Some people may argue that gold is the most valuable thing in the world, but in my opinion, books are much more valuable than gold.
Reading books can make one a better person by providing him knowledge and wisdom. By reading books, people may come out more genius ideas and creations which may lead to the improvement of modern techonology, hence improves our quality of life.
One should keep reading and learning no matter how old he is. Learning and reading does not require much physical work, which may limite the involvement of the old people. This means that the old can still learn and contribute to the society.