Forever young

Forever young

A good friend of mine went to the "Grand Ex Grand Concert" held last month at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. He was an alumni of Borpit Pimook College -- the same high school attended by the founders of the popular 80s band, who revived the popularity of Thai songs after the dominance of Western music in the 70s.

"How was the concert?," I eagerly asked him afterwards. His immediate response was: "The audience was pretty old."

Following his reply, I popped another question: "Does that pretty old audience include you?" My 53-year-old schoolmate grinned an expression that said "yes".

Those above the age of 50 were considered old according to Britain's Friendly Societies Act but that was way back in the late 19th century.

Nowadays, by no means is a 50-something old, as they say the 50 is the new 40.

Likewise, 60 is the new 50. Because of rising life expectancy, 60 has even been proposed as the new middle age, shifting senescence to 70 perhaps.

If that becomes the new cut-off, my friend and I would still be in the late summer of life and we would have almost two decades before turning a senior citizen.

However, this is merely a rethinking of old age. Generally, people above the age of 60 are still considered old. As a matter of fact, there is no universal agreement and the number can vary from country to country.

Most developed countries for instance define "elderly" as those 65 up while Thailand hasn't extend the onset of the golden years to that number yet.

Assuming the 60s are the new middle age, that would further reset the starting point for old age, requiring a revision of policies regarding the burgeoning grey society.

In the meanwhile, I am reminded by Lukas Graham's smash hit 7 Years that: "Soon I'll be 60 years old, will I think the world is cold."

Twisting the chorus, my version goes like this: "Soon I'll be 60 years old, will I still get the 600 baht monthly subsidy though?''

That refers to the current pension for senior citizens aged between the ages of 60-69, following one of the national polices related to the elderly.

Like many other countries, Thailand has put the ageing society on the agenda in preparing for the socio-economic impact of a looming grey population.

It's one of the 21st century's most important demographic trends, according to the United Nations Population Fund, as people above the age of 60 make up 12.3% of the global population, and by 2050, that number will rise to almost 22%.

By 2050, it is expected that 22,260,000 seniors will constitute 31.8% of the Thai population, according to figures on the website of HelpAge International -- a global network of organisations working with and for older people.

Furthermore, Thailand ranks as the world's third most rapidly ageing population while holding the 34th position of the Global AgeWatch Index, which ranks how well older populations are faring in 96 countries.

Building an age-friendly society, such as by promoting health and assuring social protection for the elderly, are a part of the national plan, with both public and private sectors encouraged to participate in preparing Thais for the journey to the twilight zone.

Examples of such activities include Thailand Creative and Design Center exhibition "New Aged Citizens: New Definitions, Opportunities and Challenges" staged earlier this year, and Paradise Park's health-related fair for senior citizens held over the weekend.

The movement is supported by more product designs and facilities catering to the elderly.

It will be a decade or two till I need the ageing-friendly products. As above-mentioned, I am a young 50-something and would rather assume that the 60s is the new middle age.

Even more so, we don't need to go by the numbers as biologically we can be younger than our chronological age by leading a healthy lifestyle.

As people live longer and healthier lives, another rethinking is not of an ageing but longevity society. I rather belong to the latter but not stretching the years to become a centenarian.

Just hitting the 80s will do for me, hopefully without the Alzheimer's and other geriatric disorders.


Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer of the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

Kanokporn Chanasongkram

Feature writer

Kanokporn Chanasongkram is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.

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