Radical Ageing...

My experience, as a seventy-something person, now living on my own, is that ageing, retirement and thinking radically about an inclusive place in society, can be a difficult proposition. My own experience, although I'm a member of U3a's and other charitable bodies, is that there are few opportunities to use one's life, trade and/or professional skills working, even if necessarily unpaid/or expenses only, with statutory bodies especially. I'd be very interested to work with people who are ageing, I remember this more thoughtful term from my Open University days, who are thinking not so much about making ' charitable contributions' but challengingly involving themselves in radical social and community enterprises, (which have a clear ageing demension)and thinking about possible complementary links with statutory services. (The concept of a 'big society' is a good one but not in the non-community-development theory and practice way in which the present government is operating). As well as perhaps considering not-for-profit social businesses which could really use, in a non-condescending way, our considerable skills and experience. Anyone out there for a partnership....?