Aesthetics and ageing

In this video, we explore an aspect of life that we take for granted in the earlier stages of life – arts, leisure and culture. We are increasingly aware that not having access to these is harmful to our wellbeing and health (NTDU, 2011).

It is very important to maintain these important aspects of human existence into later life when you might have more difficulty either accessing or engaging with them due to health, physical or financial constraints (Moss and O’Neill, 2014).

So, now is the time to rethink and plan for the time in your life when you may have more difficulty in accessing your usual aesthetic and leisure pursuits, and in particular, to rethink work-life balance in terms of arts, culture and leisure.

• Have you thought about joining a tennis club, a walking club, a book club or a local choir? If you have let memberships in some groups lapse, consider restarting them.

• In addition, perhaps you might rethink your engagement with other elements of culture and leisure, from arts galleries to attending sports.

• How might you engage with arts, leisure and culture, should you find yourself housebound or in a nursing home in later life?

Desmond O’Neill Consultant Physician in Geriatric and Stroke Medicine at Tallaght Hospital and Professor in Geriatric Medicine at Trinity College Dublin.