By Evis Zogaj
Mary Kennedy is the living proof that “age is just a number”. The formerly retired Irish Television Personality and former Newscaster proves with the release of the television program Fad Saoil (TG4, Wednesday, 9.30 p.m.) argues that women in their 60s and beyond may still lead satisfying lives and have an important role to play in society.
During her interview with Miriam O’Callaghan on February 12, she admitted that she did not choose to “officially” retire in 2019 at the age of 65 because she thought it did not make sense.
She says that “It’s important to realize, the more mature people have so much to offer… we shouldn’t lose sight of that. It’s so important.’
Acting upon her thought, she aimed to target and investigate every aspect of the aging process, from loneliness to concerns about physical and mental health, relationships and love, aging in the workplace, and the self-esteem gained using- the programme Fad Saoil.
Growing older is a remarkable process that gives you the opportunity to develop into the best possible version of yourself. Individuals can engage in new experiences, such as participating in healthy social activities, eating colorful meals, and participating in wellness activities, to live a better and more pleasant lifestyle.
Regrettably, a common symptom of aging is something that can truly fry their goose. Some may experience feelings of redundancy and the loss of friends and loved ones through death; the realization of our own mortality drawing closer; some may feel lonely and estranged from one’s children and grandchildren who are busy with their own lives; and very frequently there are financial concerns due to decreased income.
But the wisdom and knowledge they can accumulate over the course of our lives is like hidden treasure, and, fortunately, Mary Kennedy offers an exceptional but rather sentimental perspective on the beauty of growing older and how lucky it might be to live a longer life.
After the show was released, Germaine Carlos tweeted her congratulations to Mary Kennedy and said, “it was an excellent programme, very informative and delivered in a relaxed and easy manner by the wonderful Mary Kennedy”.
Mary thought being assigned to the group of 50-59 was an “absolute delight” after receiving outstanding health assessment findings from TILDA at the organization’s new Pearse Street offices. This was one of the reasons she wanted to convey a specific message to the younger women in this session. Her perspective on life was affected by her love of sports, athletics, and nutritious eating. It prompted her to advocate for women, telling them to get started as soon as possible in order to experience a healthy and enjoyable existence.
“I would advise any young person to keep up because always our parents start us off with things like football, or dancing or things like that. A lot of people in their teenage years fall away, and they don’t go back. That’s why it’s important to keep up with these physical activities. Our physical health is very very important. You can definitely have an effect at the way you age at any stage in life”, she says.
It turns out that “your attitude keeps you young and happy”. We are, in fact, as youthful as we feel, according to a study by TILDA. One of their studies revealed that those who claim to feel younger than their actual age has a higher risk of developing bodily frailty and bad brain health than those who claim to feel older than their actual age. Negative views of aging are associated with a seven-and-a-half-year increased mortality risk for older people, primarily due to higher rates of cardiac disease.
Mary gives an example of this concept by advising listeners to maintain their relationships and bonds and to never stop enjoying life. Friendship and discussion, in her opinion, give people a sense of security and community, which can help lift their spirits both physically and mentally so they can take pleasure in each new day. Because of the positive physical benefits of friendship, having good friends lengthens our lifetimes.
According to TILDA, purpose is a psychic asset and the secret to a happy, longer existence. But as we get older, we sometimes forget this. Families dissolve, we resign, and our social life becomes less active. How then do we discover purpose, even in the most trying circumstances?
One of the difficulties of getting older, in Mary’s view, is losing friends or having someone you were deeply in love with pass away.
She says “I take it must be awful when I read this… it would predecease you. And I think that’s one of the hugest challenges. The health mobility are things that we can work on. We cannot have an influence on our loved ones and how long they would be in our lives… I’m hoping that Fad Saoil will make people realize that there is beauty and importance and significance in every age we all acknowledge those different stages of life.”
Regarding one of her messages, which she chose to emphasize in Fad Saoil, she believed that older people have a major responsibility to the younger generation to help them acquire a substantial number of things they can benefit from for themselves.
“I think that older people have a huge amount to offer because we are amassed if you’d like because we are incorporated. We have all that exuberance, all that curiosity, all that drives and ambition. And also, wisdom. Because we have that to share it’s important. It’s actually quite emotional, because this programme is about how we are as people and how we’re going forward in this very precious stage of life”, She says.
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