Modern grandmothers keeping young and active

Just because you're a grandmother it doesn't mean you are old at heart, and large numbers of over 60s grandmas are living life to the full and enjoying every minute according to a poll conducted on 2,000 women by Yours magazine. Most of the women interviewed said they felt, on average, 20 years younger than their actual age.

Most of the older women felt much younger than their grandmothers as they remembered them. The average age of those interviewed was 69 but but they said they felt no older than 48. They said they would not contemplate feeling old until reaching the landmark age of 90, according to BBC.co.uk.

The women had of course fewer children than did their own grandmas which is not surprising as women in those days often had seven children or more as contrasted with the average of 2 or 3 in modern families. This alone must make a huge difference although it may not be necessarily the main factor involved.

Many bemoaned what, as they perceived, is a lack of respect for older people as compared with the 60s, viewed perhaps over romantically as an idyllic era with less crime and more community spirit.

The editor of Yours magazine Valery McConnell said: "Today's grans are having the time of their lives and the rest of us envy their carefree, groovy lifestyles.

"This is the luckiest generation of grans ever. Many have good pensions, their homes have soared in value, they have good health and plenty of years to enjoy their new found leisure activities."

A spokeswoman for Age Concern England, Mel Beardon, said that many people haven't realised that the nature of old age has changed a lot in recent years.

Ms Beardon commented that though pensioners are often exploring the world, dating, working for much longer and being socially active they often still experience ageism once they turn 65 and are "denied services, jobs and even medical treatment simply because of their age."

However, readers had many things to say about the article which was upbeat and optimistic about the lives of grandmas in their 60s and over. Not everyone is as fortunate said one reader from Hampshire adding that many ladies over 70 in her area have "severe financial and medical worries". She suggested that the women interviewed in the poll had already enjoyed a successful and financially comfortable life in their younger years, but that not all older women have been as fortunate.

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