Economy Vs Older people. Is this a false dichotomy?

What should we make of debates that ask us to chose between old people and the economy?

As we age, we are more likely to suffer the underlying health issues which also make people more vulnerable to COVID-19. Unfortunately, using a crude indicator of vulnerability such as age alone has its downside. Categorising vulnerable people as all those over 70 years old, feeds into prejudice against older people and a deficit view of ageing that already circulates in our society. Such ageist attitudes obscure the huge diversity that actually exists among older people and encourage harmful suggestions.

One argument commonly heard today is that under current lockdown measures, the economy is being sacrificed for the sake of old people. This argument immediately positions all older people as a drain on the economy and their care seen as a danger to current livelihoods and the future wellbeing of society. There are several problems with these sorts of arguments: the moral issue of sliding toward arguments about the dispensability of older people; a failure to recognise that the measures currently undertaken are for the health of all people; pitting the economy against older people fails to recognise that people are the economy; and joining together to protect everybody now makes us stronger, morally and economically, as a society.

Another argument along these lines, emphasises a false intergenerational divide: incurring debt now to save older lives endangers the economic future of young people. Again, such arguments fail to recognise that societies are about all people, and that working together now to preserve the health of vulnerable people and the livelihoods that are immediately threatened under lockdown circumstances will ensure the strength of our future society.

To further counteract the opinions that threaten to reinforce an intergenerational divide we must recognise the contributions that older people make to society. Depicting all people over 70 as a burden to younger generations, fails to recognise that many older people continue to support their children and many are currently employed, some in essential services, or in volunteer services. A high proportion of older people are also engaged in essential care giving, for their elderly parents, their spouses, or their grandchildren. All of this work is often unacknowledged but is worth millions of dollars to the economy.

This pandemic has highlighted one of the most valuable aspects of having people around who have lived for a long time. If we listen carefully or provide more opportunities for older people to speak, we can hear stories of experience (of wars and pandemics) and the wisdom derived from that experience. Rather than being terrified by the implications of a major change in the way we live, older people can take a more optimistic view. They’ve seen this before and, although life is turned upside down, in the end many aspects of life do not change. It is good for young people to hear these stories in times of heightened anxiety and fear for the future.