Blog: Driving the power of older people's voices
Today is the 35th United Nations’ International Day of Older Persons and this year’s theme is older persons driving local and global action.
As Age Scotland prepares to launch its new five-year strategy, listening to the power of older people’s voices is very much on our mind and at the heart of our work. Older voices are the driving force behind everything that we do as the Scottish charity for older people, shaping our actions now and in the years ahead.
But what does ‘older persons driving action’ actually mean? For us at Age Scotland it means tackling the issues and challenges that older people tell us are most important to them. It is not up to us at the charity to decide what older people want – we depend, entirely, on older people themselves to let us know what challenges they face, what issues they want addressed and what they want our support to look like.
For example, a growing number of community groups for older people across the country are struggling to keep their doors open. Widespread council budget cuts are putting groups at risk of closure, leaving older people in the community without a warm place to go to meet friends, benefit from social connection, enjoy activities and perhaps eat a hot meal. The consequences of such a move include an increase in loneliness and isolation, low mood and poor mental wellbeing and potentially a decline in physical health.
Among the campaigns we supported was a bid to save the Rosemount Café, part of the pioneering Rosemount Gardens assisted-living scheme in Bathgate. The café was earmarked for closure to save West Lothian council £136,000 and despite thousands of residents signing a petition and visits from politicians opposed to the closure, the popular café closed last month. In the end, the strongly-fought campaign was unsuccessful but was it worth supporting? Of course. Older people told us they benefitted hugely from the café and wanted it kept open. It’s a great pity the council didn’t listen.
Speaking ahead of International Day of Older Persons, which is marked around the world, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said: “Older persons are powerful agents of change. Their voices must be heard in shaping policies, ending age-discrimination, and building inclusive societies. All communities and ages benefit from the wisdom of older persons.”
It’s a message which we believe should be heard in Scotland from grassroots community organisers to government ministers. It’s why we involve older people in every area of our work including age-inclusive workplaces, tackling pensioner poverty, supporting healthy ageing and, always, campaigning alongside older people to help amplify their voices for the greater benefit of all.
