Policy for Good Active Ageing in Australia: Progress and challenges

The PASCAL-PIMA report on Good Active Ageing, which my wife Denise and I edited, was sent to all Australian and Commonwealth Ministers with responsibility for senior Australians. Most Ministers replied indicating the policies they had adopted. The paper featured below and attached gives a summary of responses from Ministers. There is also reference to a recent COTA survey of preference of seniors, and an overview of provision for learning by adults in America.

We have added a list of ten points from a personal overview of the SIG report, current Australian policy, and the preferences shown by the COTA survey.  We hope this overview will foster further discussion of policy for active ageing. A particular need is to develop policy for the Fourth stage (75+) where much remains to be done, including for people in care in nursing homes.

Any ideas?

The report of the PASCAL-PIMA SIG on Good Active Ageing, which we edited, was forwarded to all Australian State Ministers for Seniors and the Australian Minister. Key points in the responses from Ministers are summarised below. The report was also sent to selected organisations in America.  A report by COTA on a survey of attitudes of older Australian was released at the same time as the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report, and has been taken into account in the comments below.

The comments that follow list implications for Australian policy for seniors that takes account of the PASCAL-PIMA SIG and COTA reports, and the responses from Australian Ministers. We are most grateful for the comments from Ministers which contribute to an on- going discussion of the important challenge of finding good ways to assist all Australians to age well.

Australian Minister for Senior Australians & Aged Care

Government policy has focussed on the key areas of health, skills, and finance. Better ageing to reduce the need for care is reflected in the More Choices for Longer Life 2018 Budget Package. A free online Life Check is available on http://lifechecks.gov.au . Life checks are designed to assess health, wealth, work, and social well-being. Checks are available at 45 to 64 and older. A Skills Checkpoint program assists people 45-70 with advice on transitioning to new career opportunities. The Skills and Training Initiative assists older Australians to up-date their skills to remain in the workforce. Funding is also provided to non-government organisations to support physical activity by seniors and keep them connected to their communities.

New South Wales Minister for Ageing

The NSW Ageing Strategy 2016-2020 adopts a whole-of-government strategy and a whole-of-community approach to healthy ageing. Seniors are valued for their contribution to the community. The five priorities of the Ageing Strategy are:

1. Health and well-being;
2. Working and retiring;
3. Housing choices;
4. Getting around;
5. Inclusive communities.

The Strategy may be seen on www.facs.nsw.gov.au. Initiatives include the NSW Seniors Festival, ad action to support older people remaining in the workforce, including IT skills (Tech Savvy Seniors program)

Queensland Minister for Communities, Disability Services and Seniors

Queensland: an Age-friendly Community provides a framework for action under the Civic Participation and Employment domain to facilitate seniors participating in employment, training, lifelong learning, volunteering. The Tech Savvy Seniors seminars have supported seniors gaining IT skills. Information on initiatives for seniors may be seen on www.qld.gov.au/seniors. Neighbourhood Homes are supported with government funds for 123 Neighbourhood Houses across Queensland. Grants are available for innovative seed-funded community projects. A link to the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report has been provided.

South Australia Minister for Health and Well-being

The SA Office for Ageing Well is working on the South Australia’s Ageing Plan 2020-2025. A 2016 report titled Shaping the future of South Australia provides concepts and ideas for the new Ageing Plan. Like NSW, SA has a My Future portal. Commercial opportunities provided by the 60+ market have been noted. SA has an Age-friendly strategy resulting from consultations with seniors. Themes in the strategy include Community Connections, Access and Activity, Digital Inclusion. A useful guide for Engaging with Older People is available. The need for intergenerational connectedness is noted in SA planning. The PIMA SIG report was passed by the Minister to the Office of Ageing Well for consideration in developing the Ageing Well Plan 2020-2025.

Western Australia Minister for Seniors and Ageing

The government recognises the contribution of older Australians to their local communities. The WA Seniors Card includes discounted fees for education and training programs. The government aims for communities where older people can age well, safely, and are respected and valued. The PASCAL/PIMA SIG report has been passed to the Department of Communities.

