Study of people born in 1921 shows happiness linked to independence, with many using ‘subversive tactics’ to maintain it
It is the age of rebellion. They may be frail, but 95-year-olds engage in miniature campaigns of “resistance and subversion” to foster a sense of control over their lives,From refusing to wear emergency call buttons to casting aside walking sticks, many members of a cohort born in 1921 studied by health scientists at the Universities of York and Newcastle used “subversive tactics to maintain a level of independence”, often laced with humour and secrecy aimed at their offspring.
Sciences. “A bit of risk-taking, particularly with their health, was also important in order to keep their autonomy, particularly with family, where children had now become the carer.”show there are 527,900 people in England and Wales aged 90 and over – up 23% in a decade. Pauline, who was “vexed” with her granddaughter for suggesting she should move into a care home, refused to use her call button when she fell.
“I’d rather go up for them myself,” she said. “So I get them on a Friday, when I get some ham and some rolls.”