Over 40% of voters will be over 65 – will this help bring the shift in attitudes we need towards ageing?

By Michelle Mitchell

In the upcoming election, older voters will matter more than ever before. Sheer numbers dictate influence; in the UK today, there are fourteen million people aged over sixty. Older people are also far more inclined to vote than younger people, with over 75% turnout among people over 65 in 2005. In the upcoming election, older people will cast more than four in every ten votes. The ‘grey vote’ signifies the difference between a hung parliament with Labour as the largest single party, and one where the Conservatives are the single largest party. But voters in later life do not slavishly follow the parties they have always voted for. Over one-fifth of older voters may still change their minds about their votes, so the potential for parties to capitalise on swing votes is enormous.

The issues affecting older people today will affect all of us. Lack of respect, poor social care, pensioner poverty, exclusion and isolation are major societal problems. Older people deserve more than tokenistic policies for short-term gain. There must be a fundamental shift in public attitudes towards ageing, recognising and valuing people’s contribution to society, no matter what their age. Inaction is a ticking time-bomb; the challenges of our ageing society must be faced now.

Labour’s record on issues affecting older people has been strong. The introduction of Pension Credit, the Winter Fuel Allowance and free off-peak bus travel have made a difference to the lives of many. But more must be done. While we welcome the Equality Bill, it does not scrap the discriminatory Default Retirement Age. The new National Care Service could revolutionise care for people in later life, but how it will be paid for remains unclear.

We at Age UK have five key demands for politicians of all parties:

* Respect – Growing older too often means facing prejudice and disrespect on a daily basis. We are calling on the next government to outlaw age discrimination in Britain, particularly with regard to discriminatory financial services. We want the next Ggvernment to scrap the Default Retirement Age. Otherwise, qualified, capable and committed employees will still be forced out of work against their wishes after they turn 65 – something that happened to over 100,000 people last year. When the government is encouraging us all to work for longer, the Default Retirement Age is incongruous and anachronistic.

* Support – People in later life should be supported to remain in their own homes as long as possible. But publicly-funded care is in crisis, as families supporting loved ones face unbearable pressures on time, finance and emotions. Social care must be protected from the swingeing cuts announced in the Budget. Care for older people has already been cut to the bone; any further rationing will cost lives. There must be radical reform of the care and support system, with an emphasis on prevention, enabling people to remain active and self-reliant for longer.

* Money – Despite some progress since 1997, two million older people in the UK still live in poverty. We want our politicians to commit to ending pensioner poverty once and for all. Fuel poverty remains an issue, despite the recent welcome extension of higher Cold Weather Payments. We want to see action to help older people deal with the rising costs of home energy. Furthermore, the Basic State Pension must be re-linked with earnings by 2010 at the latest. Failure to do this will mean that pensioners’ incomes will continue to decline in real terms as the country emerges from recession.

* Health – We are rightly proud of the NHS, but it often fails to treat older patients with dignity and respect. It is a scandal that older people continue to experience malnutrition in hospitals, while the failure of GPs to diagnose and treat depression in later life drastically affects the quarter of older people who suffer symptoms. Older people make up the majority of NHS service users, so must have more of a say. We are calling for NHS resources directed towards community health services, focusing on prevention and quality of life. We also want more money invested in research into debilitating conditions like dementia, helping the older people of tomorrow as well as those of today.

* Participation – Nobody in our society should be lonely, excluded or isolated. But the failure to consider older people’s needs in designing public spaces and community services leaves many marginalised. Simple additions like safe, clean public toilets, park benches and concessionary travel can make it much easier for people in later life to participate in society. To ensure our public spaces are fit for purpose, older people must be involved more in planning decisions. Everyone over pension age should be able to access free local travel. New housing, both private and social, should be built to Lifetime Homes standards to reflect the changing needs of occupants over time.

Growing older presents many challenges for public policy, but also opportunities. Tackling the issues faced by older people now will help us to prepare for the future. As the UK population ages, the voices of older people will become yet more powerful – and politicians will have to listen.

You can find out more about Age UK’s election priorities at www.ageuk.org.uk/election.