Ageing and You
This unique collection showcases the lived experiences of frailty through the eyes of older photographers. 73 older people living in Leicester and Leicestershire took photographs to share their individual experience of getting older. Each photograph is a personal narrative, capturing the beauty, struggles, and resilience that comes with ageing. These images provide an intimate look into the world of ageing, highlighting the strength and vulnerability that coexist in this stage of life.
‘Ageing and You’ is more than just a display of photographs; it is a human exploration of what it means to grow older. The exhibition features the works of older adults who have used their cameras to tell stories of their daily lives, their challenges, and their moments of joy.
All participants were given a digital camera and asked to take photographs, over the period of a week, of anything and everything to show their experience of getting older in Leicester and the feelings this provokes. As you will see, participants took photographs of all sorts of subject matter, in a variety of settings. After a week of taking photographs researchers from the study met with participants to discuss their photographs. Talk focused on access to community and health care services, hobbies, living arrangements, plans for the future, migration stories, experiences of racism, health over a lifetime and many other topics.
Those involved were from a range of ethnicities to reflect Leicester’s diversity, including older people from Black African, Black Caribbean, White British, Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi ethnicities. Over 1000 photographs in total were shared and discussed. The photographs shown have been selected by the participants themselves.
The findings from this study will be used for two purposes. The first, to raise awareness of what it is like to get older in Leicester, and second, to inform the development of a training tool for NHS staff to improve communication with older people.
"I don’t consider myself ‘old’. I mean I am almost 80 but I don’t consider myself old. I feel about 18 inside you know, apart from all the aches and pains!"
Female, Pakistani, age 79.
“I loved cooking in the past. Sadly, these days I can’t do anything that I love. I also like my garden and my son usually does the gardening we have a big garden, and we grow a lot of veggies, strawberries, sometimes even bring them to the lunch club I attend and distribute them. Yeah but in the garden I can pluck some veggies, sometimes sit for some time maybe in the sun. I also have a swing in the garden where I just sit and enjoy provided there’s good weather.”
Female, Indian, age 81.
“Sometimes some people look at you as being older and speak to you like you are a child or don’t speak to you at all.”
Female, White British, age 75.
“At one time when I went to the doctor, I think they was saying something about depression and I said to myself ‘no, I don’t have any depression and I’m not taking any tablets for no depression, I depend on my heavenly father’. And that was it. I got over it, yeah.”
Female, Black Caribbean, age 82.
“I enjoy listening to music, I used to build big disco units. When I was at University, I used to build musical systems that I could take to the main hall at the University, and I would play disco for everyone to dance. Sometimes during Christmas people would demand ‘oh we want you to play music for us’, being a doctor, ‘we want you to play music’. Then the demand increased, and I needed to have five disco units and would employ young people around to help me do the disco! They used to play the disco on the stereo but because YouTube luckily enough has brought out all the music, like rhumba … we from Africa we love rhumba music and West African music (Afrobeat), but the most popular for me is Congolese music and it comes through YouTube. I can listen to music that I knew all the way from 1966 to the present day. All those old musicians, all that music, I have it here. It’s helped, because music keeps you going, because instead of sitting down and getting bored It keeps me busy.”
Male, Black African, age 73.
I'm not ashamed of how old I am. I'm proud. I'm honoured that God has spared my life to see this age and I'm going to celebrate it. I'm going to have lots of fun.
Female, Black Caribbean, age 78.
“I listen to the news, BBC. I also like listening to songs. I do like to go to the city centre area and have a chat with my group. I sit on the bench in the park and talk to people. I don’t like to stay at home much. I need fresh air.”
Male, Black Caribbean, age 65.
“I saw on YouTube if you’re feeling high blood pressure you take every day 2, 3, 4, 5 items of fruit, your high blood pressure will be controlled. So, I eat a lot of fruit now. Also, I take every day my high blood pressure tablet. Also, I’m suffering cholesterol I take every day one tablet for cholesterol. Cholesterol will be controlled with fruit and also I use an exercise machine, some walking a little bit exercise. I did everything I saw on YouTube.”
