts when the user starts to deviate from that – a tell-tale sign that something might be wrong.
Beatrice Bigois of EDF Energy said: “For this older generation, being able to maintain these routine activities has a beneficial impact on their feeling of independence.”
Baroness Bakewell said: “I have downsized and live in a studio flat with a small attic guest room which is totally selfsufficient. One day – a long time from now, I hope – my carer will live there.
“I simply want the next day to be good. I live one day at a time because that is what you need once you get old.”