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To inform, inspire and advocate |
Issue 21 – December 2007 |
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Download
print-friendly COPY of print edition here (pdf) NEW
DIALOGUE – ONLINE CONTENTS LIST FOCUS ON: Ageing in Aotearoa £
Christmas: a special time to share with ‘older
New Zealanders’ – Volunteering New Zealand £
Profile: Joan Lardner-Rivlin - Living proof
indeed! £
Strategy aims to improve the lives of older £
Overview of research on ageing – New Zealand £
The ten myths of ageing –
Age Concern New Zealand £
Advocating for a just and compassionate society With additional: £
Information links and sources Sector issues: Accounting services £
Are you getting what you need? Audits, reviews
and other accounting services – www.nzica.com/nfp Federation Focus £
How to give Board members a lift up – NZFVWO President,
Fran Hoover £
Massive returns on investment in voluntary
organisations– Executive
Director, Tina Reid Items may be reproduced, provided the source and,
where identified, the writer is acknowledged. We welcome contributions – the
next edition of New Dialogue will be published in February/March 2008. |
Sector strength comes from a
collaborative voice. NZFVWO is an active network of social
service organisations. We offer a unique opportunity to be involved in
strengthening community and voluntary services and increasing the influence
and power of the sector. In
addition to leading and managing sector-focused projects, NZFVWO publishes New Dialogue and Law Scene. New Dialogue is published four times a year, in
two versions: as a six-page print publication and electronically as an online
edition with extended content. Each edition of New Dialogue is focused on a selected special theme with
provocative contributions provided from across the sector. Both versions of New Dialogue are distributed for free.
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A
record of the Federation’s activity, including listings
of events and resources relevant to the community and
voluntary sector, is regularly updated and maintained at www.nzfvwo.org.nz CONTACT US Phone: (04) 385 0981 Executive Director Membership Communications |
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FOCUS ON: Ageing in Aotearoa
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Christmas:
a special time to share with ‘older New Zealanders’ Tim Burns, Executive
Director, Volunteering |
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The Christmas holidays are rightly regarded as a
special time for families to gather, and for children to take centre stage. That’s as it should be,
but this is also a time for recognising that Christmas is equally about
remembering the importance of the ‘older New Zealanders’ in our communities,
be they our parents, grandparents, friends or neighbours. We should specially
remember those who are single and live alone and those who are are not in the
best of health and cannot get out and about. It is at Christmas time, a
time especially of reviving memories and looking ahead to another year, that
a sense of loneliness can be most acute. At It is often the work of
volunteers, and those who work through the holiday season, that combines to
bring a genuine Christmas spirit to people in the community, a spirit that
regards all families as extended families and a spirit that puts a special
emphasis on respecting our kaumatua, our kuia, our elders, our older people.. |
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Profile:
Joan Lardner-Rivlin Living proof indeed! |
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Joan Lardner-Rivlin is
living proof of an active retirement. At 80 (going on 60) the
list of Joan’s current roster of service positions in or beyond Perhaps her many years
being around young people as a youth worker can explain an energy level which
sees Joan involved in organisations as diverse as: Age Concern, the Auckland
District Council of Social Services (she was a founder of the national
Council), a number of Citizens Advice Bureaux, budgeting services and
community facilities trusts, the Physically Handicapped and Able Bodied clubs
(which she introduced to New Zealand) and community access radio (Planet FM).
