We are living longer, yet never become old. We may be described as ‘elderly’, ‘pensioners’ or ‘senior citizens’ – but almost never as ‘old’. Yet ‘elderly’ means not yet old, and ‘senior citizen’ is too vague a term to be of any use. A recent television news programme reported on ‘an elderly man of 93 years’, if we have not reached old age at 93, when can it be? The terms are used to avoid offence, but the attitude underlying them does little to enhance the status of older people.

There is still an assumption that ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’, despite plenty of evidence that you can. The great American industrialist Henry Ford said ‘anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80’. So why is it that traditional universities have so few mature students over the age of 40? A recent study has reported that those who keep learning in later life are healthier and happier.

In the workplace, increasing numbers of organisations are willing to employ those who have retired. Most are appointed on a part-time basis, not out of kindliness but for sound commercial reasons. They are free to work flexible hours and show a level of commitment and loyalty not common today. Fears that they may not fit in with the younger workforce have proved to be groundless. Jobcentre Plus recently reported that both older and younger workers get on well together and learn from the qualities that each brings to the workplace. They found that younger employees appreciated the experience of those who were older, while those who had retired from full-time employment enjoyed working with younger colleagues, and learning new skills from them.

Many of our charity shops would close down, were it not for the service provided by old people. They may need to be shown how to use computerised tills, or basic computer skills, but once this has been done they show a most welcome level of support.

A study reported by the British Society of Gerontology challenged the idea that as we age we become fixed in our thinking, slow to change our minds or accept new ideas. A survey of one hundred university students and their grandparents asked whether we should live in peace and harmony with the environment. With answers measured on a five-point scale, there was a high level of overall agreement, but it was the grandparents who felt most strongly about this. Twice as many of them as the students expressed the highest level of agreement, despite the fact that such long-term issues were less likely to affect them directly and global environmental concern is relatively recent.

Old people have paid into our educational system for many years, and denying them the opportunity to learn new things along with the younger is ageist. Neither does it make economic or social sense. Those who keep learning in later life are healthier and happier, putting less strain on the Social Services and the NHS while continuing to make a useful contribution to society.

Once the present recession is over, policy-makers should give serious consideration to including retired people as students at universities, either as graduates or postgraduates. Given good health any loss of energy is compensated for by lack of family commitments and additional free time. Age in itself is not a handicap, as I found when I completed a PhD at the age of 78 years. The young students around me could not have been friendlier or more helpful. In fact, the years I spent doing extra goal-directed study were among the happiest, healthiest and most productive in my life.