Say no to ageism week: Initiative set to tackle prejudice

AGEISM CAN encourage abusive behaviour towards older people and make elder abuse more acceptable, says the HSE specialist in older people’s services, Paschal Moynihan.

He said the acceptance of age discrimination made other forms of elder abuse, such as physical or financial abuse, more likely. “That’s because ageism demotes the status of older people and serves to help justify abusive behaviour towards older people, thus making it more acceptable.”

Based on international findings, an estimated 23,000 people in Ireland are subjected to elder abuse. It could involve sexual abuse, financial abuse, physical abuse or neglect.

“So we cannot allow ageism to thrive. . . that challenge should be taken up by everyone,” Mr Moynihan said. He was speaking at the launch of the seventh Say No To Ageism week which is organised by the Equality Authority and the Health Service Executive.

He welcomed the involvement of the transport sector in the anti-ageism initiative and said he hoped many other organisations would get involved. Launching the initiative, Minister of State for Older People Áine Brady said the belief that people became less useful, less interesting and of lesser value as they grew older must be tackled. “We are hearing that people are encountering ageist attitudes on a daily basis as they are accessing services of all kinds,” Ms Brady said.

“Specifically, people are angry at the proliferation of telephone answering systems that take them through a seemingly endless series of steps before they get to speak to a live human being.”

Older people were annoyed at the assumption by service providers that they all had internet access, she said.

Complaints also centred on footpaths and road surfaces that made life difficult for people with mobility problems; pedestrian crossing lights that changed too quickly; and the absence of seating and toilet facilities in public places.

Equality Authority chairwoman Angela Kerins said complaints on the age ground still dominated the information queries and case files of the Equality Authority. She also urged Ms Brady to protect the health services offered to older people from any future cuts, particularly the “vital” home help service.