What is our role as older people?

I do wonder what good am I sometimes I’m also pretty sure my family would be horrified if I said it out loud though, I don’t ‘button my lip’ and what I say is acted upon sometimes with thanks for the advise or they completely ignore me. I know I’m loved and that’s enough for me.
Reading your post ‘Gods waiting room’ comes to mind, I suppose I’m always here if needed is as good as it gets at my age. Be interested on other views.

I think our role is to be whatever suits us.
It doesn't have to serve anybody else, or to defer to anyone particularly family, unless that's what's we want.

I think I do occasionally feel useless now but know I'm not. My children think of me as the matriarch of the family and I know they do love me.

I don't mention my arthritic hips or disc problem in my back as they are obvious in the way I walk.

My children all live a long way from me so when I get to see them I just want to enjoy them.
I just try to enjoy every day and do the things I like doing.
If you are part of a family or you enjoy your life then I don't think you are useless.

I think it depends on age and personality type. We have a neighbour and when I see her approaching with her rollator, I wait till she has passed. If you stop, you hear her entire list of ailments from top to bottom and you can't escape. My grandmother and dad were great old folks. They mellowed from being a tour de force to being charming and grateful. When my dad died, all his carers turned up and were very upset. He used to lend a listening ear to them and hear how badly treated they were by other old people. My grandmother would chat her doctor up something wicked saying she liked a man with a moustache! They were both quite ill in later life.

I do what I want to do. I don't need to have a role.

Why do you need a role? I am happy just to be. As long as my family are ok I'm happy.

I am a wife, mother, grandmother, sister, auntie, friend but first of all I am me.

I am aware that I have most of my life behind me and it is now time for me to put myself first and do the things I want to.

My role is to be a good person, to support those I love and to ring every bit of enjoyment out of life whilst I am able.

Granygravy You are still in that wonderful state of completeness .
Enjoy it while it lasts because, sadly for most of us, it doesn't last forever.
🌹

To do as we please. Hence keeping as mentally and physically able as we can. I so want to be this way, currently required to be a hands on help with gc.

Goodness what a potentially depressing question! I'm heading towards 78 and I'm fortunate to have reasonably good health and a lot to look forward to. My aim in life is to enjoy each day as it comes.... and I do. Life's not perfect but it's considerably more attractive than being dead. I enjoy my life, love my family and have friends with whom I can laugh, share my worries and I still challenge myself. I've just signed up for an introductory session of Pickleball. My life could change tomorrow so I just get on and live for the day, IMO it's the only way!

I reckon at 83 I am here to care for my 3 with LD! Sometimes I feel it is what keeps me going! I have several friends of similar age in the same situation and don’t we rant sometimes!!

I think my purpose now is (to quote Carl Jung) the life that I could still live, to live, and the thoughts that I could still think, I should think.

In other words, live my life, with other people in it, my husband and children, grandchild, and siblings being very important as part of my life. I'm not so sure of having a "role".

What a depressing lot of replies, and so limited, only seeing old women's lives in terms of family and friends.

Family and friends are only part of my life. My life has also been all the other things I do.

When we moved area last year, I resigned from the committee of the county archaeological society, I had been on the committee for several decades and held all the main Officer roles and done lots of other things as well, I resigned from the local CPRE and ceased to represent the group on the Local Liaison Committee at the local power station. Since I retired I have been a volunteer Hove Advisor with the charity now called Age Concern, volunteered with several heritage charities.

All my activities and volunteering is as important to me as my family and friends.

We moved house a year ago, so I have done little this year, but I am volunteering with the local museum and I am busy sorting out activities and groups to join this autumn.

I am over 80, but intend, like my father, to die in harness.

I think many of these replies depend on the level of physical ability that people have. There are many who have serious limitations to the things that they might wish to do.

What is my role?
I think it’s to love and cherish what’s left of my family, make the best of everything that comes my way, keep my independence and reasonably good health for as long as possible, only ask for help if I absolutely have to (usually for practical things)

And be the font of all wisdom, offering advice and understanding without opening my mouth and putting my foot in it (that one’s the hardest)

In order to be this paragon I have to get on with the neighbours, be of use to the community and never, ever whinge. 😇😇

A regular 🍷 or G&T helps enormously.