Mary Kenny
Photo: iStock. Ireland has one of the fastest-ageing populations in Europe, and most oldsters seem to be coping reasonably well – according to TCD’s Longitudinal Study on Ageing. (‘Tilda’).
There are 789 Irish centenarians (including the diaspora) of whom 637 are women, and 152 men. In every study, women averagely live longer than men – more evidence that the sexes are naturally different.
Activity
I can identify with most of Tilda’s findings, whose research was directed by Prof. Rose Anne Kenny (no kin, alas). Most oldies are deficient in B12 – yes, I get jabs for that.
Most of us have some infirmities, for which medication is required. Yes, I hobble with arthritis in my spine, puff with a mild COPD (allayed by singing lessons, not drugs) and cope with psoriasis, which is an auto-immune disease.
The Professor herself also recommends cold water swimming”
But – onwards and upwards! Nearly three-quarters of elders engage in some social activities each week – yes, check. A community activity, and ‘having a sense of purpose’ is one of the best prescriptions for a positive outlook, and it’s well established that attending church or religious events are a boost to well-being. (My local church is a wonderfully supportive network.)
The Professor herself also recommends cold water swimming: except for high August, I think I’ll pass on that.
Owning a pet is also recommended for those over 50: I’m very attached to my affectionate cat, Pussolini, even if cats are a bit like dictators in how they take over your life.
Plan
Ageing societies need to plan for the future increase in oldsters, and Prof. Kenny says there should be more screening for health conditions such as hypertension. I’d add that there should also be more simple facilities – such as seats in public places (and constructed of wood, not unwelcoming metal).
Old age means aches and pains, rue and regret; but to grow old is also a privilege for which we should be so thankful.
People may loathe him, but at 80 [Trump’s] energy is prodigious”
I’m also inspired by so many oldsters who remain engaged with life. Clint Eastwood has only just retired at 96; Edna O’Brien was writing into her 90s; David Attenborough is still full throttle at 100; and dare I mention the occupant of the White House, issuing wild and crazy emails at 3am. People may loathe him, but at 80 this week, his energy is prodigious.
I met two old friends and colleagues recently at lunch – both 91 and in terrific form. I could recommend them to Tilda as models for our time!
**
It will be difficult to avoid the topic of football in the coming weeks. Those of us not that interested in the game may only wish good sport and happy times to those who are.
But the poet Louis Hemmings has pointed out a fascinating link between the footie game and Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum. The man who is said to have invented the World Cup, Jules Rimet, was a French Catholic whose dedication to football was inspired by the great 1891 encyclical which underlined the dignity and rights of workers.
Mr Rimet – who became the longest-running FIFA President – introduced the first World Cup in 1930. It was not just to bring status to a sport, but to stress the opportunities for recreation and comradeship to working people.
Even if international football has morphed rather too much into money and celebrity, those ideals still hold good.
**
Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s spin-doctor who famously stated that “we don’t do God” in British governance, has now announced that Pope Leo XIV is his “absolute hero”, and urges everyone to read every word of the new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. His enthusiasm is unbound, and it has prompted him, also to seek out Rerum Novarum as a basis for how social policy should be framed.
**
French media have been paying tribute to Bernadette Chirac, widow of former President Jacques Chirac, who has died aged 93.
Madame Chirac, a strong – though never sanctimonious – Catholic, was a spirited woman who became quite open about her husband’s infidelities. “Jacques cheated on me many times,” she said on TV. “I knew them all.” It was an open secret that he had many girlfriends, and at the time of his presidency (1995-2007) it was said to be just what French leaders do.
But something has changed, not only with the #MeToo movement, but with the global scandal around the Gisèle Pelicot case – it’s no longer okay to shoulder-shrug about mistreating or humiliating women.
Bernadette stood by her man, in a forthright, rather than a self-pitying way – yet caring for him when he was struck with Alzheimer’s, and showing support when he was convicted of financial corruption as Mayor of Paris. She came to be seen as an admirable character. And as she outlived her husband, she also had the last word, which is satisfying for a wif