Tag Archives: poverty

Meeting the challenges of an ageing population

Posted on April 26, 2013 by janevass | 4 Comments

Each year, Age UK stands back and takes an overview of how society is meeting the needs of people in later life and sets out our agenda for public policy in the year ahead. In our Agenda for Later Life 2013 report we track changes in a range of key areas including money matters, work and learning and health and social care.

Public attitudes, policies and the economy all impact on people’s experiences of ageing. This year, as the economy bumps along the bottom, it would be all too easy to concentrate on the challenges we face. However, we strongly believe in the need to focus on the opportunities as well.

The publication of a White Paper setting out plans for a new single tier State Pension brings hope of better provision in future for those with low incomes and interrupted working lives. Continue reading →

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Posted in Communities and inclusion, Consumers, Digital inclusion, Economy, Employment, Energy, Government, Health, Health and Wellbeing, Home and Care, Housing, Income, International, Money Matters, Public Policy, Social care, Transport, Work and Learning

Tagged #forlaterlife, Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing population, ageing society, Agenda for Later Life, Agenda for Later Life 2013 report, Communities & inclusion, economy, For Later Life conference, For Later Life conference 2013, Government, Health & wellbeing, Health and Social Care, Incomes, money matters, older people, pensioner poverty, poverty, public policy, social care

Older women and care: are they invisible to the sisterhood?

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Michelle Mitchell | 4 Comments

This blog is an edited version of an article appearing in the International Longevity Centre’s Compendium on Older Women, published for International Women’s Day.

As women, we outlive men in nearly all parts of the world, outnumbering our male counterparts across the globe by 100 million. But though we live longer than men and are stronger in number, we are also likely to spend more years in poor health.

This is reflected in the gender profile of users of health and social care. Across OECD countries ¾ of long-term care users are women. Older women are therefore disproportionately affected by inadequacies of care and support.

Paradoxically, though, older women are also the main providers of care. Across OECD countries 2/3 of informal carers aged 50+ are female. In developing countries, in addition to informal care, a significant amount of the care older women provide is as a grandparent to children whose parents have migrated or have been killed by HIV/AIDS or conflict. Continue reading →

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Posted in General, Health, Home and Care, Social care

Tagged #carecantwait, #careincrisis, #IWD, @womensday, Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing society, Care, Care in Crisis, carers, Communities & inclusion, feminism, Health, Health & wellbeing, Health and Social Care, intergenerational, international women's day, older people, pensions, poverty, social care, women

Guest blog – Energy Bill Revolution

Posted on February 28, 2013 by Age UK | 3 Comments

This blog was contributed by Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution.

The recent prediction from the energy regulator OFGEM that energy bills are likely to rise as the UK becomes more dependent on gas is more bad news for British households facing ever mounting financial pressure.

The average dual fuel energy bill now costs a household over £1,400 each year. As the energy bills bite, fuel poverty is now rocketing out of control, affecting 1 in 4 families in the UK. A fuel poverty crisis is unfolding before our eyes.

Behind these figures lies a real human tragedy. Thousands of older people die from the cold every year and in extreme cases people are left with the stark choice of whether to feed their family or heat their home. Many of those most affected are the most vulnerable, older people, the disabled and young children.

The reaction of the Government to this crisis is lamentable. Despite their protestations that they are doing all they can to help the figures speak for themselves. They have cut spending on the fuel poor by 26% and slashed funding for energy efficiency measures for the fuel poor by 44%. This is despite the fact that experts recognise by far the best long term solution to fuel poverty is to super insulate the UK housing stock. The result is that fuel poverty is getting worse and by 2016 there could be up to 9 million households in fuel poverty. Continue reading →

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Posted in Consumers, Energy, Energy Bill Revolution, Income, Money Matters

Tagged #EnergyBillRev, #energybills, #fuelpoverty, Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing society, energy, Energy Bill Revolution campaign, Energy Bill Revolution coalition, energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy prices, fuel poverty, Health, Health & wellbeing, home energy efficiency, home insulation, Money & benefits, money matters, older people, poverty, spread the warmth, Spread the Warmth campaign, winter, winter deaths

Guest blog: What burden of ageing?

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Age UK | 7 Comments

This guest blog was contributed by Rob Greig, Chief Executive at the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi)

The area of government policy that has continually depressed me the most (and I’m talking successive governments here) is that around older people and ageing. What we at NDTi call the ‘demographic dialogue’ of public policy and the media creates a culture whereby older people are seen as a problem and a burden on society.

Read almost anything from government policy, think tanks or the national press and you will see older people being described negatively. They are ‘bed blockers’ in hospitals, creating a ‘financial precipice’ in public finances and the cause of a pension system crisis that means younger people will have to work longer. Older people are portrayed as being the cause of problems that government and society have to address.

I beg to differ. There are 3 fundamental flaws in this perception of older citizens:

It sees older people as primarily passive recipients of services provided by the state or wider society, denying or even discouraging their capacity to continue to give to the communities around them.
The service and cost modelling is substantially based on an assumption that we will do the same in the future as we have done in the past – rather than explore more innovative options that could change the financial parameters
It conveniently appears to forget the contributions that people have made to society, through their work, taxes, caring and creativity. Is it too old-fashioned to still think that society may have some obligation in the form of ‘pay-back’ time that should argue against using the language of burden?

I will put the third point to one side as it is primarily influenced by values and opinions and instead focus on the first two – and tell you about Ted.

Continue reading →

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Posted in Communities and inclusion, General, Health, Home and Care, Research, Social care

Tagged Age UK, Age UK blog, Ageing, ageing society, Ageism, Care, Communities & inclusion, Community Catalysts, Health, Health and Social Care, joseph rowntree foundation, Later life, media, National Development Team for Inclusion, older people, poverty, public policy, Rob Greig NDTi, social care