Society has not come to terms with the fact that people are living older. They seem to think of the older person sitting in the corner doing nothing, doing their knitting or something else. Older people today don't want to be perceived like that. They want to feel that they are still an asset to society and can be. The trouble is that very often this is not accepted by society.
What do you think needs to be done for older people in our society to feel that they are cherished and included and respected and given their due for the kind of work that they have done in the past, and the contributions that they are making now?
It is very hard to be positive and think positively about life if you're struggling on an inadequate income. If the pensions were higher and people did not have to beg for money, they then would maybe have a higher self-esteem with themselves and would feel that they could do these things that they want to do. Poverty is a dreadful thing, you know. Younger people who spend recklessly and don't even think of tomorrow, have no idea that older people, while they might seem to be managing all right, are actually counting every penny that they're spending.
Do you feel that the work that you do do, for example on a voluntary basis with the Help the Aged and other charitable organisations, do you feel in a sense that you're being exploited because presumably if that work were paid for at a commercial rate, it would cost an awful lot of money?
They couldn't afford to pay for it. The work that's done by volunteers and older people definitely could not be paid for - there is no way in this world they would have enough money to pay for it. The hours that volunteers put in to doing things for older people and to pursue the causes of older people, could not be measured in terms of money. But while I'm able, I will certainly do anything that I can to pursue the fact that older people need to be treated with more respect, they need to have… they need to be recognised that they have minds of their own, that they can think for themselves and make decisions for themselves, and in fact can influence policy.