Here’s the latest newsletter from Age Action Alliance – to view the full newsletter, with live links back to their website from all the stories below, click here
The fight for inclusivity goes on
Welcome to the latest newsletter from the rapidly-growing AAA collaborative network, and it’s great to share more news and opinions from members with you. The website has now become a unique resource packed with the knowledge, viewpoints and ideas from a raft of organisations across the private, public and third sectors with an interest in later life, as well as older people themselves… and if YOU have something to say, get in touch!
We lead this time with a brilliant piece from the chair of the Older People’s Housing Champions, asking why progress on creating an inclusive housing sector is proving so elusive.
And, on the topic of inclusivity, Age UK is maintaining a steely focus on the need for in-person banking for the digitally excluded, while a group of charities led by Independent Age is keeping up the pressure on the need for someone in Government to have an overview of the interlocking issues and challenges facing older people. It works well in Wales and Northern Ireland… why not in England and Scotland?
Is our Government ageist, I ask, following the announcement of a taskforce to boost older people’s housing… without one older persons’ representative on there. If this was about housing for any other minority group, would that have been deemed acceptable?
There’s much more to read too on later life employment, intergenerational working, health and care, and the continuing threat of older people being disenfranchised through the imposition of voter ID. Hope you enjoy the read!
You can see our member organisations here: http://theageactionalliance.org/who-we-are/
And if you’d like to keep even more abreast of national and international developments in the later life arena, I send out a daily digest called Later Life AGEnda: click here to see the latest edition:
Finally, if you would like to support our work AND put your name and logo in front of other website users, (for very modest rates!) do please get in touch with me at info@theageactionalliance.org
Tony Watts OBE, Editor
Your latest news and blogs
Housing
If Inclusive Design is “good for everyone”, why is it so hard to achieve?
We all know the theory, says Joan Rutherford, Chair of the National Network of Older People’s Housing Champions. “An inclusive / accessible environment is good for everyone.” So why. in practice, do we so often just pay lip service to those with mobility issues – including our ageing population?
Click to read more
Money matters
“We need our banks,” says millions of the UK’s older population. With bank branches continuing to close all around the country, a new Age UK report reveals that four in 10 over 65s with a bank account do not manage their money online, while three in four account-holders aged 65+ want to carry out at least one transaction in a branch.
Click to read more
Politics
Pressure grows on Scottish Government to establish an Older People’s Commissioner. Over 30 organisations, including AAA members Independent Age, Age UK Scotland, Ageing Without Children and The Civil Service Retirement Fellowship, have issued a Consensus Statement on an Older People’s Commissioner for Scotland.
Click to read more
“Nothing about us without us”. Yeah, right.
The “taskforce to transform older people’s housing” has been announced… with not one older person on it. If this isn’t ageist, what is? asks Tony Watts OBE.
Click to read more
So now we know many older people DID lose their vote at the local elections, will the law on voter ID now change back? Now we know that the introduction of Voter ID was, in a former cabinet minister’s own words, “gerrymandering”, and that it inadvertently stopped many older people from voting, is it not time to change the rules back to where they were.
Click to read more
Activism
Sounds brilliant: tuning in to age friendly radio – If you’re not already an avid listener, you might want to tune into the great output of The Later Life Audio and Radio Cooperative (LLARC): an award-winning and growing network of older radio show hosts, age-friendly radio stations, voluntary and community sector organisations and academic researchers working on age-related issues.
Click to read more
Intergenerational working
Building stronger communities through intergeneration shared living. By bringing together people from different backgrounds and generations, a UK charity is playing its part in creating a more inclusive, caring and sustainable society.
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Health & Care
What does it mean to care? The ramifications of a shrinking and ageing care workforce, the need for cross sector collaboration, the fallout from society not recognising the importance of care… CEO of Methodists Homes (MHA) Sam Monaghan looks back at some of the highlights of this year’s Walter Hall seminar.
Click to read more
Later life employment
London must embrace age-friendly employment practices… starting at the top. Sadiq Khan will be producing a response to the London Assembly’s recommendations on the issue, says Tim Whitaker, vice chair of WiseAge, and there might be grounds for optimism.
Click to read more
Finally
That’s all for this edition, although you’ll find lots more stories regularly being added on our website: http://theageactionalliance.org/
To get in touch, join as a member, subscribe, support our work or send us your news and blogs, email Tony Watts at info@theageactionalliance.org
