Zimbabwe: soon, no country for old people

An old man of Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe, was reportedly anxious, as all the people are, for a positive conclusion to the current talks between Zanu PF and the MDC. He was heard to blurt out in a beerhall: “Age may be a number, but YOUR number is up, comrade!”

More Stories

Do we really need such an overblown Olympics?

I have been watching the current Olympic Games and marvelling, not only at the success of our athletes, but the cost of it all. Is it not time to take the lead and offer a simple Olympic games in the spirit of the original?

Madonna hits 50 - but what does that say about the rest of us?

  Passing the 50 mark is always a significant moment in our lives. We're currently watching Madonna go through that stage - in her own way. But what does it mean for the rest of us? Baby boomer marketing expert Judith Cork has her own take on life after 50.

Keeping the family circle together

Broken families have been blamed for the rise in anti-social behaviour and crime, and young people staying locked into welfare rather than making their way in life. So what’s the solution? Pamela Wilson, Chairwoman of Grandparents Action Group UK maintains that at least part of the responsibility must lie with the way that Family Courts operate, and makes suggestions on a better way forward.

Where have all the insects gone?

  I live in London and have been increasingly concerned this summer about the lack of insects. The buddleias are flowering profusely but there are no butterflies dancing around them. So I thought that perhaps I was looking in the wrong place - a big city. Not so.

Piffle, padding and procrastination ...

"So there you have it, Strategies and Guides - a Band Aid delivered yet again to paper over the cracks." Reader Doris Daly responds to the new strategy document aimed at developing dementia services. The National Dementia Care Strategy will reconvene in September to assess the outcome of this codology of a consultation. Why not get involved and have your say?

Making justice visible

 Our justice system often comes in for criticism from the public and the media. We asked Director of Public Prosecutions Sir Ken Macdonald QC to tell our readers about how justice is being done - and being seen to be done

Right care Right deal: The future of social care

  There is a growing consensus that the social care system is in crisis. Under-funded and misunderstood - the care and support system in the UK has become a distress service, meeting only the needs of the poorest and most debilitated. Paul Cann, Director of Policy at Help The Aged, explains how a new campaign is calling for nothing less than a revolution in social care.

Don't call me "old"

Last October the Mature Times' website asked readers over 50 "what they really, really, want". I say never mind the over 50s, what about the over 60s, over 70s (I am almost 72), over 80s and even the 90s and 100s - whose numbers are increasing every year? Many 'wants' and not a few fantasies have been listed in your reader's responses, but in my view the most serious one is not to be considered old.

Why are older people stuck like rabbits in the headlights?

We are not part of the system so we have no retaliatory weapons against what we see as injustice. Except, a powerful voice, a voice that can only be brought to its full power through unity. At the moment our voice is barely heard above a whisper because it is fragmented.

I Love Being Old ....

One MT reader urges everyone to 'Look forward to enjoying the coming years, after all you’re only old once' !

Dying in Dignity

I read the article by Alison Davis about voluntary euthanasia with interest. I myself have cerebral palsy and sleep apnoea and need a lot of care. I use a wheelchair full time. Many people have been totally horrified by me being pro-assisted suicide, probably because I'm disabled.

Dying in Dignity- the debate continues...

I see that references to the article by Sarah Wootton, Chief Executive of Dying in Dignity, still keep cropping up in your mailbag, so hopefully I’m not too late to add my penn’orth.

SCP call to sack Home Secretary

The Senior Citizens Party is caling on Home Secretary Jacqui Smith to resign for "betraying the police force, on whom the whole country depends for the fight against increasing crime".

The way to improve driving standards in this country

Some time has passed since we last heard about extra driving tests for those of us over a certain age. Whilst I am not entirely against this, it is ageist and does not deal with the larger problem of bad driving - let alone dangerous and criminal driving which has had, and continues to have, a deleterious impact upon driving standards.