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Older People Left 'On the Scrapheap'BBC News March 6, 2002
A
campaign to challenge ageism has been launched Older people
in Britain face discrimination in health, employment and social care,
according to a new study by the charity, Help the Aged. The UK treats older people as though they are on the scrapheap,
according to half of the 2000 people surveyed in a poll. The study, called Age Discrimination in Public Policy, says
age is used to decide how health services are divided and to exclude
people from jobs. An "older person" could be categorised as someone in
their 30s or 40s in the job market, the survey found. Elsewhere it may
refer to people over 55. It calculates that age discrimination costs the government
Ј5 billion a year in benefits for those who might be working. Help the Aged's director of policy Paul Cann called for a
fairer deal for older people. "The insidious scourge of age discrimination blights and
restricts the lives of older people," he said. 'Endemic' "As long as older people are viewed as second-class
citizens they will receive second-rate care that is damaging, degrading
and can have tragic consequences." The government is currently in the final stages of
consultation on plans to outlaw discrimination in employment on the
grounds of age, sexual orientation and religion. Mr Cann said the consultation should ensure that the right
framework is in place to make legislation work and to extend it beyond
employment. "The government concedes that age discrimination exists
in the NHS. Now it is shown to be endemic across public
institutions," he said. 'Expose and challenge' The Liberal Democrat shadow minister for older people, Paul
Burstow, is introducing an Age Discrimination Bill into Parliament on the
19 March, calling for the early introduction of legislation. "Help the Aged have made the case for urgent action to
outlaw age discrimination in this country," he said. "It is time this government acted and stopped condoning
the attitude that allows older workers to be thrown on the scrap
heap." The report coincides with the launch on Wednesday of the Scrap It! campaign, run by British Gas and Help the Aged, which aims to "expose and challenge" age discrimination. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
