Maurice Chevalier. "The clever thing is to accept it and always plan your next move well in advance.'' Working toward that end has been the Bermuda Nurses' Association, which took up the International Council of Nurses' designated theme, Healthy Aging, as its focus for Nurses' Week.

With better health care, more comfortable lifestyles, and a wide range of support services, today's seniors worldwide are living longer than ever before. In Bermuda alone, it is estimated that by the year 2000 10.9% of the population will be over 65 years of age -- compared with 6.4% in 1970.

This means that greater attention must be paid to ensuring that the seniors' quality of life is maintained -- something which will involve not only the professionals care givers, but also the seniors, their families and the public at large.

"During Nurses' Week we have been addressing various aspects of healthy aging and encouraging seniors to look not just at the physical but also the mental and financial aspects of aging so that they really do have a good quality of life,'' president of the Bermuda Nurses Association, Ms Patrice Dill, explained.

Too many, Ms Dill said, viewed the elderly in a negative way, whereas the Bermuda Nurses' Association wanted to stress a positive outlook.

"What we are trying to promote is creative management of the elderly,'' She cited as examples providing better financial advice to seniors who need their own homes but lack the cash, better insurance benefits in old age, and more enlightened health care.

"We are looking at ways to advise seniors about banking options -- such things as reverse mortgages, for example. Insurance companies are looking at possible policy options, whereby instead of waiting until the person dies for the money to go to the next-of-kin, after reaching a certain age the elderly can start living off their life insurance, especially if they are in financial difficulty.

"We are hoping to do more with regard to health care. A lot of people think they have no rights, and we are here to say they should be able to ask questions of their doctors, understand the treatment they are undergoing, and so forth.'' But Ms Dill, who was 1991 Nurse of the Year, said it was not only the Bermuda Nurses' Association who should be taking an active role in the Healthy Aging concept. Seniors themselves had to play their part, as did those who cared for them.

For their part, the elderly should: Stop smoking, eat a balanced diet and maintain a desirable weight.

Exercise regularly.

Have regular check-ups, see a doctor promptly when problems develop, and take medication correctly.

Remain involved with family and friends, and stay active through work, recreation and community activities. Try new hobbies. Make new friends. Find out what makes them happy and do it.

Avoid overexposure to cold and sun. Relax and rest regularly.

Practice good safety habits at home to prevent fires and falls.

Maintain a positive attitude toward life and expect to live a long time.

Thought must also be given to home care givers who, without planned relief, could suffer burn out in caring for the elderly.

"A lot of people think the elderly are all looked after in nursing homes,'' Miss Dill noted, "but that is not the case. The majority of families look after their own. We are recommending regular support groups for care givers so that they don't get burned out, as well as the organisation of regular respite care, whereby the elderly can go into a clinic for two weeks to give home care givers a break and a chance to lead their own lives.'' "Sitters'' for the elderly were another option the Association wanted to promote.

"We talk about baby sitters, but we think there should also be elderly sitters -- people to visit and read to the elderly, for example, so that the support care giver gets time away to do things for themselves,'' Ms Dill explained.

Depression and loneliness in the elderly must also be recognised and alleviated.

"The elderly generally have to deal with grief on a regular basis because their friends are passing away, and there is also loneliness. Many times the elderly simply give up because they don't have anything to offer,'' Ms Dill, whose specialty is mental health, said. "If people don't choose retirement, they should be given the opportunity to carry on working.

"As Ambassador Julia Tavares of the Dominican Republic said: `Let us look at older people as part of the solution, rather than as just another problem.

Let's think of what we can do to make it possible for the many elderly to become masters of their own fate, even agents of social change, rather than passive recipients of assistance'.'' BERMUDA NURSES' ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT Ms Patrice Dill: "We are trying to promote creative management for the elderly.''