Survey paints a happy picture of contented older folk

Almost two thirds of people surveyed over age 70 said this was the most content point in their life.

The finding, in a survey by the Royal Voluntary Service, is particularly heartening because it comes at a time when so many people are living to a grand old age.

One of the biggest breakthroughs in human history, almost on a par with the success in slashing infant mortality rates during the last century, is the revolution in longevity.

Millions of people around the world are now living in good health into their 80s and 90s.

There have been accompanying problems too, such as an inevitable increase in dementia and other age related health conditions. But there have been steady scientific successes in combating many of those problems too.

The older people told the survey that the reasons for their happiness included no longer caring about what people think of them. Many people from middle age on also find it a relief no longer having to compete socially or in the workplace as their lives progress and their values and goals change.

The survey found that seeing family and friends, keeping physically fit and mental exercises were cited as ways of staying happy as an older person.

The News Letter has a number of regular letter writers who are aged 80 and above, and we are thrilled to get the perspective of people who have lived through so much and are still so interested in world events that they are keen to comment on them.

There are nonetheless major problems for many older people, including loneliness as they outlive their contemporaries or loved ones. It is to be hoped that the digital age and the increasing size of the elderly population will make it easier for older folk to meet and make connections with like minded people who are at the same stage in life.