#everydayageism

The stats show that older employers are less likely to go off sick.
B and Q took a bold step in embracing older job applicants on the basis they had more experience of DIY etc but I don't know of any other employers who have seen this particular light. In teaching the brutal fact is that the longer service you have the more you cost and school budgets are under pressure.I don't think this is agism. Heads would prefer to employ more experienced teachers if they could afford them. This is to do with politics and cutting public expenditure.
We hear a lot about younger brains being better. They are better when doing timed tests. They do not know more. We go to a pub quiz and it is noticeable that the general knowledge of the teams made up solely of young students are utterly lacking in general knowledge. Teams with over 50s will score maybe 14/20, teams with students (even a lot of students) 6/20..... but moving on to a proud OH boast. DH went back to university recently. He is in his mid 50s. He is doing a masters in a very difficult subject - it is all advanced maths and physics with lots of computing. He hadn't done any maths or computing for 30 years. he got the highest mark they ever had on the course for the exams and assignments.

janeainsworth

I am aware that the tax payer ultimately foots the bill but as it is a provision for tax payers, I don't see a problem with it.

I have never experienced story-telling at libraries - even from when I was a child and taken to the library on a regular basis.

I agree that it isn't the responsibility of local business to provide community facilities (although I believe some of the larger supermarkets already are - I know the Co-op does).

Hollydaze Things that are provided by the council may free to the user, but they are not free to provide. Someone pays for them.

The council may be choosing to subsidise tea-dances for the over 60's at the expense of say, repairing pot-holes in the roads, or story-telling for young children at the local library.
But all these things have to be paid for.

But my point was that businesses, not councils, should not be compelled to provide community facilities.

The instances I have given janeainsworth are all provided by the local councils, not businesses.

Exactly Elegran and we are going to one next Friday, aren't we?
But I doubt if Panis would welcome us if all we were going to do was natter all afternoon and not buy any food or

Hollydaze If businesses want to provide something that will increase their footfall and income, that's fine - just look at all the pubs that now provide live music, or have diversified into providing a good restaurant as well as traditional bars, and indeed the many that provide pensioners' meals at reduced prices. Incidentally I do not avail myself of such offers because I think I can afford to pay the going rate, like many other pensioners can.
My local bread shop now does coffee and has tables outside - enjoyed by the older residents, but also by the mothers before and after they have dropped off the children at school, which is as it should be, facilities for everyone, not artificially demarcated groups.

But it is the element of enforcement implied in the report which is to my mind both unpleasant and would add unnecessary layers of bureaucracy to already overburdened businesses.
The box ticker would be along to check that tables and chairs had been provided; then a bean-counter would want to know how many 'old' people had availed themselves of the facilities.
Then Environmental Health would come and inspect the toilets; and then someone from the business would be required to be a Vulnerable Person Protection Officer.
The cost of providing these facilities and all this regulation would be borne by the paying customers - is that fair? I don't think so.

I can't comment on what happens elsewhere but providing free facilities isn't uncommon in some countries. In Spain, down the road from where we lived, was the community open-air swimming pool. On my first visit to this full-sized pool, I asked the pool attendant how much to use the pool. He looked puzzled and said 'it is free, paid for by your rates'.

On the Island, there are several park-based cafes that run tea-dances for the over 60s and they are quite popular. At the Villa Marina, in Douglas, there is also a Friday night (I think it's Friday) dance night for anyone that enjoys ballroom/Latin American dancing.

One swimming pool, that I know of, offers a 'Silver Swim' where older people can enjoy the pool without the fear of being mowed down by torpedo swimmers and children; the fee to get in is greatly reduced for that session.

I don't see it as positive discrimination but more acknowledging that an older population require different leisure pursuits and, as they can often be a vulnerable group, cannot always afford to pay full price - this is a way of ensuring that they can still take an active part in some activities.

JaneA And are local businesses etc likely to do that?

There are already free places to meet with no room hire - they are called cafes, and some of them supply excellent home baking (but that is not free)

Here are some more gems from the report:

"Free places to come together
(community centres – with no charge for
room hire!).
Local high street shops offer up their
space for community groups to meet and have toilets available for older
people. "

Do older people really need this sort of positive discrimination whereby other age-groups have to pay for facilities and older people don't?
Why should local businesses, already struggling with business rates and competition from the supermarkets that local authorities have allowed to swamp the markets, be compelled to provide free facilities for older people?

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/communities-must-be-more-fun-for-the-elderly-to-combat-loneliness-says-age-uk-9579808.html

I think this works.
Swings for Oldies at bus stops, eh?

Just improving ordinary bus services might be an idea.

For many years I have made a monthly donation to Research Into Ageing.
A few years ago, it was subsumed into Age UK.

If this report, which to my mind is total b*ll*cks, is what they are spending my money on, I will be cancelling the standing order.

I read the report in the Independent and my heart sank - why can't I just keep doing what I'm doing?

I would have thought that most older people have better people skills - or a least are less likely to slouch around saying "Whatever". On the other hand some (DH?) will never develop people skills if they live to be 150!

Something funny is happening, Anyway the report was in the Independent today.

See if it works this time

automatic linking of age with a disability

You are spring chicken !! 55 is nowt !!

Onwards and upwards I say !!

automatic linking of age with a disability

Those pesky brackets!

As some may know, I'm job hunting again. I don't give my age or DOB in my CV, although I think that my life experience is a definite plus, as is that fact that I will never need to go maternity leave! (55 and hurtling towards 56 with all the grace of a hippo on a skateboard)

It is public ageism that bothers me most. The report that came out today from 'International Longevity Council' encapsulates everything I hate most about public ageism.
[[www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/communities-must-be-more-fun-for-the-elderly-to-combat-loneliness-says-age-uk-9579808.html]the automatic linking of age with a disability]

The automatic link between age and disability. There are old people and their are disabled people, the two groups are not mutually inclusive, the lumping of everyone, whether 60 or 100 in one homogenous group, the acting as if we are children to be patronised and played with (adult swings at bus stops), other ideas will be of use to multiple groups in the community, not just older people (more public lavatories, think how many parents with young children would greet these with delight, ditto benches). Planning activities for older people to keep them active. How about getting older people to take this on themselves?

I want to be treated like a normal member of society, if I have disabilities I should be accessing facilities available to all disabled people. I do not want to be treated as an amorphous mass. At 70 my needs and aspirations are very different from those of someone of 90. We are different generations. Many older people today have parents still alive.

I want to be treated as a normal sentient being, with intelligence and capacity and I do not want to be patronised

I haven't encountered ageism for myself yet. I know it exists and I've seen it in action where others have been the target.

I am in my early 60s. I tried to retire from paid work just after my 60th birthday so that I could offer more support to DDs for childcare, even relocated to make it easier. Have slowly got more and more work as former colleagues/contacts heard 'I had time!' I don't any more!

As a former employer I have employed people of all ages and found that age was not an indicator of experience! As my mother used to say 'It's not the experience you have, it's what you learn from it'! And it is true, you can have younger applicants who have less experience in years but can do the job brilliantly and there are those who have years 'experience' but who do not evolve! Of course the opposite is also true for both younger/older employees!

Just have to see who comes along, HollyDaze

merlotgran - if you had the choice, who would you want to ask a question of and what would the question be?

I can't think of one, single, solitary question that I would want to ask her. I'm sure she's a very nice person though.

So they should, it's their webchat.

It's demeaning to just pick one question. It would be better not to include us at all.

There must be some doddery old politician they can dig out for us?

Only eight questions permitted! Wonder what the ratio of MNrs is to GNrs.

they're doing quite a bit better over there

What's the point?