From Ageism to Age Equality: Addressing the Challenges ...

Long-term care is another area of importance for some older people. There is a need for clarityregarding entitlements and for core standards of provision to be established and monitored. Thisshould be reinforced by an independent advocacy service for older people who are thinking aboutentering long-term care provision.Lifelong LearningFinally, lifelong learning needs to be a focus for investment in older people. Access for older peopleto education and training opportunities is important to facilitate participation in society and in theeconomy; to secure access to cultural activities and sustain and develop the individual person; andto ensure an awareness of one’s rights and a confidence in asserting them where necessary.Older people have the same right of access to education and training as all other adults. There can,however, be hidden barriers for some older people including low levels of educational attainment, lowliteracy levels, lack of confidence and teaching approaches that alienate older people. Investmentcould usefully be made in effective information provision for older people on education and trainingopportunities, and in tailoring education and training opportunities to meet the specific needs andaspirations of older people.ParticipationWe have noted that implementing equality for older people requires effective equality legislation,institutional/organisational change and new investment. These can usefully be accompanied withstrategies to include older people and their organisations in the decisions that must be made.Older people’s organisations at national and local levels have a key role to play in this decisionmaking.Working with these organisations is an effective way of identifying and articulating thespecific interests of older people. This, however, is no easy task. Participation in decision-makingdemands significant time and effort; it requires skills in negotiation and policy development; andsystems of accountability to identify the core issues for older people and renew this agenda on anongoing basis. New platforms can be exploited for organisations to come together to pool ideas,strategies and agendas for change. This requires resources and it is harder to get resources forparticipation than for the provision of a service. Yet such resources will be crucial if older people’sorganisations are to continue this important role to good effect long into the future.67ConclusionsIn conclusion, it is important to highlight that equality for older people must be equality for all olderpeople. Older people are a diverse group, in terms of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation,ability/disability, family status, marital status and religion, and this diversity needs to be taken intoaccount if the equality strategy is to be effective. It is important to review the equality strategy forits capacity to take account of this diversity. The legislation is a useful starting point with itscoverage of nine different grounds: older people are covered specifically by the age ground but alsoas members of the other eight grounds.Institutional or organisational change will require an equality infrastructure that integrates a focus onolder people within the wider nine ground equality focus. Likewise, age proofing needs to beFrom Ageism to Age Equality: Addressing the Challenges