MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, TIME HAS NOT BEEN KIND TO ME AT ALL

Baby boomers are looking much younger than their age these days. 60 is the new 40, they say, thanks in part to cosmetic aids and medical advances.

However, there are certain parts of the body that reveal our real age, that no amount of clever cosmetic tricks will cover up for long. Let's leave aside surgical procedures that enhance one's physical appearance. After all, how many of us have the financial resources to go down that expensive route to looking 'youthful'? Not many.

This tongue-in-cheek post is dedicated to those among us to whom "60 is the new 40" does NOT apply. We look our age, and for some, even older than our age!

10 body parts that betray our age, in no particular order.

1. Face
No prizes if you got this right. The lines on our face (and neck) tell the truth - that we are no spring chicks. More like autumn hens, or turkeys if you know what I mean.

2. Knees and elbows
From years of wear and tear, the skin covering these joints resemble the roughness and toughness of elephant skin. When my grandson was 4, he used to be fascinated by the folds on my hands and kept trying to see if he could smoothen them out!

3. Skin
Like the migratory birds that fly south during the winter months, our skin goes south too. Unfortunately for us, it is a permanent southward migration. In old age, our skin loses its elasticity and literally 'hangs loose'.

4. Eyes
From 'Dreamy Eyes' to 'Droopy Eyes'. If only we could iron out those laughter lines or 'crow feet' that surface each time we laugh out loud. No wonder we seldom see older women react to jokes no matter how hilarious!

5. Neck
Now you know why older women wear scarves or opt for clothes with a high collar. The dreaded 'turkey neck' syndrome afflicts all of us, sooner or later.

6. Hands
Unless we wear gloves all the time, there is no way we can hide our wrinkled, gnarled hands. They are a dead giveaway of our age. 

7. Hair
Not only does our hair turn grey, silver, white, it goes into free-fall whenever we brush it. The horror of removing clumps of hair from the hair brush and from the bathroom floor. Yikes! 

8. Teeth
The number dwindles with advancing age. Only solution - dentures or implants. That explains why most older folks prefer soft foods!

9. Breasts
This affects women more than men. No longer firm and perky, the breasts now swing freely and resemble papayas.

10. Penis
This body part in older men spends more time hanging down than pointing up. Fortunately, the little blue pill comes in handy, and is a life-saver for grandpas that still want some action..

The funny side of ageing - developing a sense of humor helps to keep us young in spirit

Depressing, isn't it? We miss how we used to look. No wonder many of us avoid looking in the mirror, especially a full-length one. The years do take a toll on our body.

I will turn 73 in June 2021, and I wear my age with pride. 

All living things including humans have a life span, an expiry date. Let us not tamper too much with God's creations. There are only so many face lifts one can have, or number of botox jabs our body can tolerate before our entire body crumbles and collpases under the strain. And we end up looking very much worse than if we had left our body especially our face, alone and allow it to age naturally. 

Looking great has a lot to do with feeling great. It's more important to remain young at heart and in spirit than looking young in appearance.

Here are some great tips on how we can do just that, courtesy of Audrey Hepburn.

A truly loving spouse, partner or friend will see beyond the external and look deeper into that beauty of soul and spirit that still reside inside all of us. But we must continue to nurture that inner youthfulness and keep it forever young. 

“Good morning. A warm welcome to you to our National Coalition on Ageing Forums & Meeting 2021. Frankly, I am thankful to God that we finally managed to get this event off the ground. When we first mooted the idea of having this event early last year, the number of Covid 19 cases was only in single digits. We had to defer the program many times especially after the third Covid19 wave in September last year. Malaysia saw a sudden surge in cases after the Sabah election. We praised God that the number of cases are now finally under control, to a certain extent, with daily Covid19 figures finally dipped to below the 1,000 mark on March 29 for the first time in months. 

This event is a very important milestone for civil society organizations as for the first time we have gathered a good number of voluntary organizations together to share their experiences and learn from each other. The civil society sector plays a very important role especially those in the developing countries as they must learn to sustain themselves in the future while serving societies and democracy better.

The world’s population is ageing. By 2050, one in five people will be aged 60 or over. Due to longer life expectancy and a decline in fertility, older people already outnumber children under five, by 2050, they will outnumber those under 15. Much of this growth is taking place in developing countries, where 

the structures and policies do not exist to support a life of dignity and inclusion in older age.

Living longer is a triumph of development. It is changing the way we view our lives, and the possibilities of what we will be able to achieve in life are expanding. For some of us, the accumulation of wealth over time, contribution to pension schemes and ever-improving healthcare mean we are healthier and

wealthier than ever in our older age.

However, we live in an increasing unequal world and, as we live longer, inequalities deepen. For millions of people the impact of years of poverty, inadequate access to healthcare, poor nutrition and limited education accumulate with devastating impact in older age. In low and middle -income countries just one in four people above pensionable age receives a pension, so retirement is a luxury for the very few.

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have always been at the forefront of the fight for equality and inclusion. Whether focused on gender equality, disability or ethnic minorities, civil society activists have stood up for the rights of people neglected or discriminated against by society and governments and tirelessly promoted the rights and inclusion of the most marginalised.

However, there is still a long way to go with regard to ageing and older people. We need the support of civil society to acknowledge and embrace the fact that we live in a world with a rapidly growing older population, and to tackle ageism, arguably the last unrecognised widespread, identity-based form of

discrimination.

We are now starting to see some recognition and positive change. The engagement of civil society in the negotiation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlighted the importance of leaving no one behind, regardless of, for example, age, gender, disability, ethnicity, religion, location and social and economic status.

Age is now included in the 17 SDGs and their targets. Whilst these high level commitments have not yet had time to translate into meaningful change on the ground, we are already seeing positive signs that change is coming and older people will have greater inclusion in organised civil society.

Conclusion & Recommendations

To conclude, For one to live a long and healthy life we need a place where functional ability is fostered across the life course and where older people experience equal rights and opportunities and can live lives free from age-based discrimination.

To achieve this, the following objectives must be set;

1. Commitment to action on Healthy Ageing

2. Develop age-friendly environments

3. Aligning health systems to the needs of the older populations

4. Developing sustainable and equitable systems for providing long-term care (home, communities & institutions)

5. Improving measurement, monitoring and research on Healthy Ageing.

Policy makers need to respond to population ageing. A priority has to be age-inclusive development and humanitarian planning, policies and programmes supporting older people’s health and economic, social and political empowerment.

To this end , I would like to express my gratitude to our Guest of Honor Yang Berusaha Dr Khebir Verasahib for his precious time to grace and officiate this conference. I would humbly like to call upon Dr Khebir to use his good office in MOH to publicize and highlight the needs of seniors and to make Malaysia their first choice when they retire. 

I like to thank our partners MyAgeing Universiti Putra Malaysia and United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) for driving this initiative in bringing these diverse group of public, private and civil society on ageing together. My appreciation goes out to our moderators and panelists for sharing their expertise in today’s forums.

I also wish to thank all our event sponsors; Kenanga Investors, Tan Sri Dato Dr. Soong, Suntrack Development , GM Klang, Nomura Asset Management, O’Briens, Nestle Nutren & Omega Plus and Beaubelle for their support and generous contributions.

Finally to my fellow organising committee team members, volunteers and not forgetting our media friends.... TQ for their hard work and dedication in making this event a success. Without them this event would not be possible.

Last but not least a BIG Thank you to all delegates here both physically or virtually.... especially for some of you who have travelled great distance to attend this event. We are humbled and truly honoured. All Praise and Glory to

God!

Thank you and enjoy the forums and networking.