On top of which she has
also found time, somehow, to hold positions on an advisory committee or two,
as well as the Ministry of Social Development Older Peoples Reference Group
and the North Shore Disability Advisory Group. As could be expected Joan
is a life member of several organisations, but most importantly she is a
‘member of life’ whose philosophy on retirement is that “it means I can now
say I won’t be into the office till 9.30am”. Before settling in Joan has a pragmatic
outlook on the limits of positive ageing as a concept. “Positive ageing is
really a matter of how long you continue to have a modicum of good health, so
I strongly advocate that there should be as much help as possible for older
people to ensure they can access dental services easily, and receive support
for hearing aids and spectacles... these aren’t luxuries, they’re necessities
for a good quality of life and without such kinds of assistance it’s a
challenge to age positively”. Note: Joan received a
Queen’s Service Medal for services to the community in the 2007 Queen’s
Birthday Honours. |
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Did you
know? Information Sources |
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·
In line
with projections that we will live longer, the percentage of the population
who will be aged 65 and over by
2021 is 17.6%. The percentage aged 85+ will climb. ·
It is a
demographic trend that we are all greying! The median age of New Zealanders
in 1996 was 26 years, in 2006 it was 35.9 years and in 2051 it will be 46
years. ·
At the
2006 Census, 15 percent of the older population reported being involved in
formal volunteer work. This year Statistics
New Zealand produced a 166-page collection of data on the demographic and
socio-economic characteristics of older New Zealanders (aged 65 years and
over). This can be downloaded from www.stats.govt.nz/analytical-reports/new-zealand-65plus-population.htm
If a city is good for
older people, it improves the quality of life for everyone, including people
with disabilities. Are you living in an age-friendly city? Age Concern has a link to a World Health Organisation project on
this topic – www.ageconcern.org.nz/files/img/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide.pdf In addition, the
following booklets can be obtained on request: ·
Ageing is
Living - A guide to positive ageing -
from Age Concern New · Coming of ... age: Bring on the baby boomers! – from www.presbyterian.org.nz
or email info@presbyterian.org.nz |
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Strategy
aims to improve the lives of older New Zealanders Natalie Lavery, Director,
Office for Senior Citizens |
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The Strategy puts into
action Government’s commitment to promote the value of older people and
affirms their importance in the community. It sets out the Government’s
vision for a society where everyone can age positively and where older people
are highly valued for their knowledge, skills and experience. Positive ageing
principles are a key feature of the Strategy and provide a framework within
which policy with implications for older people can be understood and
developed. Ten goals guide the development of policies and services across
central, regional and local government. When the Strategy was
approved, Cabinet agreed that an interdepartmental positive ageing action
plan be developed to include work items from departmental work programmes,
with progress on these work items to be reported to Cabinet each year. This is the seventh
Action Plan produced by the Office for Senior Citizens since the Strategy was
released in 2001. Part of the value of the Action Plan and Report is that it
reminds central and local government to keep positive ageing in mind while
they develop their work programmes. The document provides the
public with an overview of some of the work that is being undertaken by a
variety of government agencies around the country. It is a good platform from
which to commence a dialogue, particularly with local councils, on the
programmes and services they provide for older people in their communities. Each year agencies are
asked to include new and interesting work items in the Action Plan. Many
other policies and programmes which are ‘business as usual’ activities are
not featured, but can be viewed on various agency websites. Achievements for
2006-2007 include huge investments by both central and local government in
improving housing for older people with better insulation, cheaper rates and
better security for council pension flats. There was also good
progress achieved in safety and security initiatives including amendments to
the enduring powers of attorney legislation, the development of a code of
practice for home equity conversion schemes, and specific training for Work
and Income staff in recognising and responding to elder abuse. Highlights for the year
ahead include the upgrade of more than 1,500 “The Ministry of Research
and Technology will be developing a five year longitudinal research programme
investigating the quality of life for 5,000 older people. It is important to note
that the Action Plan does not give a strategic overview of the wellbeing of
older people in Wide community support
has been received during the production of this Action Plan and Report,
particularly from local councils working on positive ageing initiatives in
their communities. This year an additional ten local government authorities
have contributed, bringing the total number of local government authorities
featured in the Action Plan to 31. The Office for Senior
Citizens appreciates the enthusiasm of the local government sector for the
New Zealand Positive Ageing Strategy, and is greatly encouraged by the
commitment of councils to positive ageing initiatives for people in their
cities and towns. You can find out more
about the Positive Ageing Strategy and the Positive Ageing Indicators report
at www.msd.govt.nz |
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Overview of
research on ageing Sally Keeling, Director, NZ Institute for Research on Ageing |
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The New Zealand
Institute for Research on Ageing (NZiRA) is based at Q: Are we a society that cares for our older citizens? A: At some levels, yes
(best universal pension system in the world, first country to remove
compulsory retirement) but there are signs of increasing complexity, along
with some worrying aspects of risk.
