The charity Age Concern have launched an Age Equality Contract, and challenged the government to respond by dealing with age discrimination, which they describe as “increasingly urgent in the light of our ageing population and workforce, the crisis in pensions funding and recent calls for raising the state retirement age”. The contract aims to identify five problem areas of age discrimination:
– Employment: older people should be judged on skills, knowledge and commitment, not on the basis of age. With present employment rates and the growth of the older population, one million more over 50s will not be working by 2020.
– Health: Older people should be treated according to clinical need, not refused treatment on account of age. One in six people over 65 say they have been discriminated against in healthcare or health insurance because of their age (Age Concern/ICM poll December 2001).
– Social Care: Support at home can be vital to maintain independence. But services can be restricted or even stopped simply because of age. Funding limits for care provided at home are usually lower for older people than for younger adults.
– Learning: Lifelong learning should be a reality for all of us. Training and education should not just be concentrated on younger people. There is an upper age limit of 54 on student loans in higher education.
– In the marketplace: Older people should be recognised as major consumers and contributors to the economy and not refused services. The Consumer Credit Act 1974 does not prevent discrimination on the grounds of age by credit card companies and lenders.
