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It is something we have covered before in our SageCo musings, but this train of thought was reinforced by several speakers during last week’s Silver Century conference, a forum convened by COTA NSW and the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG).

Pino Migliorino, Chair of The NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing spoke passionately about the need to consider ‘ageing sub-groups’ in relation to ‘who gets employed and who stays employed’. Pino  highlighted the distinct challenges and needs of three categories of mature worker to illustrate diversity within diversity;

1. those from a non English speaking background
2. Indigenous Australians
3. those living in regional and rural areas

This topic was further embellished by The Hon.Barry Jones AO in his key note address, encouraging us to create a fresh map of life - not confusing the third age with the fourth, one of dependence.

The third agers have no intention of ‘winding down’ – they are more interested in ‘revving up’!

It all forms part of rethinking traditional assumptions. In the words of AAG President, Professor Julie Byles;

it is demographic fitness – not age – that counts