05 Mar Ageism continues to divide communities

Ageism is a subject I was hoping I would never need to return to, but sad to say it is getting worse.

We have, down the years, tackled any number of ‘isms’, chauvinism, racism and sexism, to name but a few, and whilst there have been setbacks in all those areas, the general trajectory has been good.

If only we could say the same for ageism, but I can’t and a recent report by the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) recommends a range of steps to strengthen the rights of older people.

For more than 50% of Torbay’s population the report should make for stark reading. It notes that ageism is “widespread” and “culturally embedded” in the UK. Strong words.

It calls for stronger legal protections against age discrimination and a new cross-government strategy to address the challenges and opportunities posed by the UK’s ageing population.

It even goes as far as to call for a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England. They are ahead of us in Wales with a commissioner and a comprehensive network of local authority Older People’s Champions.

The committee concluded that existing age discrimination law and the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) are “failing older people” because the protections are “inadequate and rarely enforced”.

The committee’s report also finds “clear evidence” of harmful ageist stereotyping, including portrayals of older people as being either incompetent, frail or helpless or “wealth hoarding boomers”.

Like so many isms, the words used are wrapped in humour and are therefore seen as harmless. Sorry, but it is not funny and it is harmful because it reinforces stereotypes.

What is funny about being labelled an old codger? According to the dictionary, it is an old man who is in some way humorous or strange. That is hardly a compliment.

The same goes for out of context words like “geezer,” “elderly,” “senior,” “senile,” “old school,” or “kiddo,” “girl,” or “young man.” And yet they are bandied around freely.

At the heart of ageism though, sitting alongside the ‘joshing’ are serious issues and whilst it is often a workplace issue, it can creep into all areas of life and some examples include:

• losing a job because of your age
• being refused interest-free credit, a new credit card, car insurance or travel insurance because of your age
• receiving a lower quality of service in a shop or restaurant because of the organisation’s attitude to older people

The population is getting older, and unless these sweeping generalisations are tackled head-on, they will continue to worsen.

Torbay is part of the World Health Organisation’s age-friendly network, but ageism has not exactly been catapulted to the top of the agenda.  Perhaps it is time that it was and a good starting point would be backing Ageing Better’s Age Without Limits campaign, which has just entered its second year.

At the heart of the campaign are three simple tenets – Notice it – find out how ageism affects everyday life. Challenge it – do something to end ageism today, and change it – realise that people can age without limits.

Last week, Torbay Communities put out a press release about a second afternoon disco being launched in the Bay, at St Marychurch Conservative on the last Thursday of the month, following on from the success of the one held on the first Thursday of the month at Preston Conservative Club,

Dozens of people turn out to both to spend the afternoon dancing to their favourite tunes from down the decades (not excluding up to date hits). Many young people forget that they are turning into the music of the sixties, seventies, eighties and beyond. Been there done that.

The release got a lot of attention, which is great for us, but in so many ways disappointing. It shouldn’t be a big deal. Older people dancing? But then again one in four people (24%) think it is embarrassing when people in their 50s and 60s go to concerts by the 21st Century’s biggest music stars such as Taylor Swift or Dua Lipa, a new survey reveals.

Try telling that to 105-year-old Hilda Jackson, who organised a rave, complete with glow sticks, face paints and a DJ in her Derbyshire nursing home.

You up for it Torbay? Should we get ahead of the curve and appoint our own Older People’s Champion?