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103
AGED, INFIRM AND PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED
PERSONS
"But spite of Heaven's fell rage.
Some beauty peep'd through lattice sear'd age."
—Shakespeare.
The fact that this Report will be the last under the present
administration not only justifies reiteration of observations previously
made, but calls for an assessment of the problems of an
ageing population and an appraisal of the efforts made in Greenwich
to meet the situation.
Since early times, the community's behaviour to old age has
changed. In primitive societies old age was rare and, as a consequence,
was an honoured estate. Today, it has become
commonplace and commands little respect.
There is an understandable tendency on the part of youth to
dissociate itself from old age perhaps because it is a constant
reminder to the young of its own ultimate fate. Dean Swift once
wrote, "Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old"
and, if the truth were known, we are all a trifle uneasy about
approaching old age. Our attitude towards it naturally depends
upon our own philosophy of life and there would appear to be
no doubt but that the "meaning of life" has a great effect upon
the equanimity with which some people view the advancing years.
Moreover, it is obvious that some form of occupation of mind or
body tends to maintain health and there can be few human beings
who do not feel the better for knowing that they are of some
value to society—happy is he who has something to give.
At the outset we must disabuse our minds of the notion that
the later years of life are somehow separate from those of the
earlier periods. This is just not so. Life is rather like a voyage
in that there are many delightful and some not so delightful
intervals on the way but all are essential to the final destination.
Each stage of life has its value and possesses its own peculiar
advantages and old age is no exception. It has a.ssets to balance
its difficulties What it loses in strength and vigour it gains in
experience and the capacity to contemplate and evaluate in a way
denied to younger people. However, this is not a refutation of the
suggestion that there are problems of old age which require more
than just a cursory examination.
Largely due to medical progress and improvements in social
and environmental conditions, the increase in the number of people
reaching retirement age and beyond is likely to continue with a
consequent intensification of the problems associated with old age.