The
perception of retirement as a time of inactivity and the countryside as
an area of retreat is challenged in a new book from Age Concern and the
Commission for Rural Communities.
Britain’s countryside has a growing number of older residents and
the balance between age groups is shifting faster than in urban
areas. ; ; This will have an impact on all aspects of life in
the country – economic activity, community, and services – but rather
than create villages of highly dependent residents, the book argues
that the ageing demographic could help build dynamic communities rather
than be a burden on society.
Older people are increasingly economically active in rural areas,
where part-time work gives them the opportunity to work more flexibly
as they approach or are in retirement, and the majority of over 65s in
rural areas continue to lead active social and domestic lives.
Far from being dependent, over 65s living in the countryside are
more likely to give help than receive it, by volunteering for community
organisations such as Age Concern that provide vital services. However,
there are older people who do need extra support. The type of family
and social networks a person has, whether they are still actively
working or volunteering, and their state of health are all better
indicators of what those needs are than a person’s age.
Where these factors are in play, older people will need to access
services that will support them so that they can continue to live
independently. Many older people rely on others for assistance with
day-to-day tasks bringing them vital social contact as well as support.
Those who have aged in their communities will find this easier as they
have a lifetime of social networks to support them, than those who live
in areas that have changed rapidly and therefore diffused their social
networks.
Dr Stuart Burgess, the Rural Advocate, said, « It is important that
those of us who care deeply for the future of rural England and for the
future welfare of its people, consider carefully the ageing of the
countryside. This book complements the work the Commission for Rural
Communities is doing to tackle rural disadvantage amongst older people
in rural areas. »
Gordon Lishman, Director General, Age Concern said: “The dynamics of
the ageing countryside are complex and changing but, as this book
argues, they offer the opportunity for rural areas to act as both a
reference point and a testing ground for policy makers and analysts in
understanding the broader implications of demographic ageing and the
lessons it can offer an ageing nation. ; This new book will help
inform the 21st Century policy agenda for both rural areas and for our
wider society.”
– ENDS –
NOTES TO EDITORS
In the next 25 years the number of people age 65+ in rural areas of
England will increase by 20 per cent more than the average for England
as a whole [“Rural Disadvantage: Quality of life and disadvantage
amongst older people – a pilot study”, Commission for Rural
Communities, February 2006, www.ruralcommunities.gov.uk ]
“The Ageing Countryside: The growing population of rural Britain” is
edited by Professor Philip Lowe and Lydia Speakman and published by Age
Concern and Commission for Rural Communities. ISBN 0 86242 414 3.
Chapters include:
- The greying countryside
- Demographic change in rural England
- Migration and the construction of rural living
- Rich and poor in the countryside
- Employment and the older person in the countryside
- The older rural consumer
- Older people’s contribution to rural community and citizenship
- Delivering services for older people in rural areas.
Copies can be ordered online at http://www.ace.org.uk/bookshop/index.cfm?fuseaction=product&product=21308B49-E7FB-1C5F-E5C38EE30B20BBB3
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