Ageing Better to deliver new campaign against age-based discrimination

A bold new public campaign tackling the scourge of everyday ageism heads up our new strategy, which is launched today.

The campaign to tackle ageism will seek to overturn the deeply entrenched negative attitudes within society towards older people through a collective and nationwide approach.

Ageing Better will commit significant resource in the fight against the widespread use of derogatory and harmful stereotypes in the pursuit of a more positive and realistic understanding about later life across the country. The campaign is a key element of the Age-friendly Movement that will aim to make challenging ageism a much higher priority for everyone in society.

We will work with the public, age-friendly communities, employers as well as other sector and industry partners to change the way people think, feel and act about ageing. It will help people at a local and national level to address the barriers that exist for older people by giving people the tools and guidance needed to take action.

The new strategy also focuses on activities to reduce the inequalities people experience as they grow older. Our organisation will strive to reduce the gap between the most and least advantaged people by improving outcomes for the least advantaged.

“We are determined to build on the work we have already done and to go further to make a real difference to people’s experience of ageing, particularly people who are currently on course to struggle in old age.

“Through our work, we want to see more people in later life experiencing good health, treated fairly and with respect and able to experience financial security. These goals can be achieved if the enormity and severity of ageism is finally recognised and the resolve is found to challenge its existence within our society.”

The Age-friendly Movement and ageism campaign will combine with other key strands of activity: Age-friendly Homes and Age-friendly Employment. Together these will form the backbone of Ageing Better’s new strategic focus. As part of its focus on Age-friendly Homes, Ageing Better will work to ensure everyone can live in age-friendly, accessible, healthy homes in intergenerational communities.

This approach will include:

• Piloting the Good Home Agency service that will help people to upgrade the overall quality and energy efficiency of their homes
• Working with investors, lenders, consumer groups and government to produce financial products to improve poor-quality housing stock for low-income homeowners
• Producing consumer advice on the essential features that make a home good to grow older in
• Working with local authorities to ensure new housing developments are age-friendly

 As part of its commitment to Age-friendly Employment, Ageing Better will influence policy and practice to help ensure access to good jobs for workers through their 50s and 60s.

This approach will include:

• Helping to shape the labour market
• Improving the quality of back-to-work support
• Tackling age-bias in recruitment
• Promoting employer guidance on age-friendly employment practice

The Centre for Ageing Better is a charitable foundation working across England with the support of an endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund, awarded in 2015. It is a member of the government’s What Works Network. The new strategy builds upon the learning, research, reputation and working partnerships Ageing Better has built up over the past seven years. 

"Ageism is all too prevalent in society today. Its impact can be devastating and affects everything from people’s confidence to their housing and pay.

“The aim of the Centre for Ageing Better’s vital campaign is for everyone to be able to have a good experience of ageing and comes after our research shows that negative attitudes towards older people are entrenched in society.

“Discrimination of any nature is unacceptable and we want to build on the evidence base we have gathered and continue to give a voice to those most affected.”