From Start

Start of the conversation for all participants. Enduring posts.

Gives and gets

This post describes what participants receive and what they contribute. These are the gives and gets!

The LivBetter Group Pty Ltd is the publisher of this website. We commit to create, lead and moderate an online conversation to discuss what we want as we grow old (and what we don’t want). This is what you get.

By participating in the conversation and sharing your views, we can create a better future, together. You share your opinions, perspectives and knowledge. This is what you give.

To lead the conversation we will use the Results Accountability process. This means that, after a short introduction, the conversation will start at the end point: “Describe how you want to live as you grow older”.

Thereafter we can usefully discuss different aspects in detail (such as housing, finance, care etc.) and how best to achieve the various end points.

We will attempt to summarise the conversation at regular intervals. This is our commitment.

Why discuss living better?

Many commentators have identified that we are living longer. But are we going to live well? Is there anything we can do about how we live – do we actually have choices? And what do we regards as a good life as we grow older? This is why we need to discuss living better?

Most of us have observed the ageing of our own parents, and are confronting our own ageing challenges. Few of us want to end up in a nursing home, and it is fair to say that many of us don’t want the experience of our parents.

While we can probably describe what we don’t want, we can’t necessarily explain what we do want, except in broad terms such as independence, choice, dignity, respect etc. Why do we need to discuss living better?

Firstly, if we can’t describe what we do want, then we will get what others have decided for us.

Secondly, to help us identify how things have to change to get what we do want. And change will inevitably take time.

So we need to discuss how we want to live for the rest of our lives, before it is too late. Otherwise we will just have to accept what is on offer, what others’ have designed for us.

This conversation is for those who are interested in living independently at home, and taking responsibility for their own well being and rest-of-life-life journeys.