Radiant, healthy older people

Geneva in 2061

Older people in Geneva are among the most radiant people in town. They walk, cycle, dance and garden; they teach, mentor and volunteer; they live among younger neighbours rather than apart from them. Most stay healthy and independent until the very end of a long life, and growing old is something to look forward to.

What astonished Verity the most was how radiant all the people looked. She could really feel their happiness and well-being, even among older people.Grooters, Book 1, Part 16 "2061"

Geneva today

• There is good news: since 1992, healthy life expectancy at 65 has risen by about three years in Switzerland, so the extra years can be healthy ones (same report).
• 41.4% of Geneva residents aged 65 and over live with a long-term health problem, fewer than the Swiss average of 52.4% (same report).
• Difficulties with everyday tasks such as shopping, cooking or using public transport affect 21.2% of Geneva residents aged 65 to 79, and 56.9% from age 80 (same report).
• 37.3% of Geneva residents aged 65 and over feel lonely at least sometimes (same report).

Where it is already done

• Taketoyo (Japan) opened community “salons” for older residents in 2007: places within walking distance, run by volunteers, for crafts, games, light exercise and activities with preschool children, for about one dollar a visit. Over five years, regular participants were about half as likely to lose their independence as non-participants (7.7% against 14.0%).
• Finland tested a two-year programme for 1,260 people aged 60 to 77 at risk of dementia, combining healthy eating, exercise, brain training and monitoring of heart-health risks. The participants’ overall cognitive scores were 25% higher than those of the control group, and their processing speed 150% higher.

A Pattern Language

Related patterns from the book A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander and colleagues (1977), a classic of architecture and town planning.

• 156 Settled Work: Alexander and his colleagues argue that “settled work”, work that becomes a wholehearted extension of the person, is essential for peace of mind in old age, and that our society undermines it by separating working life from retirement, and the workplace from the home. Their answer is a place that can grow slowly: at first a hobby, gradually becoming a productive workshop or other business.

How far along

Engineering and scale The principle works, but it needs investment, time or better technology.

The path to 2061

Milestones proposed for discussion.

1. 2027Geneva makes healthy life expectancy at 65 a key public indicator, published every year.
2. 2031Every neighbourhood has a salon for older residents within walking distance, and a prevention programme like Finland’s is offered to everyone over 60.
3. 2041Healthy life expectancy at 65 has risen by five years; most older people stay active in their community through work, volunteering or mentoring.
4. 2051Most older people live in intergenerational neighbourhoods and communities; losing independence before 80 has become rare.
5. 2061Verity sees it everywhere: older people as radiant as everyone else.

What moves it

Human needs it serves

Open questions

• How can retirement become a transition to new roles rather than a sudden stop?
• How do we reach isolated older people who would never walk into a salon on their own?
• How can the years lived in good health catch up with the years of life?

Sources

1. Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan): La santé dans le canton de Genève, Obsan Report 03/2025 (in French)
2. Hikichi et al., Effect of a community intervention programme promoting social interactions on functional disability prevention for older adults, JAGES Taketoyo study (Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 2015)
3. Karolinska Institutet: Brain training and healthy lifestyle may slow down cognitive decline (March 2015)

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