Inventing our future Collective action for a sustainable economy

32
Chapter 2 – An overview of social exclusion
2.3 – SO5: To promote active ageing and reduce social exclusion of older people
The population of the East of England is not only growing at a faster rate than other English regions, it is
ageing. Projections suggest that by 2014 the number of people in the UK aged 65 and over will exceed the
numbers aged under 16. By 2025 there will be more than 1.6 million more people over the age of 65 than
people under 16 (The Implications of an Ageing Population for the Sustainable Development of the East
of England, Population Ageing Associates, 2003).
The effects of increasing age combined with other factors such as reduced income or mobility can exacerbate
exclusion. Members of ethnic minorities aged over 50 can experience the ‘double disadvantage’ of age and
ethnicity (Aspects of the Economics of an Ageing Population, Select Committee on Economic Affairs, 2003).
A number of factors increase the risks of social isolation and exclusion for older people living in rural areas:
• on retirement people may move away from friends and family, to more remote areas such as the Norfolk
and Suffolk coast
• in areas popular with retired people, house prices for first time buyers may be prohibitively expensive
which in turn creates an imbalance in local communities that over time become dominated by older
people. This exacerbates the risk of isolation at a later stage, particularly as half of all people aged 65
and over living in rural areas have a limiting long-term illness (Poverty & Social Inclusion in Rural Areas,
New Policy Institute for OSEP, 2004)
• exclusion often begins when an older person becomes unable to drive – three-fifths of older single women
do not have a car (Poverty & Social Inclusion in Rural Areas, New Policy Institute for OSEP, 2004)
• meeting the medical needs of older people can often be more difficult in rural areas.
i) Housing
Housing is an important dimension of social exclusion for older people who occupy much of the sub-standard
housing in the country. Nationally, 68% of householders over the age of 65 are owner-occupiers, 32% of
whom are living in poverty (Poverty & Home Ownership in Contemporary Britain, Burrows, York, JRF, 2003).
For these households, maintaining the property can become increasingly difficult, resulting in disrepair and
poor housing conditions such as damp and condensation. Older people on low incomes are twice as likely
to live in energy inefficient housing as those on high incomes.
They are also more likely to experience fuel poverty, which occurs when people need to spend more than
10% of their income on fuel to achieve adequate levels of warmth in the home. The causes of fuel poverty
are complex, but contributory factors include low household income, poor insulation standards, inefficient
or expensive heating systems and under-occupancy of properties. In addition, many households contain
individuals who may require extra warmth as a result of age or disability.
The number of ‘excess winter deaths’ is defined as the number by which the mortality rate for the period
December to March exceeds that of other months of the year. A greater proportion of the over 60s than of
any other age group make up the 20,000 to 50,000 excess winter deaths that occur in the UK each year,
the exact number being related to the severity of the winter weather. Many of these deaths are attributable
to conditions caused or exacerbated by poor housing and by living in fuel poverty. During the winter months,
there are 15% more deaths of people aged 65+ in the East of England.