Insider View on the elderly

Never one to shy away from unspoken truths, this month Lucy Madden considers the elderly...

The hirsute and not-so-easy-on-the eye racing correspondent John McCririck (72) is suing Channel 4 for alleged ‘ageism’ in replacing him with the younger and undisputedly popular ex-jockey Clare Balding (41). The manner of his dismissal in the jungles of television is not for discussion here, but does seem to have followed a familiar pattern of lack of manners or consideration.

But that John McCririck thinks that he is entitled to his television career until such time as he decides to end it, is clearly ridiculous. Whether we like it or not, there are age specific activities and the passing years can sometimes render us obsolete in our chosen vocations, even if it suits the lawyers to think otherwise.

Travelling recently to see a medical specialist for a potentially serious condition, we were discussing the preferred age of this expert, hoping for neither extreme youth with not enough experience, nor for the possible prejudices and lack of up-to-date knowledge of an older person. Ageist? You bet.

The hoped-for decade that was decided on was a person somewhere in the middle forties, and this was how it turned out to be. On another occasion my husband saw his prospective surgeon, no spring chicken, and described him as ‘red-faced, out-of-condition and possibly a drinker’ an impression not likely to inspire confidence as you go under the knife.

The fact that an impression can be misleading is beside the point, what matters is the perception. And when it comes to working in hospitality, a career that demands commitment and stamina, those involved need to be fit, to be seen to be fit and by definition, youngish.

We stopped the other day at a small restaurant outside Belfast and our order was taken by a person I took to be an octogenarian who shuffled from the direction of the kitchen. My first reaction was admiration that such a one as elderly as he should still be in employment, but when a grizzled and trembling hand put down our plates I wanted to grab his burden from his clutches and sit him down for a rest. He looked exhausted and exuded the impression that he didn’t want us there. He may have been somebody’s grandfather helping out, but he may have been a member of the ‘I refuse to retire’ brigade.

That many people who would previously have been retired still have to work is well documented, and for the self-employed burdened with bank borrowings there may be no way out, but that weary face that hovered over table would have been better contemplating a sunset elsewhere. Clearing tables should have been in his past. No-one wants to pay to feel guilty. Yet here is the crux; we may want a Mary Berry supervising the gateaux, but do we want to be served by a shuffling old curmudgeon? It is no coincidence that the top restaurants tend to hire the young and beautiful to wait at their tables.

Lurking around the edges of employment, as all employers must know, are the spectres of regulation; torments of equality and rights, health and safety, each that has eroded so much entrepreneurialism, spontaneity and fun from our lives. Few would dare argue in favour of discrimination by race, gender or disability, but the ageing process has specific issues that won’t go away by pretending they don’t exist.

As one who is now in an age group often referred to as ‘elderly’ (67) and having thus been for some decades existing in the twilight of invisibility, I have long since abandoned any ambition to run a play group, be a pop star or a pole dancer. I am too old for the Dream Factory.

The good news is that a recent report confirmed what we all knew that women in their fifties and sixties are more empathetic than any other section of the population and this opens up new possibilities. We should move more centre stage; there are roles for women ‘of a certain age’ that we can do better than others. This is common sense.

The fact that John McCririck thinks that it is his ‘right’ to cling on to his lucrative career when his employers, and by implication his viewers, no longer see him as fit for purpose is beside the point. In an age that is obsessed with ‘rights’, he may avail of the courts but he will never win over public opinion. If we don’t want to see this misogynistic Worzel Gummage on our screens, then so be it. If we want our restaurants and hotels to be staffed by those who are easy-on-the-eye then that’s just the way it is, like it or not.

Admittedly, there is an irony here as I find it offensive that our daily news is broadcast in the main by those who come with burgeoning breasts and blond hair extensions and I for one don’t want to hear about wars and tragedies from someone not old enough to have acquired a little gravitas. Perhaps there is a role here for someone like me?

Together with her husband Johnny & family, Lucy Madden runs their magnificent 18th century mansion, Hilton Park, Clones, Co Monaghan as a country house which is open to private guests, groups, small weddings and conferences. The restored formal gardens are also open by arrangement. Lucy is a keen organic gardener and also a member of the Irish Food Writers Guild.