Marjorie

Marjorie_photo

Name: Marjorie
Age at interview: 67
Gender: Female

Marjorie is 67 years old and is of British heritage. She lives in Melbourne with her husband. She is a retired CEO in the public sector and currently works as a consultant and non-executive director. She has two adult children and one grandchild.

More about Marjorie

Marjorie became more aware of the ageing process when she was diagnosed with arthritis and her friends and husband started having health problems associated with age. She has also noticed it is slightly more difficult managing conceptual tasks for her work, but the people around her do not believe this is the case. Marjorie has been fortunate with her own health, which she puts down to good genetics, but she has been prompted by the experiences of people around her to wonder 'when is it going to be my turn'? She has found it confronting to watch close friends experience more significant decline, particularly as friends are extremely important to her and she spends more time with them now that the years of building a career and raising children are largely behind her.

Marjorie is a member of a public golf club and she has recently joined a book club, specifically to broaden her social networks to include people who are younger than she is and are from different backgrounds. Marjorie has played golf since she retired and the club has become an important source of support for her and the other members of the group.

Marjorie has noticed her relationship with her children is changing as they are growing older and her children are becoming responsible adults. Marjorie and her husband are very close with their granddaughter whom they helped raise. The biggest difference Marjorie has noticed has been with extended family who have never asked her about her career and tend to regard her as 'an old person'. Her relationship with her husband has also changed, largely as a result of the need to accommodate his health issues. She has reached a point of acceptance about this and she is happier as a result.

Marjorie intends to stay in her own home as she ages and has ensured that she can afford to bring in support services if the need arises. She enjoys the space and freedom of her own home and she is a recognized member of the community where she has lived for 38 years. In the meantime, her work provides her with a certain structure to her days, a sense of purpose and a way to enact her values. Marjorie has recently made the conscious decision to wind back her work so that she can develop another life to sustain her in the future, rather than 'just being a person that used to work'. She feels that she has become wiser and more empathetic with age and she is more perceptive as she has more experience to draw on. Marjorie believes that, even if the time comes that she loses her independence, she will be content to have lived the very full and rich life she has had.