NSW celebrates Seniors’ Festival on 2-15 March— “Live life in colour.” As a psychologist, I share another aspect of being a senior in my March column for the Sydney Observer magazine, p.17 (https://sydneyobserver.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Observer-March-2026-Final.pdf). I write about loneliness being the one of the greatest challenges for seniors and being invisible after they reach a certain age.
I share the stories of June, who celebrated turning 90 on her own — “No one remembered,” June explained, “ I have lived too long”; of an elderly woman in Singapore, who dare not leave her house as she doesn’t know how to use a mobile or apps; and of Isabel, who lost her husband recently and her family moved to her a retirement home. Isabel was misdiagnosed with early onset of dementia. She has depression, having to deal with so many changes and losses in her life in a short time. While the family focused primarily on her safety, Isabel has lost a sense of herself.
I encourage everyone to add colours to a senior’s life, not only for this period but every day. The younger generation feels digitally connected but social disconnected. Many older generation feels less connected digitally and socially. My advice: “See and hear the seniors in your life and in the community. Spend time with them. Each has a story to tell about a life well-lived. All of us can add a bit of colour to every senior‘s life.”
