Margr\u00e9t S. Bj\u00f6rnsd\u00f3ttir skrifa\u00f0i \u00e1hugaver\u00f0a grein \u00e1 v\u00edsi.is \u00fear sem h\u00fan talar um Aldurssm\u00e1nun samt\u00edmans. \u00ed greininni er fjalla\u00f0 um mestu s\u00f3un okkar, s\u00f3un \u00e1 reynslu\u00feekkingu. L\u00edtil samf\u00e9l\u00f6g hafa ekki efni \u00e1 a\u00f0 s\u00f3a \u00e1ratuga reynslu\u00feekkingu \u00feeirra sem eldri eru. Ekki m\u00e1 gleyma \u00fev\u00ed a\u00f0 \u00f6ll l\u00e6rum vi\u00f0 flest af \u00f6\u00f0rum. Breyta \u00fearf menningunni me\u00f0 hra\u00f0i. \u00deeir eldri \u00feurfa a\u00f0 kenna \u00feeim yngri a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra a\u00f0 l\u00e6ra svo \u00feeir yngri geta teki\u00f0 vi\u00f0 af \u00feeim til framt\u00ed\u00f0ar.<\/p>\n
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\u00de\u00fa ert j\u00fa komin \u00e1 aldur\u201c, sag\u00f0i ungur ma\u00f0ur vi\u00f0 mig um daginn, \u00feegar \u00ed tal barst tilteki\u00f0 verkefni sem \u00e9g hef me\u00f0 h\u00f6ndum og hvort \u00e9g hyg\u00f0ist l\u00e1ta af \u00fev\u00ed, sem hann taldi auglj\u00f3slega t\u00edmab\u00e6rt. \u00c9g hr\u00f6kk vi\u00f0 \u00fev\u00ed sj\u00e1lfsmynd m\u00edn er vissulega ekki s\u00fa a\u00f0 \u00e9g r\u00e1\u00f0i ekki vi\u00f0 verkefni\u00f0 og fannst a\u00f0 m\u00edn \u00fe\u00e1tttaka \u00e6tti ekki a\u00f0 r\u00e1\u00f0ast af aldri, heldur \u00fev\u00ed hvort \u00e9g valdi vi\u00f0fangsefninu. Af svipu\u00f0um toga var \u00f3tr\u00faleg og raunar sprenghl\u00e6gileg fr\u00e1s\u00f6gn \u00d3ttars Gu\u00f0mundssonar (72 \u00e1ra) n\u00fdveri\u00f0 \u00ed Fr\u00e9ttabla\u00f0inu, \u00fear sem ungur ma\u00f0ur, sem var samfer\u00f0a honum \u00ed flugv\u00e9l, spur\u00f0i \u00d3ttar: \u201eErtu enn a\u00f0 fer\u00f0ast?\u201c<\/p>\n
Aldursm\u00f6rkin 67 e\u00f0a 70 \u00e1ra vir\u00f0ast or\u00f0in a\u00f0 m\u00e6likvar\u00f0a \u00ed sj\u00e1lfu s\u00e9r, \u00f3h\u00e1\u00f0 getu e\u00f0a l\u00f6ngun vi\u00f0komandi. Listamenn eru hins vegar ekki settir undir \u00feessa m\u00e6listiku og verk \u00feeirra e\u00f0a frammista\u00f0a metin \u00f3h\u00e1\u00f0 aldri, sem s\u00fdnir \u00e1g\u00e6tlega hversu f\u00e1r\u00e1nleg h\u00fan er. \u00cd atvinnul\u00edfinu er f\u00f3lki sem n\u00e1\u00f0 hefur \u00feessum aldri hins vegar lang oftast umsvifalaust v\u00edsa\u00f0 \u00e1 dyr, \u00f3h\u00e1\u00f0 starfsgetu \u00feess e\u00f0a -vilja. H\u00e9r er veri\u00f0 a\u00f0 s\u00f3a samf\u00e9lagslegum ver\u00f0m\u00e6tum og jafnvel t\u00f6luvert yngra f\u00f3lk, 45-50 \u00e1ra, kvartar undan svo nefndum \u201ekennit\u00f6luvanda\u201c vi\u00f0 atvinnuums\u00f3knir, ekki s\u00edst konur. \u00deeim s\u00e9 ekki einu sinni bo\u00f0i\u00f0 \u00ed atvinnuvi\u00f0tal \u00fer\u00e1tt fyrir \u00feekkingu og reynslu \u00e1 vi\u00f0komandi svi\u00f0i.<\/p>\n
