Crisis in Accident and Emergency Services

On May 15th on Radio 4, Jeremy Hunt suggested that one of the main reasons for the crisis in hospitals’ A&E services is the ageing population. Making them another marginalised group to ‘feed’ deficit reduction again contributes to a divided ‘us and them’ society and a blame culture. Older people are becoming a target for ageist subliminal messages.

Last week’s launch of ‘The Strategy for Older People (Phase 3)’ suggests it’s time to champion the generations that fought for our country and built its wealth. MPs salaries are too easily earned through crass strategies rather than solving complex problems and rewarding citizens’ contributions. If prominent people can perpetuate ageist myths then they must be challenged!

Ageing isn’t restricted to the old. It is something that is necessitated by birth, and an age-positive approach from a co-operative society should promote opportunity, value positive contributions and encourage planning for life. We must recognise that:

• The majority of older people are economically active and net contributors of wealth to local communities
• They provide the social glue as a cohort of ‘unpaid carers’ that save our care services millions annually
• They contribute to governance in the public sector
• They are the volunteers that make our local services work

The facts that appear to substantiate an ageing crisis are in fact not a surprise to any one. In fact, the real surprise is that our politicians are surprised at all. Demographic modelling is not new:

In his ‘Adding Life to Years’ publication, John Osmond (Institute of Welsh Affairs) says that in the next 10 years, the number of people aged over 65 in Wales will increase by about 5%, an increase of 130,000, and the number aged over 85 will increase by 30,000. In the next 60 years, the number of people in the UK aged over 65 will more than triple from 4.6 million to 15.4 million, and in that same timescale, according to the UK Government’s actuary department, the number of people aged 100 will increase from 10,000 to 1 million.

Thus, the real problems emerge:

• Shouldn’t successive governments have prioritised the need to plan for an ageing society?
• The funding crisis is a result of reactive approaches and the absence of preventative investment
• We don’t plan to resource community services in order to relieve acute services 
• Funding decisions are historic not targeted and intelligent
• Older people themselves are enablers and ‘social capital’

It's not too late to be positive about ageing. In fact, it's our only hope!

Neil Williams
Head of Agency Performance and Funding, Care & Repair Cymru

Making the case for tackling age discrimination

This poem is probably familiar to you, you may even think it is sentimental cliché. http://www.stargazerdownunder.com/general/reading/see.html

I’ve met many older people with fascinating histories. For example, recently I met a lady who was recruited at age 17 to work as a code-breaker at Bletchley Park; a ‘Barnardo’s boy’; another who was a prisoner of war in Italy. Anne (not her real name) told me of her early life. Before Anne was sixteen her mother had been widowed twice and Anne’s three sisters had all died of (what are now) preventable diseases. A hard start to a long life.

When I hear their stories, of adventures and achievements, or of their triumph over adversity, it makes me feel humble. It makes me question why society and the media persist with negative images of ageing and older people.

Perceptions of older people are influenced by negative imagery and language about ageing and older people, which devalues a large part of our population. These perceptions lead to ageism and discrimination. It is misleading to portray older people solely as frail and as consumers of health and social care. Addressing discrimination is an investment both now and in the future, for we all hope to grow old don’t we?

An article in Stylist magazine investigated our fear of old age and I quote that “shifting our attitudes towards ageing would not only be good for old people… studies in Japan… have shown the prevalence of depression and dementia is far lower, implying that this culture may exert a protective influence.”

The contribution of older people is often underestimated. University College London estimate that the over 65s contribute an average £3,000 a year (net of pension, welfare and health costs) to society through tax receipts, spending power, volunteering and childcare.

Moving forward means putting an end to old-fashioned stereotyping of people because of their age. We need greater examination and recognition of the valuable contribution older people make to society. It is in everyone’s best interests to recognise the talents and contribution of all our citizens. Promoting positive images and stories of ageing in Wales is an important step in the right direction.

Equality is fundamental to building a fair and inclusive society. Yet ageism and discrimination are deeply embedded in the social framework and are resistant to change. It is for this reason that ten years ago the Welsh Government committed itself to a Strategy for Older People. The third phase, which was launched on 22 May, will build on this valuable work.

We all need to play our part to realise our ambition to make Wales a great place to grow old.


Shona Martin is the Agency Chief Officer at Care & Repair Monmouthshire and is currently on secondment to the Welsh Government to lead on the development of phase 3 of The Strategy for Older People in Wales.