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BMJ No 7115 Volume 315 Personal View Saturday 25 October 1997
If I can do it anyone canCertainly for me, the key to a fulfilling old age is staying independent. Though I'm 82 on the surface, I feel about 50 inside. I feel mature enough to know how difficult life has been, but young enough to start doing new things.By nature I am very independent, and still do my own housework
except cleaning the windows, as my children have persuaded me that
climbing isn't such a good idea. My doctor doesn't understand this
attitude, and offers all sorts of help, which I don't need. My
response is to say that when I do need it, I will ask, and then I will
expect it to be av Old age is a time of great opportunity. A positive mental attitude is
more important than being strong physically, and perhaps it's
something you're born with or learn at a young age. I know people who
say that they would love to do something new, but they can't. If
someone says I shouldn't be doing something I ask why not. If I want
to do something I will and nobody will stop me. Now people don't argue
with me any more.
I went back to college when I was 76 and ended up with two GCSEs and an
A level in English. During my time there I also learnt that young
people are far nicer than they are usually portrayed, and I had more
kindness from them than from many people of my own age. I'm known a
little bit for what I've been doing, but people associate studying at
my age with not learning properly as a child. We all have to carry on
learning throughout our lives, and you can't just stop at 13 or 14 as
many people did.
At college nearly all the other students were 18 or 19. When I went
into that class for the first time we all had doubts about each other,
but by the end of the first lesson I was accepted as one of them. They
could see that I could stand up for myself and that I wasn't asking
for any favours because of my age. Recently three of the girls came up
to see me because they remembered it was my birthday; they stayed five
hours.
I would like to see groups set up to help people find out what
they can do. Some would need a lot of help, but it would be so
worthwhile in the end. You can feel a little bit lazy when you don't
want to do something, but you have to make the effort. If you stop
trying you're on the slippery slope.
I wrote three short stories in 1990, which were broadcast on the radio,
and now I'm writing a book. It's a semiautobiography about me and my
childhood in Poplar and I've written seven chapters so far. But I do
realise that my time is limited-I can't say that I've got 10 years,
or five years or even two-so I have to get on with it now. My
headmistress told me that she thought I would write a book, and I'm
still going to be here for the launch.
I've always been a strong person. When I was a child and my mother was
ill I would stay up all night and look after her; when the cat had to
be taken to the vet I would do it. My mother inherited her emotional
strength from her family and my governess had it too. She would take me
to libraries and museums and said that one day I would be famous. But
it was hard to believe that when I was searching under stalls for cast
off vegetables. Life has not been easy and I did every job I could
before I was married and when my children were growing
up.
Though the medical profession has improved its attitude towards older
people, there are still too many practitioners who treat you as a
child. But people of 70 or 80 are not kids any more.
When you see an old boy shuffling along the street, you don't know
what's going through his mind. We've had to live our lives all that
time and people still make you feel stupid. You can read the impatience
in p There's nothing older people can't do if they put their minds to it.
Most people will already have done the really hard things like bringing
up children, looking after them when they're ill, and helping them
learn to read. After that, doing a few lessons is easy. There's
nothing special about me; if I can do it, anyone can.
Katherine Harris lives in London
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