As we enter a new year, let’s remind everyone that old age is a reason to celebrate. In Ancient Rome, if a person survived to age 20—although chances were really thin—they could expect to live around 30 more years. Fast-forward two thousand years, and living to 100 is becoming more common.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost a quarter of the world’s population will be over 60 by 2050. The United Nations projects that further reductions in mortality will result in average longevity that exceeds 77 years globally in 2054.
The WHO suggests that as our society lives longer, we should focus on “Active and Healthy Aging.” This approach emphasizes maintaining functional capacity and well-being, enabling individuals to pursue what they value throughout their lives as they enter old age. In essence, it highlights the unprecedented opportunities that come with longevity.
Yet, our society self-imposes resistance to old age.
The third cause of discrimination in the world is age — a cultural phenomenon called ageism. As absurd as discrimination can be, we even discriminate against ourselves. Often, we hold negative stereotypes and biases against older individuals, which are deeply ingrained in Western culture. We do not look at old age head-on; it scares and disgusts us, and we turn our backs on it. Even dictionaries struggle to define “old age” in a positive light. The prevailing narrative about old age often sways between the affordability of pensions and increasing health costs but rarely about its potential.
Retirement can feel like a loss of social value in a culture that prioritizes job titles and economic status. This perception can lead to a cycle of “unwanted loneliness” and isolation among older adults, which can increase the risk of health issues, including cardiovascular disease and the loss of cognitive skills. Instead of enhancing people’s overall quality of life and participation in society, we create an environment and structural system that limits opportunities and negatively impacts people’s health.
It makes one wonder whether humanity has fought so hard against mortality and the passage of time through medical advancements and the promotion of peace, only to corner ourselves as we grow older.
The recent release of Coldplay’s music video, featuring the 99-year-old actor Dick Van Dyke, beautifully addresses this topic. As the legendary Mary Poppins actor reflects on old age in the touching video, it becomes clear that rethinking old age is long overdue. There is no reason older individuals should not continue to learn, grow, and enjoy life.
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Every year, around Christmas, the Barcelona-based organization Amics de la Gent Gran intensifies its efforts to make older residents live long and thrive. During this season of reunions with family and friends, this nonprofit organizes Christmas lunches for 600 senior residents in Barcelona, along with workshops and visits to Christmas markets so that older Barcelonians can enjoy the festivities and not feel lonely.
Throughout the rest of the year, Amics de la Gent Gran (meaning “Friends of the Elderly” in English) operates a network of volunteers in Barcelona who dedicate a few hours each week to meet senior citizens. Founded in 1987, this organization has demonstrated that these couple hours can be life-changing for older individuals, as they feel their dignity is respected and are integrated into society.
The Amics de la Gent Gran team organizes various activities, including craft workshops, dance sessions, and laughter therapy. They also plan numerous outings and excursions, bringing people together to celebrate significant occasions such as Christmas. These activities are designed to ensure that everyone can participate, regardless of their mobility. For those people who cannot leave the house, there are home gatherings, in which a group of older people and volunteers visit an older person and share an afternoon with him or her, chatting and getting to know each other.
These socialization activities help members build community and create social networks within their neighborhoods and municipalities. In some cases, Amics de la Gent Gran collaborates with other local entities to organize joint activities, helping older individuals feel more integrated into their surroundings.
Amics de la Gent Gran drew inspiration from Les petits frères des pauvres, a French organization established after the Second World War to support vulnerable older people in the aftermath of the war — its work continues today. In the mid-1980s, a grassroots group from Barcelona visited some of its projects in France and initiated a movement for young people in their city to accompany and befriend older adults. Over time, this network has evolved into a nonprofit organization that has expanded to other Spanish cities, including Madrid and Valencia.
In Spain, which has one of the highest life expectancies in the world, 18% of the population is already over 65 years old. According to the 2018 Encuesta Continua de Hogares, of the nine million older adults in Spain, nearly two million live alone. Among these, 850,000 are over 80 years old. In Spanish cities, it is common to see older adults gathering and chatting with one another around public benches, in government-funded social centers, or at coffee shops. For instance, at Barceloneta Beach, you can always find seniors playing dominoes.
Except for the summer months, older adults in Spain can apply for full-board vacations at hotels through the IMSERSO program, which the Spanish government highly subsidizes. I spoke to some retirees who jokingly claim that going on an IMSERSO vacation is cheaper than staying home. The program was first implemented during the socialist government in the 1980s. It was initially intended to combat the seasonality of tourism in Spain (and secure senior votes). Yet, it has proven successful in helping hotels maintain occupancy rates and retain employees during the off-season while offering an affordable vacation for retirees.
However, even in considerably age-friendly Spain, the CIS-IMSERSO study found that 6 out of 10 people living alone admit to feeling lonely. According to Amics de la Gent Gran, several personal and social factors contribute to the experience of unwanted loneliness in older age. Personal factors include a lack of social skills, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and the loss of loved ones. Socially, changes in the environment, lack of support networks, limited opportunities for participation in society, and stigmatization can lead to a loss of identity and belonging, ultimately resulting in isolation.
The loss of physical autonomy is often mistaken for a complete loss of decision-making capacity across all aspects of life. However, this should be different.
Three years ago, a 78-year-old retired urologist named Carlos San Juan started the movement “I am older, not an idiot” in Valencia, Spain. He collected over 600,000 signatures to demand more humane treatment from banks for older individuals, garnering national media attention and the interest of the Spanish Minister of Economy. On December 10, 2022, San Juan received the Amics de la Gent Gran 2022 Award and was named European Citizen of the Year by the European Parliament in 2023. In an interview last year, he remarked that not much has changed since he started the campaign.
Spaniards like San Juan have embraced the notion that they are no different from younger people, merely older—a perspective that blurs the definition of old age. Extensive evidence indicates that society should leverage age diversity and increase intergenerational interaction beyond family settings—in work, education, research, and other areas. Most older people prefer to live at home until the end of their lives and do not wish to enter care facilities voluntarily. What’s called for, Amics de la Gent Gran suggests, is a need for greater social awareness about the value we are giving to older people in our society.
Amics de la Gent Gran envisions a city where boundaries in life are decoupled from age and focuses on the uniqueness of each person —emphasizing that individuals often lose their identity when labeled as “elderly” category. But in reality, what truly matters is what you can do, not how old you are. “Uniqueness is not lost over the years; instead, it grows,” states this nonprofit organization, especially as the population over 65 years old continues to increase in Barcelona and elsewhere.
We all face a contradiction: we desire to live longer, yet we often hold prejudices about aging. This mindset doesn’t have to persist. Longevity should not be viewed merely as a period of decline; instead, it is an exciting new phase of life to celebrate. I can’t think of a better city to embrace this than Barcelona.
