COTA SA's Reimagining Ageing IDoP forum 2023 to feature explorer Tim Jarvis

COTA SA's Reimagine Ageing forum will encourage older people to reconsider their perspective on the subject and find purpose, regardless of their age.

Tim has worked in sustainability for 30 years and has gone on treacherous expeditions, including the recreation of the historic Antarctic journey of heroic era explorers, Sir Douglas Mawson and Sir Ernest Shackleton. He now devotes his time to several environmental projects around the world.

He will share what getting older has been like and the meaning it's had for him.

"I think we've all got the spirit of adventure in us and want to see what we are capable of in order to find out a bit more on what life is all about. I encourage all older people to continue discovering things about the world," he said.

To be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, the forum will bring together around 200 diverse voices to drive conversations on reimagining the way people think about, act on, and embrace getting older, with a focus on ageing well by finding a purpose.

Among the panellists alongside Tim will be:

Guests will have the chance to interact with each other, as they spark conversations about reimagining ageing and challenge the stereotypes to uncover what it means to age well in 2023.

In 1990, the United Nations classified October 1 as the International Day of the Older Persons, to celebrate the contributions that older people make in the community and to raise awareness of the need to combat ageism by challenging stereotypes and prejudices that drive discrimination.

COTA SA deputy president and event co-host Anne Burgess AM said older people often felt invisible, devalued and patronised.

"Ageist stereotypes and prejudice feed these attitudes. We all have a right to live our very best lives," she said.

COTA SA chief executive Miranda Starke said the forum was a way to come together and celebrate the opportunities and possibilities of ageing, and talk about experiences with peers and supporters.

"Too often, ageing is seen as a problem to be solved," she said.

"COTA SA wants to highlight the opportunities and possibilities that come with ageing and how finding a purpose is part of ageing well. We're proud to provide the opportunity for the community to engage with one another and explore ways that we can change the conversation around ageing and combat the negative stereotypes of growing older."

Reimagine Ageing