Report finds older Australians happy in later years

People in the latter half of life are really enjoying the fruits of their labours, of their life. They're content in their careers, maybe feeling at the top of their game. They have children and grandchildren, they may be more financially secure, or they may be able to be exploring new and novel hobbies, careers, whatever. Having a second career, and this is really contributing to the sense of well-being. The people themselves, older people are feeling content in what they're doing, but what they're facing is ageism out in society. They're facing people who are judging them based just on their chronological age and assuming that they cannot do and be what they want to be. And this is extremely damaging and in fact, internalized ageism. If you internalize that message, it can cost you 7 1/2 years of life because you're not engaging, you're not taking care of your health if you really believe those negative messages from society. So how are people trying to defy stereotypes and a sense of invisibility? They're trying. They're, you know, entrepreneurs. They're starting new businesses. They're backing campaigns and being advocates in various spaces, but they're really faced with this view that they are really past their prime. And the disturbing thing in the report was that less than half of people were willing to challenge these negative stereotypes. But I really feel that it's up to everyone in society, everyone in Australia, to challenge those stereotypes. People are really being much less limited in their view of what they can be and do in terms of continuing on with work, in terms of making intergenerational links and really in terms of engaging very fully in life. And this is partly due to, of course, Australia having longevity on its side. So people are living into their 80s regularly. And so people are saying, look, I'm, I'm not just confined to a flat trajectory of, you know, I'm a student and then I work and then I retire. No, they can circle back around, become a student at 70, start a new business at 80. And this is really rejuvenating.