Innovation: Old Up

France

AAI Domains:

• Independent, healthy and secure living (mental well-being)

• Participation in society (political participation, lifelong learning, social connectedness)

Many ageing societies now have large and growing groups of very active older people in their late seventies, eighties and nineties who often enjoy relatively good health, especially compared to previous generations, and have accumulated considerable wisdom. In many ways they are the experts on active ageing having largely achieved it personally and many still have an inquiring mind that requires stimulation especially on issues related to ageing. It is in this context that the Old Up Association was established by seven friends who had participated in a Ministry of Health symposium on ageing.

The Old Up Association is for older people typically over the age of 75, although there is no age restriction to joining, they view retirement from paid work as an opportunity for re-birth. They promote active and meaningful participation for older people in the evolution of today’s society at a variety of levels ranging from workshops that reflect on accessibility of public spaces, health and health care services for older people and promoting inter-generational activities and understanding.

Members of Old Up are encouraged to be active participants in their community through making their views clear at the municipality level, acting as an expert on ageing and taking part in working groups and research projects at local, national and international level.

Old Up receives support from a variety of public bodies including the Office of the Mayor of Paris and the Regional Council of Ile de France as well as private foundations to supplement membership income. One example of an Old Up project is the use of an iPad to enhance communication and contacts for older people in long-term care institutions while another initiative are visits to secondary schools to promote inter-generational understanding. They offer a wide range of workshops across Paris covering issues such as living with illness, solitude, family ties and living as an older couple that encourage older people to learn and think about ageing.

In relation to active ageing, Old Up is likely to have positive effects in relation to lifelong learning and social connectedness with the aim of improving mental well-being. Although it is modest in scale as it operates in Paris and Ile de France, it has a relatively high profile with good international connections and it particularly strong in relation to political participation as the core of the Association is to encourage older people to be more active in shaping contemporary society.

Old Up website