A grand sort of wisdom
15 March, 2005
Sign Up for free e-mail updates!
A grand sort of wisdom
Herald Sun
15 March 2005
I called my mum the other day, so her grandsons could wish her happy birthday. It made her day, but more importantly it also made her grandkids. My older boy couldn’t stop telling us that it was grandma’s birthday today. He loves her because she provides him with things nobody else can.
Grandparents carry with them great amounts of wisdom. Their presence and advice helps give us perspective. There is a calming influence that the older generations bring that we underestimate and undervalue in our youth obsessed culture. Grandparents might not have the energy or vitality they had in their younger years, but as the matriarchs and patriarchs of our communities they have much to offer.
The Seniors Festival is in full swing for 2005. It runs until Sunday and is jam packed with events and activities for senior Victorians. These events support older people to be more active and engaged with community by participating in everything from tennis to theatre.
Minister for Aged Care, Gavin Jennings says, “The Festival is a great showcase for healthy and more active living.”
This is a celebration of age. But, it is also an exercise in public relations. The festival quite obviously is encouraging active and healthy lifestyles in a bid to reduce the load on the public health system.
I agree that we should be promoting such lifestyles, but in some way we are missing the point. Senior Victorians have much to offer; yet the festival held specifically for them doesn’t reflect enough on what they contribute to our society.
While active living is important for everyone it is somewhat patronising to assume senior Victorians don’t already know this. Healthy and active lives are something we all need. Why are we singling our grandparents out? Where is the festival that holds up the grandparents of this world and celebrates their uniqueness?
My grandmother sent me an email the other day. She had read a piece I had written in the paper and wanted to say how proud she was of me. Her acknowledgment in this way gave me more confidence and reassurance than I have had in months.
I have learnt much about how to care for my fledgling vegetable patch from my grandfather, a farmer and green-thumb all his life.
The latest knitting craze in the coolest clubs in Melbourne would be nothing without the knowledge and willingness to teach from older generations. They knitted not for fashion, but to keep their brood warm and dry. This is not to say they do not have a strong understanding of beauty and artistry. Their legacy is a body of beautiful work.
The Seniors Festival is important. But, the offer of free public transport for a week and a series of ‘healthy’ events aimed at reducing pressure on the public health system don’t do older people any justice.
Grandparents are the holders of family history.
Senior workers have the capacity to be fine mentors and valuable assets in a workforce facing a skill shortage.
The inter-generational relationships between children and their grandparents or even great grandparents can not be quantified. Those relationships give families a strong sense of the value and cycle of life.
Too often we see older people as a burden.
Recently, Derryn Hinch has begun to campaign for better care arrangements for people as they head into old age. His motivation is that he doesn’t want to be looked after in a nursing home.
This reflects our society’s undervaluing of older generations. We are prepared to let them put up with facilities and conditions we ourselves will do everything to avoid.
Grandparents are worth more than gold. And, this Seniors Festival we should be working to maintain our relationships and strengthen our bonds with the people who have made us who we are today. There is a still a lot we have to learn. They are the ones who can teach us.
Daniel Donahoo is a fellow at OzProspect, a non-partisan, public policy think tank.