How prepared do you feel for the later years of life?

New research from National Seniors has shown positive or negative attitudes to ageing are strongly associated with feeling prepared or unprepared for it. 

Age, wealth and health also play a role. 

The report is based on data from the 10th National Seniors Social Survey (NSSS-10), conducted in February 2022. 

It asked more than 3,400 people aged 50 and over who reside in Australia how prepared they feel for the process of ageing, and if they feel there are positives to it or have concerns about it.

Just over two-thirds of survey respondents (68%) said they felt somewhat or very prepared for ageing. Around half the remainder felt somewhat or very unprepared, and half were neutral, feeling neither prepared nor unprepared.

Three in five people (62%) said they feel there are positive aspects to ageing but around the same number had concerns about ageing (57%).

Strikingly, people who felt there are positives were 340% more likely to feel prepared for ageing.

Conversely, people with concerns about ageing were 60% more likely to feel unprepared or neutral.

Feeling prepared for ageing was also more prevalent among older people and wealthier people, while those reporting poor health were nearly 30% less likely to feel prepared.

The survey invited respondents to write a comment elaborating on their preparedness for ageing and over 1,200 did so.

The research team read the comments with the goal of identifying overarching themes, or “domains of preparedness”, across respondents’ views and experiences.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the three most mentioned domains were preparing for changes in health and body abilities, preparing accommodation, and preparing finances.

Digging down deeper, within each domain the research team compiled a list of common “life-scripts” expressed by multiple commenters. The life-scripts represent particular narratives, experiences and/or attitudes related to preparedness within the domain.

For example, the two most prevalent life-scripts in the health domain were:

• I knew ageing would happen, but my health decline is debilitating, and I dislike and fear it (expressed one way or another in 86 comments).

• I know ageing is likely but I’m keeping active, fit and healthy as long as possible (82 comments).

The research team identified 28 life-scripts in total, and overlaid each onto the commenters’ indicated level of preparedness (e.g., very prepared, somewhat unprepared, etc).

More than half the life-scripts showed a clear pattern one way or the other – either being associated with increasing preparedness or with decreasing preparedness.

The most common life-scripts associated with increasing preparedness were:

• I know ageing is likely but I’m keeping active, fit and healthy as long as possible.

• We can’t avoid ageing but I’m preparing aspects of my life to cope with it.

• I have renovated/downsized/moved to make ageing at home easier.

• I worked hard to have enough money, I feel financially secure.

The most common life-scripts associated with decreasing preparedness were:

• I knew ageing would happen, but my health decline is debilitating, and I dislike and fear it.

• I was not prepared for the sudden declines or shock changes that occurred in my life.

• Something is blocking access to the assistance I need to age at home.

• I am renting and it is a source of worry.

• Money is a worry, having enough is a concern for me, hard to plan without money.

Another life-script showed a clear pattern of association with uncertainty, of feeling neither prepared nor unprepared:

• Health is key to good ageing so bad health is a big future fear, but it’s hard to plan for.