Get Bold Not Old is part of an ongoing campaign by Feros Care to show that age is just a number, and that the elderly members of the community are larger than life.
In October, there as a call for the public to enter photos into the photo competition to celebrate our senior citizens.
And last week it was announced that Audrey Kuchel of Ballarat had won the competition with a photo from her trip to Fiji two years ago.
Read more about Audrey Kuchel story HERE
While the GetBoldNotOld campaign has a fun side, its real objective is to squash the negative stereotypes of older people and aged care. Life is to be lived to the fullest regardless of your age.
Jennene Buckley, CEO of Feros Care congratulated Audrey and said that she is “the perfect role model for other seniors and proving that you don’t suddenly become invisible when you reach 70, or 80 or 90.” Society often forgets that today’s nana, such as Audrey, was yesterday’s rebel. Many seniors have many wonderful stories to share, experiences and probably even some secrets,”
Jennene spoke about the issues facing many elderly people, “there are real issues faced by seniors, from feeling invisible in their community, health and mobility issues, social isolation, financial hardship and elder abuse”. In fact, a recent study by Brigham Young University shows that there is an increased risk of death for people who are lonely and socially isolated.
The elderly can often be “swept under the rug” because society deems them disposable or “past their prime”. This is simply not true. If the younger generations pay them the right respect and attention, they may truly be surprised with what the elderly are capable of.
This campaign shows that the elderly are just as important and relevant to our community as young people.
Many have lead fascinating lives with riveting stories to tell and lessons to learn, as seen in this Get Bold Not Old campaign.
Hundreds of people entered with photos of themselves or elderly loved ones who were refusing to act their age.
Some of these photos (as seen below) included grandmothers playing tennis, grandfathers swimming (as well as loads of other athletic seniors!), a senior boat maker, a variety of talented musicians, some great travellers and an assortment of silly costumes and funny wigs.
But there was one thing in common between the hundreds of entries – every single one of them seemed happy and full of life. There’s a lesson to be learnt from these people.