Examples here would be Age Concern reports of the scope and types of
elder abuse reported to their services, and the relatively low rates of pay
for those who work in the aged care sector, both in residential and
home-based care services. Q: To what extent are older people “hidden away”? A: The risks of
marginalisation of frail older people from wider society have been well
recognised by gerontologists and social scientists for many years, and in
some ways, the “positive ageing” movement has distanced itself from those who
do not conform to the current images of bungy-jumping grandmothers and
veteran athletes. Those who suffer from the advanced stages of some of the classic
diseases of old age, such as dementia, Parkinsons and arthritis can face huge barriers to inclusion. Social isolation and depression, including
high suicide risk in older men, are recognised as silent and invisible
epidemics of contemporary society. Our high rates of institutionalisation of
the most frail, and concerns about the quality of care in these settings are
further suggestions of “out of sight, out of mind”. Q: Are patterns of family care in A: There is a broad
similarity. Internationally we know, for instance, that roughly 80% of the
help, care and support received and needed by older people comes from family
and community sources. The other 20% involves specialist expertise, public
funding or private providers. Questions will arise “on the margins” of this
picture. Gaps can and do occur if the connection between the 80% and the 20%
is blurred, or if it isn’t working at its best. Q: What benefits could a Carers Strategy provide? A: Having a Carers
Strategy is certainly likely to raise the profile of family care, and should
provide a clear policy framework for this recognition to be extended, and
developed through training, the right to flexible work arrangement recently
passed into law, and improved services such as respite care. Q: Are there cross-cultural models we could learn more from? A: We are fortunate in
this country to share in a variety of cultural traditions. Even so everyday
actions based on respect, and the values of aroha and whanaungatanga need to
be translated into practical ways of supporting older people to live their
lives with dignity, and to be engaged with their families and communities. My
concern is that the potential for stronger bonds are under challenge from an
increasingly mobile population, with an emerging pattern that is seeing
families dispersed between countries and around the world. Q: Are there other new phenomena to be aware of? A: The main thing is that
we should expect to experience a growing complexity on every front. The ‘baby
boomer’ generations have grown up with the notion that the world can be
changed, so one wouldn’t expect them to go quietly into the night, and that
should make for interesting times ahead. Q: How can voluntary welfare organisations contribute to research into
the implications of an ageing population? A: The New Zealand
Institute of Research on Ageing has a byline ‘Understanding ageing through
research and partnerships’. We are always open to working with organisations
in any or all of these ways. Further information including details on how to
contact us can be found at www.vuw.ac.nz/nzira
As
we head into another local government election, expect the usual catch cries
to ring out. |
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The ten
myths of ageing Jill
Williams, National President, Age Concern & Alistair Stewart,
Communications Manager, Age Concern |
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Age Concern’s work for the rights and
well-being of older people, koroua and kuia includes a focus on being our
very own mythbusters. We call them the ten myths of ageing, and we believe
they lead directly to ageism, which in turn lays the foundations of elder
abuse and neglect. The first myth is that
growing old is a depressing topic filled with decline and loss. The
truth is that every indicator of older people’s welfare is rocketing
upward. Life expectancy, health,
lifelong education, and economic welfare are all improving every year
throughout the world. A second myth is that
older people are all the same. In fact, differences in
gender, genetics, lifestyle and outlook make older people the most varied of
any age group. Age Concern’s challenge
is to celebrate the people experiencing positive ageing, without losing sight
of those less fortunate. The third myth is that older
people must be frail. In fact, the great majority of people remain
physically active well into later life. A related myth says ‘you
can’t teach an old dog new tricks’.This is dead wrong. New
research has shown that older brains, right up to 80 and 90-year-olds, can
match or outperform younger brains. The fifth lie is that
old people are economic burdens. The truth is that older
people make a huge contribution. They are the fastest growing sector of the
workforce and add even more to the voluntary and unpaid sector. For many families, older people provide the
childcare and support which lets other family members work. Myth number six denies
older people the right to work. Some employers believe
older workers must be less productive than younger people. In fact, workers’
performance does not appear to be significantly impaired by age. Despite
this, some older job seekers have difficulty finding work. This is obviously
a tragedy for them. It’s also bad for
our economy to waste such a valuable resource while there are skills
shortages. Age Concern also disputes a recent Statistics New Zealand report
that one-in-five older people have workplace accidents, as it drew faulty
conclusions. The seventh myth is that
growing older means loneliness and depression. It is true that
losing friends, family and colleagues is a part of later life. However, social centres and community
carers such as Age Concern’s Accredited Visiting Service, which trains
volunteers to visit socially isolated older people in their own homes, do a
lot to keep older people involved in their communities. The eighth group of stereotypes
concern older people and money: they’re either seen as poverty-stricken or jetting off overseas for luxury
holidays. The truth is that older people, just like everyone
else, have a range of incomes, although they remain the poorest group of
adults in our society. Superannuation
is the only income for most retired people, and that only provides for a
basic lifestyle. The ninth myth denies
older people’s sexuality. The truth is that many older people
want – and have – active and satisfying sex lives. And the last of the myths
is that older people are more likely to be victims of crime. The
opposite is true: over 60s are by far the safest group in our society. Age
Concerns which operate Elder Abuse and Neglect Prevention Services still
report too many older people are experiencing elder abuse and neglect though.
Our challenge is to get the truth about ageing out there. It won’t be an easy fight as attitudes are
lagging years behind the new realities of ageing. However, one in four New
Zealanders will be aged 65 or older by the middle of this century. As
increasing numbers of vital and positive older people become visible
throughout society, we look forward to the day when ageism fades away. Age Concern | ||||