American responses

The report was sent to selected organisations in America. Responses relate to lifelong learning in America as well as good ageing. An overview of lifelong learning in America was prepared for PASCAL by Sandra von Doetinchem, chair of the LEARN network of the American Society on Ageing.  This is available on the PASCAL website.

The COTA survey report

The December 2018 report by COTA on a national survey of senior Australians provides further valuable information on the situation of seniors. The report pointed to health and finance as the main concerns of seniors. Of those surveyed, 47% felt less valued than when they were younger. This points to psychological and sociological issues needing attention. The priority given to health accords with the importance given in the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report to relationships in the triple helix of health, learning, and community.

Some policy implications for good active ageing in Australia

WE have listed below some policy implications for good active ageing in Australia when The PASCAL-PIMA SIG report, responses by Ministers, and the COTA survey report are considered together. This is a personal assessment by the editors of the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report. The responses from Ministers show that Australian governments are aware of the significance of the demographic revolution with ageing populations, and are developing policy responses. Much has already been achieved. However, when an international lens is applied which takes account of the revolutionary context described in the PASCAL/PIMA SIG report, it is evident that there are gaps that need to be addressed. The most serious of these is the absence of national policy for lifelong learning that would support a range of objectives for individual, social, economic, and financial development in the Third and Fourth stages of life.. In the comments below we have adopted the structure of four stages of lifelong learning as argued in the Schuller & Watson UK report on Learning through Life which was also adopted in the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report.

1. All Australian jurisdictions recognise the significance of ageing populations, and have generally progressed to whole-of-government approaches. Health is widely seen as the top priority;
   
   
2. Some jurisdictions have built on Age-friendly plans which provide for a broad cross-sectoral approach. However, lifelong learning is generally missing from the policies adopted;
   
   
3. While there is recognition of the Third Age as providing a conceptual framework for policy on active ageing, there is less recognition of a Fourth Age as a conceptual basis for policy for people over 75. With longer life spans, this is a weakness in planning for good active ageing;
   
   
4. While the critical importance of health in policy for seniors is widely recognised, the role of lifelong leaning in supporting healthy living has less recognition;
   
   
5. Strategies to mobilise community resources in supporting good active ageing are not a feature of the Australian scene. Much could e achieved by learning community/city initiatives such as those in Korea and China reported in the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report;
   
   
6. There has been good development in widening employment opportunities for seniors in policies adopted by the Australian government. However, the employability of seniors will continue to be a key issue in coming years in the context described in the PASCAL-PIMA SIG report;
   
   
7. While progress has been made across Australia, ageism still exists in Australia, for example in the employment of seniors, and achieving recognition of the contribution that seniors can make to society needs to be addressed. Psychological aspects of ageing, including isolation and loneliness, need more attention so that seniors gain a good sense of identity and their role in the community that adds meaning and purpose to these stages of life;
   
   
8. Major equity issues remain in achieving good active ageing for all Australians. The COTA survey showed one in four with a poor quality of life. The PASCAL/PIMA SIG report comments on things that make for happiness, inclusion, and well-being. Participation in community life needs to be more widely extended to people feeling isolated and alone. This should be given more priority in policy;
   
   
9. More attention needs to be given to ways in which the life experience of seniors can benefit society. Cultural institution, such as museums and libraries, can do much in advancing heritage learning in communities as a path towards this objective;
   
   
10. Overall, while much progress has been made in Australia, the challenge remains to find good ways to connect whole-of-government approaches to whole-of-community strategies that harness and empower the resources of communities in cultural change towards recognising the role of seniors in communities to support good active ageing for all in sustainable communities.

This overview has been prepared as a contribution to an on-going dialogue on the challenge of achieving good active ageing for all. We are most grateful for the information provided by State and Commonwealth Ministers. While the overview has focussed on the Australian situation, the PASCAL/PIMA SIG report provides an international background, including countries where the ageing of the population has proceeded further than in Australia up to now.

PASCAL and PIMA will continue to contribute to this important discussion. The PASCAL-PIMA SIG will continue to examine issues in this area under the leadership of Brian Findsen (New Zealand) and Thomas Kuan (Singapore). It is expected that the future work of the SIG will include examining how ageism can be combatted.

Peter Kearns & Denise Reghenzani Kearns