A Report entitled ‘Implementing Equality for Older People’ is being launched today by the Equality Authority. It identifies the problem of ageism, challenges the exclusion of older people and seeks change in their situation and experience.
Speaking at the launch of the Report, the Chief Executive of the Equality Authority, Niall Crowley, related the issue of ageism to “institutional practices that segregate or use upper age limits, individual attitudes based on negative stereotypes and relationships with older people based on patronising, neglecting or even abusing older people”. The Report states that these issues can be addressed through legislative change, the full participation of older people and their organisation in decision making, age awareness training for policy makers, service providers and employers and age proofing or assessing all policies for their impact on older people.
The Report develops more detailed agendas for change in the areas of work, education, training and health. These are ambitious agendas but necessary agendas if there is to be equality for older people and to their full participation in and contribution to Irish society. “This is an equality that is for older people today but all generations in the future, given the potential of all to become older people. This must give urgency to our search for a society
- where capacity and potential is not deemed to be determined by chronological age
- where cultural norms celebrate and accord a prominence to all ages
- where older people are integral to the economic, political, cultural and affective arenas of society” concluded Niall Crowley.
Mr Crowley acknowledged the enormous contribution that the National Economic and Social Forum will play in advancing the recommendations of this Report.
At the launch, Sylvia Meehan of the Senior Citizens Parliament stated:
“There is no calendar date when we cease to be citizens. We must not be excluded from political decision making we need to have our place in partnership agreements which make decisions which affect us all. Discrimination against older people on grounds of calendar age is always wrong.”