Fighting ageism in health and social care

Health care secretary Alan Johnson has revealed the shocking attitude to older people in the healthcare services. He said that as many as two thirds of dementia sufferers are never diagnosed and has ordered an enquiry into age discrimination within NHS services.

At a conference in London Mr Johnson said that many people remain active well after 65 and that "people in their 60s and 70s are more likely to be riding a mountain bike than playing dominoes in their local day centre."

Despite this, older people suffer from engrained ageist attitudes both in the workplace and in healthcare. Mr Johnson said that it was difficult for older people to get the help they need for mental health problems due to the prevailing attitude that dementia and confusion are inevitable as one grows older.

Indeed, the social care system is ill equipped to deal with the growing numbers of older people with dementia. There is said to be at present 700, 000 sufferers in the Uk, which is likely to double in 30 years.

The way dementia sufferers are treated sadly depends on their postcode as in some areas older people are able to stay in their homes with the proper support and care. However, there are many parts of the country where, as Mr Johnson said, sufferers are "shuffled off into a care home." What people need is a system offering a variety of options while maintaining basic care standards.

Meanwhile, an older people's charity, Counsel and care welcomed Mr Johnson's pledge but said it needed to be backed by practical steps to defeat ageist attitudes and put an end to the shocking level of care available to older people as a result.

Chief executive of Counsel and Care Stephen Burke said that vulnerable older people were often not able to access the care they needed and many had difficulties in obtaining the necessary diagnosis in the first place "to ensure they can get the vital care and treatment to prolong their quality of life". It is urgent to address the plight of older people in care homes where often a GP's visit is difficult to obtain. He said that there must be greater parity between the treatment of older people and those in younger age groups. It is simply not right that just because they are deemed elderly a large part of the population should be allowed only the basic physical care.

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