S\u00f6mu vi\u00f0horf e\u00f0a aldursford\u00f3mar birtast \u00ed opinberri umr\u00e6\u00f0u um \u00feri\u00f0ja orkupakkann. \u00dear hafa veri\u00f0 \u00e1berandi nokkrir eldri \u00e1hugamenn um stj\u00f3rnm\u00e1l, en \u00feeim er \u00edtreka\u00f0 bent \u00e1 a\u00f0 \u201et\u00edmi \u00feeirra s\u00e9 li\u00f0inn\u201c, sko\u00f0anir \u00feeirra sag\u00f0ar \u201erykfallnar\u201c og \u00feeir be\u00f0nir um a\u00f0 skipta s\u00e9r ekki af \u00fev\u00ed sem kalla\u00f0 er \u201eokkar framt\u00ed\u00f0\u201c, svo a\u00f0eins s\u00e9 vitna\u00f0 \u00ed kurteisari umm\u00e6lin. Reynsla og afleidd d\u00f3mgreind er einskis metin, eitthva\u00f0 sem \u00e6tti fremur a\u00f0 teljast mikilv\u00e6gt \u00ed \u00fej\u00f3\u00f0m\u00e1laumr\u00e6\u00f0u.<\/p>\n
H\u00e1sk\u00f3li \u00cdslands er \u00e1n\u00e6gjuleg undantekning \u00feessa. \u00dear hefur me\u00f0 n\u00fdjum rektor veri\u00f0 m\u00f6rku\u00f0 s\u00fa stefna, a\u00f0 heimilt er a\u00f0 semja vi\u00f0 f\u00f3lk sem komi\u00f0 er \u00e1 eftirlaun um tiltekin verkefni, s\u00e9u \u00feau til sta\u00f0ar. Sami\u00f0 er til afmarka\u00f0s t\u00edma \u00ed senn, \u00e1 fyrri launum, \u00fe\u00f3tt ekki fylgi \u00f6ll s\u00f6mu starfskj\u00f6r. Sl\u00edkir samningar ver\u00f0a a\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfs\u00f6g\u00f0u a\u00f0 \u00fej\u00f3na hagsmunum beggja a\u00f0ila og vi\u00f0komandi starfsma\u00f0ur a\u00f0 s\u00e6tta sig vi\u00f0 reglubundna endursko\u00f0un. Opinberir a\u00f0ilar og fyrirt\u00e6ki \u00e6ttu a\u00f0 fylgja \u00feessu almenna ford\u00e6mi og einhverjir kunna a\u00f0 gera \u00fea\u00f0. Me\u00f0 \u00feessu er \u00e9g ekki a\u00f0 gera l\u00edti\u00f0 \u00far \u00fev\u00ed, a\u00f0 sum st\u00f6rf ganga mj\u00f6g n\u00e6rri f\u00f3lki \u00feannig a\u00f0 sj\u00e1lfsagt er a\u00f0 \u00fea\u00f0 geti fari\u00f0 \u00e1 eftirlaun 67-70 \u00e1ra. En lykil\u00adatri\u00f0i er a\u00f0 f\u00f3lk hafi val, s\u00e9 geta og \u00e1hugi til sta\u00f0ar.<\/p>\n
\u00dea\u00f0 er eitt af einkennum okkar samt\u00edma a\u00f0 h\u00f3par sem hafa m\u00e1tt s\u00e6ta neikv\u00e6\u00f0ri umr\u00e6\u00f0u e\u00f0a ford\u00f3mum hafa risi\u00f0 upp og krafist \u00feess a\u00f0 vera jafnr\u00e9tth\u00e1ir \u00f6\u00f0rum, sem ekki bera s\u00f6mu einkenni og vera metnir \u00e1 grunni eigin ver\u00f0leika. \u00dear hafa veri\u00f0 \u00e1berandi t.d. fatla\u00f0ir, samkynhneig\u00f0ir, h\u00f6rundsd\u00f6kkir, t\u00f3nlistarma\u00f0urinn Logi Pedro Stef\u00e1nsson tala\u00f0i n\u00fdveri\u00f0 um kyn\u00fe\u00e1ttan\u00ed\u00f0, f\u00f3lk \u00ed yfir\u00feyngd, sem kallar \u00fea\u00f0 fitusm\u00e1nun, a\u00f0 ekki s\u00e9 minnst \u00e1 konur.<\/p>\n
Bar\u00e1tta eldri borgara fyrir manns\u00e6mandi eftirlaunum og tryggingab\u00f3tum er mikilv\u00e6g. En \u00fea\u00f0 er ekki s\u00ed\u00f0ur mikilv\u00e6gt og raunar mannr\u00e9ttindi a\u00f0 \u00e1 \u00fe\u00e1 s\u00e9 hlusta\u00f0 og borin fyrir \u00feeim tilhl\u00fd\u00f0ileg vir\u00f0ing. Eldra f\u00f3lk taki \u00fe\u00e1tt \u00ed samf\u00e9laginu \u00e1 jafnr\u00e9ttisgrundvelli, hvar sem \u00fea\u00f0 k\u00fds. En einhvern veginn er eins og \u00feeir sem eldri eru s\u00e9u feimnir vi\u00f0 a\u00f0 setja fram \u00fe\u00e1 kr\u00f6fu og s\u00e6tti sig vi\u00f0 ja\u00f0arsetninguna.<\/p>\n
\u00deessu \u00fearf a\u00f0 breyta \u2013 \u00fea\u00f0 eru hagsmunir allra, l\u00edka \u00feeirra sem yngri eru og eiga eftir a\u00f0 eldast.<\/p>\n