Remarks by Angela Kerins At the launch of Say No To Ageism Week 2011
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very pleased to welcome you all here for the launch of this important national event, which is now in its eighth year. It is important each year to reflect on our attitudes to ageism in Irish society and this year's campaign invites every person to say "I Say No To Ageism".
This national awareness raising week is a partnership between the Equality Authority and the Health Service Executive, and is funded under the EU's PROGRESS initiative. We enjoy the active support of the Office for Older People, and have vital contributions from the transport sector, including Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Veolia, Dublin Bus and Pobail and their ongoing commitment and participation is vital to the success of this event.
To state the obvious, we are all born young, and get older. Some of you were at the launch of this event last year- well, guess what, we are all one year older than we were then! Growing older is a fundamental part of life, yet for some reason, society does not always value the contribution, experience and potential of older people and negative stereotyping can prevail.
This event provides an opportunity to reflect on this, and to raise awareness of this phenomenon to help to combat it.
For many older people, this is an uncertain and in some cases frightening time. Previously robust pension funds may no longer provide the expected level of resources for our retired workers and their families. Many who rely on state pensions are concerned about the potential for future cuts, or withdrawal of benefits. Some older people find themselves in the unfortunate situation of 'mortgage arrears' as they released 'equity' in their homes to fund family needs during a time of higher property prices.
There are real pressures on older people which this campaign cannot address, but a greater awareness in society can help ensure that there is no burden which can be avoided placed on older people through policies which impact on them disproportionately. It can also ensure that ageism does not prevent older people from accessing the goods and services they need to live a full and independent life in our society.
Later this morning we will host a seminar on access to insurance by older people. Insurance is a key sector. It is complicated and protected by actuarial judgements which often categorise an individual rather than assess the potential risk of a person who reaches their 65th birthday. The partners and our guests from academia, regulatory bodies and the EU will discuss access to and the provision of health and travel insurance in the seminar, and I am sure it will be informative.
This event is rare and timely. It is unfortunate that we don't have in attendance today any representatives of insurance companies, which enjoy a large and committed customer base amongst older people. It is indeed a missed opportunity for them, to learn more about their customer's real needs, and to hear the inputs of our distinguished speakers. We will continue to engage with the sector, and I know that the key findings and discussions will be made available to all insurance providers, so that we can ensure their future involvement in this process.
However, the process only begins today and I look forward to hearing of initiatives that can be taken at EU level and nationally in improving access to insurance for older people. This initiative is important in ensuring equity in the premiums charged to older people, with rates based on real identifiable potential risk.
This is one area we are highlighting today; but across the goods and services sector, businesses must be aware of the need to ensure that they are not acting in a discriminatory manner on the age ground. As we say often, across all of the nine grounds, it makes good business sense for your goods and services to be available to as many people as possible, and awareness of what creates barriers for people and knowing how to avoid these plays a key role in this.
Tackling ageism in the workplace or in accessing goods and services is not a costly matter. It is about changing attitudes to our older people. The first attitude change is the responsibility of each one of us. Our campaign offers the opportunity to us all to give a clear response: I Say No to Ageism.
Ageism can take the form of prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices or rules and policies at institutional or societal level that reinforce the negative stereotype. Ireland led the way in Europe in recognising Age as one of the nine grounds protected by our equality legislation. The Employment Equality Acts extend protection to older workers, even those over 65, from discrimination and harassment in employment. The Equal Status Acts protect older people from discrimination and harassment when accessing goods, facilities, education, accommodation and services.
During Say No To Ageism Week, we are inviting sectors, organisations and members of the community and voluntary sector to take positive action to promote a positive attitude to the value and respect we have for our older citizens. Failure to tackle ageism further detaches people from society and paves the way for us all to face the negative impact of ageism in our own future.
The Authority will be urging businesses, workplaces, institutions of learning and people across the country to use the materials provided- posters, badges, etc during this week to raise awareness and show their commitment. I know these are being particularly promoted by our partners and we greatly appreciate this generous support.
We would urge all businesses to think about your own attitudes to older people and how you or your business can be a more welcoming place for these potential new customers.
We have some good advice in our booklet on Towards an Age Friendly provision of Goods and Services which is also free to download from our website, equality.ie. The Equality Authority's Public Information Centre will also take calls from the public on its lo-call number 1890 245545.
The Equality Authority very much values partnerships, and this national campaign is a good example of what can be achieved when State actors pool their limited resources. The co-operation received in ensuring the continuance of this important initiative is greatly appreciated and I would like to thank all our partners and associates.
Say No To Ageism is not just a week long activity - it must be at the core of the way we do business and provide services. This week reminds us of our responsibility to combat ageism in the workplace and in service provision throughout the year.
This kick starts a national opportunity to debate our own opinions on ageism beginning to day and culminating on World Elder Abuse Day on June 12th. I encourage you and our colleagues in the media to use this fortnight to highlight issues such as ageism and elder abuse, whose prevention and eradication can make a very positive difference to the quality of life of our older citizens.
Before I finish, one final thing, Ageism can be a two way street. In saying No to ageism, we should be wary of being exclusionary. Younger people can become victims of stereotyping also. The recessionary times have hit many young people hard. High unemployment rates, reduced social welfare levels and high rates of emigration make young people one of the groups most impacted by the recession. Young people are not always aware of the legislative provisions in relation to discrimination but in coming years will likely experience greater levels of inequality in the context of much higher competition for employment.
It is important that we don't make assumptions, and that we ensure that we really do say no to ageism, in all of its forms.
Thank you very much for your attendance and support today. I express the appreciation of the Equality Authority to all involved in such an inclusive and progressive initiative and look forward very much to the outcomes of the seminar on accessing insurance by older people