I do not believe it! We only get grumpy at 80
SOME say life begins at 40. Cynical observers would argue the onset of grouchiness follows soon after.
But grumpy old age now begins at 80, according to an official assessment.
It found that the happiest Britons are retired people in their late sixties or seventies. But for many people aged 80 and over, declining health, bereavement and loneliness undercuts their everyday levels of worth and happiness.
The findings thrown up by official happiness surveys suggest that the retirement age of 65 is no longer the point at which people should be considered old and vulnerable.
Longer lives and better health mean many enjoy 15 golden years of contentment after 65 before they start to feel the difficulties of ageing. It is a picture that contradicts
Cantankerous: Victor Meldrew the stereotype typified by Victor Meldrew, the cantankerous pensioner in the BBC comedy One Foot In The Grave who finds modern life endlessly maddening.
The report, from the Office for National Statistics, also said the number of people over 80 is expected to double to more than six million over the next two decades. And by 2037 the number of centenarians is expected to be well above the 100,000 mark.
Among people from 65 to 79, only 3.2 per cent said their lives were not worthwhile and 6.9 per cent said they were unhappy. But the figures rose to 6.2 per cent and 8.7 per cent among over-80s.
At the other end of the scale, the 42.9 per cent of those in their sixties and seventies who say their lives are very worthwhile drop to 36.9 per cent among over-80s, and the rate at which people say they are very happy goes down from 43.7 per cent among 65-70s to 38.2 per cent among over-80s.
The ONS said people over 80 report being lonelier than younger people, with nearly a third revealing they were very lonely. It warned that ‘loneliness is going to be more of a problem over time’.
Living alone was one reason for loneliness among over-80s, with nearly one in three over-65s widowed. Divorce was another factor.
Mean numbers of older divorcees have been rising and 8.7 per cent of over-65s are now divorced.
The ONS also said over-80s are likely to be unhappy and lonely in social housing provided by a council or housing association rather than in privately-rented accommodation or their own home.
Janet Morrison, of the Independent Age charity, said: ‘This research suggests a worrying degree of loneliness among older people but also demonstrates that we may be able to learn a lot from their resilience.
‘One in ten over-75-year-olds has no close friend, compared to just two percent of 18-24-year-olds. Yet the report suggests older people reporting higher levels of happiness than youngsters.’
‘Learn a lot from their resilience’