Dr Carole Easton OBE, Chief Executive at the Centre for Ageing Better, talks about their anti ageism campaign which aims to shift the nation’s perspective on age and ageing.
At the start of this year, the Centre for Ageing Better launched Age Without Limits, an anti-ageism campaign designed to help the country think differently about age and ageing.
Why did we do this?
Well, for the simple reason that ageism is extremely common but is rarely addressed despite the harms that it causes.
Ageism is the most widespread form of discrimination in the UK. Half of people aged over 50 in England experienced age discrimination in the last year.
Around one in three people admit to holding ageist beliefs. In reality the number is likely to be far higher. Most people are unlikely to be holding such beliefs maliciously; usually they are held without the individual even realising.
People of all ages and generations can exhibit ageist thinking and behaviour. And we can even be ageist against ourselves, limiting our future opportunities because of the pre-conceived ideas of what older age and ageing entails.
Harnessing and fostering more intergenerational relationships and engagement would certainly help society in a number of ways; including helping build confidence, challenge assumptions and prejudices and help tackle social isolation and loneliness amongst people of all ages.
Research we carried out for our campaign shows that three in five people (59%) aged 18-30 have no friends over 70, which is a real shame because we know intergenerational relationships lead to better intergenerational understanding.
Building intergenerational relationships can be particularly important for people living in a residential care setting as the move usually means leaving familiar surroundings, friends, and even pets behind.
Projects in care homes that bring together people of different generations to engage in mutually beneficial and enjoyable activities can help to lessen feelings of isolation and increase a sense of connection.
Ageist ideas are very commonly held in society, we all have a role to play in help eradicating them.
It’s vital that as well as developing an understanding of our own age bias, we also challenge the ageism we see and hear.
Whether we’re questioning negative stereotypes, or informing discussions and debates, having conversations about how we see and feel about ageing is a powerful first step to challenge the societal norms of ageism.
For individuals working in the health and care sectors, a heightened awareness of interpersonal ageism and the stereotypes they ascribe to older people could lead to the delivery of improved care and increased job satisfaction.
For example, ageist stereotypes, such as older people being more inflexible, critical or intolerant, can influence the care and treatment they receive.
Even benign ageist stereotypes such as older people being in greater need of assistance, can give rise to a benevolent ageism that includes patronising, infantilising ways of speaking to older people and dismissing of their concerns.
Tackling ageism would have a preventative impact on the nation’s health and could potentially reduce pressures on the care sector. The impact of ageism currently on an individual’s physical and mental health leads to increases in the long-term costs of health and social care services.
Ageism also means we as a society don’t invest in ways to help people age well. Reform to social care has been promised for many years. It is a huge issue for our ageing population. And yet there is still no substantive reform. Is this partly because our ageist groupthink means we accept older age as a time of frailty, decline and dependency?
Ending ageism could have a transformative impact on society.
Additionally, in order to make a more age-friendly society that is better prepared for our growing ageing population, we need government to listen more closely to older people and consider their needs in policymaking across all departments.
That is why we need a Commissioner for Older People and Ageing in England to act as an independent champion for older people and ensure that policymaking across government considers the long-term needs of our ageing population.
To learn more about the Age Without Limits campaign, and to take part in our Are You Ageist? quiz, visit agewithoutlimits.org
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ageing-better.org.uk