Female, Bangladeshi, age 62.
“I’ve been sewing since I was a young girl. Back home I learnt how to do it and then in England I used to sew for people. I don’t sew so much now because of eyesight.”
Female, Black Caribbean, age 82.
“I have a lot of health problems now in my older age. I’ve got severe arthritis in my knee, my ankles, my hip, my back. Suffer with sciatica and my neck, even my hand, I shake a bit, when I’m tensed up I shake a bit more. I’ve got high blood pressure. I’ve got stomach issues.”
Male, Indian, age 71.
Getting older, yes. It can be quite lonely. So, what I do now, I leave some of the housework, leave some of the stuff and get out, get out to meet people and I go on trips with groups. I enjoy doing the gardening so that helps pass the time.
Female, White British, age 77.
“It’s a bit difficult for me because I was all the time a handywoman. All my life, since growing up in East Africa, I did my own work. I’d never depend on anybody. But now I have to depend on the members of the family to do me some help, to carry on some shopping. For me is a bit, as if I feel like I’m a burden to them.”
Female, Indian, age 71.
“I haven’t been back to the Caribbean for a long time because now I have so many appointments for my health.”
Male, Black Caribbean, age 81.
“One of my granddaughters is very caring. Cooking and helping me. Changing my quilt covers and doing like that sort of things. If I don’t understand about any video or, she helps me on my mobile and those sort of things.”
Female, Indian, age 77.
“I think most people used to have a Granny in the front room because people stayed close together where you weren’t cut off from family. We’re cut off now. My daughter will say to me ‘have you rang so and so?’. The grandchildren don’t ring me, I have to ring them.”
Female, White British, age 77.
“I can feel a bit frail sometimes if I haven’t got much energy but other days I’m ok and I can do a bit more.”
Male, White British, age 85.
“I sing, right, especially when I’m in church I sing, I want my songs to bless the audience, you know, I don’t want to praise myself, you know, I give God the glory, I praise him, but I want the audience to feel what I’m feeling, you know? I feel so good when I sing. God has given me that voice.”
Female, Black Caribbean, age 86.
"I could advise anyone when they're young and working, to look forward to old age and make some plans for this. And I was glad that I did make some plans. I was glad I made some plans, like getting a bungalow because if I didn’t have a bungalow I don’t think I could be as active as I am now, that was a good choice, very, very good choice."
Female, Black Caribbean, age 86.
“I get tired easily for which I have to rest. I need a 2-hour nap in the daytime. Sometimes I feel that the upper half of my body is numb and only the lower part is working. Different health issues you see, but I have the willpower.”
Female, Indian, age 74.
“I like wine definitely. I find it relaxes me and I really enjoy it. And I know I’m drinking more than I should, but I am now eighty five, so does it matter? Wine’s supposed to be good for you red wine if you only have one.”
Female, White British, age 85.
“I write on my medication in Bangla so that I know how to take it.”
Female, Bangladeshi, age 69.
“I like to exercise but as you get older, I can’t be going on the floor and doing this and that, so I don’t do that. My exercise today, now, is doing the shops, walking up and down the aisles when I go shopping, do all the aisles so I get a walk.”
Male, Indian, age 76.
I’d love to be able to rock and roll still but, you know, it’s just impossible. But up here I’m still 18 but my body is telling me ‘you’re 78!’.
Female, White British, age 78.
“I have never been in hospital, I don’t go to the doctors, even my wife can say I don’t take medication. I can feel tired and as time goes on my health has got a bit worse, but I don’t need to see a doctor.”
Male, Black African, age 68.
“I have pain in my left side. It makes things quite difficult, like combing my hair. I have no sight in one eye. The other one is no problem. My daughter helps a lot. For diabetes I have to go for walks, I go to Victoria Park, praying, I’m praying Koran.”
Female, Pakistani, age 77.
