Many older people are living the life they want - but the rest of us haven't caught on

Sunday's Observer had a double page spread about some research which dispels the myth that older people face a life of decline and things are bleak for all of us as we reach 60 and beyond.

Researchers at the Academy of Medical Sciences are right, many older people are taking the opportunities that better healthcare and healthier lifestyles offer and are running with them - WRVS is all for it. We found the same in a survey we made of 1000 over-65s in Britain this summer - three quarters said life was good, but there's a quarter of older people that would like life to be better and they face barriers.

Our aim is to remove the barriers, and it starts with changing the country's negative outlook on old age. It's so easy to think that it's all downhill after 60, it's a cliche and because we think its true we limit older people in lots of small ways from doing what they want. A good start will be to treat over 65s as the adults they are, stop trying to patronise or worse ignore them - whether you're talking to your mum, your neighbour or a stranger. We've got to change attitudes to old age, that's the challenge for all of us.