August 16 - Are we really taking ageing seriously?

Tony Watts, Chair of the South West Forum on Ageing and a long time writer and commentator on later life issues, says the country is not facing up to the challenges – and opportunities - of an ageing society.

Your name would have to be Rip Van Winkle not to feel bombarded by the slew of headlines over the last few years warning of an "ageing tsunami" or "demographic timebomb".

Having written and campaigned on ageing issues for the last 25 years I hope I can be forgiven a wry smile as I’ve watched the situation evolve over the last few decades, frequently railed against systemic inactivity and seen nothing happen.

The ageing situation was no surprise

It wasn’t rocket science to see what was heading over the horizon. The problem has been that - as Lord Filkin wrote in his damning report earlier this year - this Government (and preceding ones) have been “woefully unprepared”. An ageing population (which has many, many merits and opportunities) also brings with it huge challenges, notably around care.

It’s been the elephant in the room. Too big for successive governments to get their heads round, too expensive to budget for and passed onto the next administration to deal with… and so on.

What is the Government doing?

With all the evidence on the table about what needs to be done… NOW… you’d think there is no excuse for a lack of will from this Government. Surely?

However, as someone who gave evidence to Lord Filkin and his eminent colleagues, I read the recent Government response with dismay. It’s a document full of vague promises and high sounding words, pepped up with the odd positive initiative. Filkin’s reaction to that? He now describes the Government of being “wilfully unprepared”.

What is needed is big action and bold vision… not tinkering around the edges: a recognition that – dealt with properly – an ageing society presents huge opportunities as well as challenges.

Preparing for the “silver tsunami”

Let’s explore a few ways in which that might be achieved…

We’re all going to have to work longer…

The fact of the matter is, we simply cannot afford to fund millions of us being retired for 20, 30 or even 40 years. The sums don’t add up. The State pension and private pension systems weren’t designed for that.

But on the plus side, many of us actually WANT (as well as need) to keep active and working. Sadly, many employers still don’t see the value of older workers or the need for greater flexibility. Having mature, experienced people remaining in the workforce for longer (ideally with the opportunity to reduce their hours if they wish and do less physical tasks) offers huge benefits.

Don’t listen to the argument that this keeps younger people out of work – that has been disproved by finer minds than mine. In fact it will retain lifetime skills (especially if they can be harnessed to mentor younger workers) boost the nation’s GDP and enable many to remain taxpayers rather than become benefit receivers.

It can help sort out the housing problem…

The current argument is that having so many older people owning their own home keeps younger people off the housing ladder. Nonsense. That’s all down to the fact that nowhere near enough housing is being built. What is REALLY needed is to focus on creating more quality retirement housing within our local communities (NOT older people’s ghettoes) – enabling more of us to remain independent for longer.

There is currently not enough choice, so people cannot stay within their local community if they want to move to a retirement development.

Offer more choice, and those selling and downsizing would release much-needed funds to pay for their care and support in later life, and everyone moving from larger accommodation to smaller would release a family sized home back into the system.

To make this happen requires national and local government to work with developers and housing associations to free up land within our cities, towns and villages, prioritise the planning system and create the “age friendly” neighbourhoods that will encourage older people to make the move.

We can harness the energy and skills of a volunteering generation…

Living longer lives, especially if we can retain our health and vigour, opens up a massive opportunity for harnessing the skills and knowledge of a generation keen to “give something back”.

Already over two million over 60s volunteer for two charities or more. Grandparents provide an estimated annual £7.3 billion worth of childcare. And, of course, older people are the backbone of the informal care structure. If we are going to afford the needs of an ageing society, we will become increasingly reliant on older people to fill the gaps in the care system.

But – and it’s a very large but – for this to happen we must have support structures in place: for those needing to keep on working as well as care for a partner or family member; for those who are caring full time and need respite assistance; and for those needing to give up work to care and requiring a modicum of financial support…

Making it happen

To achieve all these aims (and I’ve plenty more I could share, given space) will require political will and vision, a societal change of mindset over issues like employment together with a willingness by Government to invest in the future.

It also - critically - needs the input of older people to design and shape this future.

It’s no good policy makers going off and planning that future without older people (the only ones who know what it’s like to be old, and what works) sharing their ideas and experience. The structures are in place (through the English Forums on Ageing and organisations like the National Pensioners Convention) to tap into that experience and expertise.

Will the Government listen? Will they man up to the job in hand? Will we break down the silo thinking that dogs our public services? Let’s hope so… for all our sakes.

@tonywattswriter

@agendaefa