Nana Wereko-Brobby, Editor, 25
It is officially winter and a time when the natural impulse is to eat more, drink more, sleep more, and wait for the return of spring. Thermal underwear sales go up and the mulled wine is generously ladled out. Seasonal clichés aside, there is also pressure on us to think about our health, up the old vitamin intake and look after ourselves in a bid to fight the inevitable winter colds. And in no group is winter health more important than the elderly population.
According to Age UK, people aged over 65 are at greatest risk from cold-related deaths in the winter and, whilst heating is of utmost importance, so too is looking after your health. Whilst rising drinking habits are a concern for all social groups, a recent report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists raised concerns over the rise in drink addiction amongst those aged over 65. According to professor Ilana Crome, significant numbers of people in this age range appear to be exceeding healthy levels for alcohol consumption which, although a concern for all ages, is worrying because older people’s bodies process alcohol less efficiently. In other words, it is that much harder for the body to recover from a night of excess.
Whilst older people tend to drink less than younger people, 1 in 6 older men are drinking enough to harm themselves, as are 1 in 15 older women. Add to this the pressures of job redundancies and a growing unemployed older population (the over 50s find it hardest to secure employment after job losses), and it seems that more older people are turning to alcohol to soothe their financial woes.
Nowhere is the conflict between puritanical healthiness and harmless seasonal boozing more critical than in the elderly population, where the argument for keeping healthy versus keeping happy is a tricky one. Advocates of the ‘growing old disgracefully’ camp will pooh pooh the idea that as you age, looking after your health becomes of utmost importance. According to Dr Marcus Richards, it is our choice if we want to ‘party our way to the end’, as long as we acknowledge that it may cause your final journey to be an uncomfortable one. A valid point but one that ignores the fact that some older people are drinking not in the pursuit of pleasure but rather in the hope for some respite from increasing pressures. It is perhaps a rather middle class idea that all one does in old age is enjoy a nip of good sherry whilst sitting back to another episode of Dad’s Army.
And so the call for ‘wellbeing’ is touted around many organisations that work with older people. Certainly, at Jewish Care, mental and physical wellbeing tends to underpin all of our services, with recent activities such as the Healthy Living Day promoting exercise and sensible eating to the community. Alcohol is very rarely served in the care homes but, with the old myth of Jewish people not being big drinkers, the topic of daily wine intakes doesn’t seem to be a controversial one; no 80-year-olds have yet been spotted boycotting the campus canteen for port. The mantra for healthy living is not enforced, but it seems to be embraced.
It’s a difficult one really. I can’t say that, as I move into my later years, my desire to make my body a temple will not be overtaken by a greater desire to indulge myself at the expense of health. I also don’t know what the world will look like in 50 years, what I will have to face and whether this issue will be eclipsed by a whole host of worse ones. This may be a cop out but it’s your body and your decision. As long as the information is out there for all, letting you make an informed decision about the implications of your actions, then it’s up to the individual.
L’Chaim.
Jewish Care Pearls of Wisdom 