Don't write us off yet............

It's a well known fact that as most people get older the body starts to show signs of wear and tear. This can manifest itself in lots of different ways, a few wrinkles here and there, joints getting stiffer, hair thinning (for women as well as men), skin gets baggier and everything tries to slide towards the floor. However, this does not necessarily mean that anyone who has retired is ready for the scrap heap and neither does it mean that their brain has stopped functioning properly. Even so, councils think they know better and stuff people into categories that bear no relevance to the person and is a form of age discrimination which is unlawful.
I retired at the end of July and did not change overnight into some pathetic, confused and immobile person with no friends, family, husband or partner and no longer any use to society. This has not stopped two councils from assuming that I fit into the pathetic, confused etc. category because that is where I have been shelved. Because my income is now much reduced and my nearest family live almost thirty miles away and I do have one or two problems with my health, I applied to go on to the council housing list and what is called 'social housing'. The council have sent me a reference number and banding and the only places that I can apply for are old peoples flats and 1 bedroom bungalows but the majority of these are sheltered housing which I am certainly not ready for although the council thinks I am.
It is my intention to remain as active as possible for as long as I can and although some days I do find it difficult to walk a good distance, I am certainly not ready to be written off. I still enjoy pottering in the garden which is very good exercise as well as walking out every day when the weather allows. In fact, I am very fit and active despite having a few mobility problems from time to time.
Both councils also believe that I no longer need more than 1 bedroom, but I do have grand children and one of them comes regularly to stay. She would not be able to do that if I had nowhere for her to sleep. The house where I currently live is rented privately and I have been here as a single person for twenty five years so why should my way of life suddenly change because I am no longer working? Another of my interests is cooking, especially sharing a meal with my family and friends so why would I want to be stuffed into a small, pokey place with no room to cook properly or entertain them. My lifestyle remains exactly the same except that now I can start to do all the things I've wanted to do for so long and not the things I have had to do to in order to earn a living and pay the rent and bills.
So if you come across someone who has retired, please don't do as councils do and assume that everyone over 60 has Alzheimer's, is immobile, has no family or friends and requires someone to be on call for them 24 hours a day, because that is age discrimination. We are individuals who have made a very valuable contribution to society for very many years and as such deserve to be treated with respect and very much as individuals. We still have a lot to offer.