We have much to celebrate from the fact that so many people are living longer, a fact often overshadowed by an obsession with the economic costs of pensions and social care. And yet mortality disparity is still the marker of economic injustice, here in the UK and across the world. Globally, premature mortality tends to come before people reach the age for pensions or social care, and the UK’s cuts to Overseas Development Aid have not helped.
Age discrimination has only been outlawed recently here in the UK. And while young and old people can face inequality, it is not only individual bias that limits the opportunities available to older people. There are institutional failures, too.
Britain has failed to prepare for an ageing society, and the consequences are widespread. Take three issues: income, housing and social support. Security has been a significant challenge for pension schemes. Rash decisions to increase contributions and restrict future benefits have resulted in conflict. For the state, the Women Against State Pension Injustice campaign exemplified this. But the proportion of economically active people to those who depend on state pension provision is changing, at the same time that poverty in later life is growing; one in five pensioners now live in poverty.
Secondly, with or without care, we need somewhere to live. Some people will be able to live in their council home and, in the case of the more fortunate, their own home. But, older people are increasingly at the mercy of private landlords who may value their revenue more than their tennants. Housing insecurity is very real, and very scary in later life and, I would argue, immoral. How do we ensure that people can reside safely and securely in their communities in old age? People want to live with independence and dignity, in homes that are affordable and of good quality, with access to their community and all that it has to offer. How are we planning for this, and how can we ensure that the voices of our ageing society are part of the debate to answer that question?
“The social care market could not be a greater symbol of the injustices that come with an ageing society”
Thirdly, the social care market could not be a greater symbol of the injustices that come with an ageing society. Rooted in inequality, the principle is that the more you pay, the better quality of care you will receive. The government’s proposed changes to the cap on social care will do nothing to address this.
Good social care would focus on early interventions to help people maintain their independence and individuality. As people age, keeping their wealth of knowledge and experience in society could be transformative. From civil society to the economy, all could gain from the wisdom embodied in those years of life experience. Grandparents often play a central role in supporting grandchildren. There is so much to be gained from an ageing society.
Social prescribing is the means by which health professionals can refer patients to non-clincal and often local services. If properly funded, it would allow more elderly people to benefit from the experience and presence of their communities. It would also help people to avoid being sucked into the void of loneliness, which Covid and poor transport systems have made an even greater threat.
All too often the focus is on the costs of ageing. Our care system has been run into the ground, brought down by a market-based model. This has resulted in a workforce that is devalued and diminished. The government has spent a decade refusing to articulate a plan for its future, only to rush out an ill-thought through, regressive tax to make it look like it was doing something. But clearly there is still no plan.
If we return to what we value—family, community, human relationships not institutions—then the debate on ageing begins to take on a very different shape. It sets aside the institutional ageism and puts the focus instead on the quality of our social infrastructure, on which we will all, at some point, come to rely. If family hubs work for the young, perhaps it is right that we find those social solutions for later life too, embedding the flexibility and support needed to create the caring and compassionate society for which we all long.
