Isn’t it time for us to stand up?

I am 72 later this year and still work 3 mornings a week and volunteer another day. I have some health issues , for which I am awaiting an operation and found my pre op tests and appointments really showed excellent service at the hospital so no complaints there.

I don’t feel old at all and don’t feel I am discriminated against ( still feel annoyed about WFP but that’s life)

The older I get the more I feel able to stand up for myself !

I'm 77 and I don't think I am unable to stand up for myself, in fact I'm a bit like a terrier with a rat if I get a bee in my bonnet about something and don't give up if I feel that I am being fobbed off with something.

Could the op please come back and explain a little further what the issues are?

There are issues which affect older people more than younger ones. Pensions, accessibility of services, cuts to NHS health procedures such as chiropody, bus passes and availability of public transport and more. Not all older people are impacted and some younger people will be. Nothing to do with attitude or manners. It’s not unreasonable to comment on that, I don’t think.

Pippa22

I think often us older people bring the way we are treated on ourselves.
I find that I’m really happy in younger peoples company and I love and respect teens and twenties. I volunteer in a charity shop and find the younger shoppers on the whole polite, upbeat and friendly, a real credit to their upbringing. Older people can be quite rude and demanding.
Anyway I hate being in any compartment and try to keep up to date with current issues which avoids feeling detached and harking back to the past.

Yes! One of the things I like about being older is that younger people treat you like you are funny and a bit eccentric, especially when it comes to technology.

I think they appreciate our honesty and the stories we tell. It is all in the attitude I think and manners are still important regardless of age.

I could give lots examples of kindnesses shown me in my everyday life- but it would take up too much time!

Pippa22

I think often us older people bring the way we are treated on ourselves.
I find that I’m really happy in younger peoples company and I love and respect teens and twenties. I volunteer in a charity shop and find the younger shoppers on the whole polite, upbeat and friendly, a real credit to their upbringing. Older people can be quite rude and demanding.
Anyway I hate being in any compartment and try to keep up to date with current issues which avoids feeling detached and harking back to the past.

But your post is full of generalisations, Pippa . Mainly negative comments about the age group from which you want to distance yourself. You can’t have it both ways.

The only thing I don't like much being in my age bracket is the way we're getting the blame for the cost of housing, due to buying our council houses. Most of us were under the impression the money was going to build more council houses. It's not our fault it didn't. Also people in their 30s and even 40s are still buying their council houses.

I think often us older people bring the way we are treated on ourselves.
I find that I’m really happy in younger peoples company and I love and respect teens and twenties. I volunteer in a charity shop and find the younger shoppers on the whole polite, upbeat and friendly, a real credit to their upbringing. Older people can be quite rude and demanding.
Anyway I hate being in any compartment and try to keep up to date with current issues which avoids feeling detached and harking back to the past.

Someone?

why not you Pattieb. You do the necessary work

OP doesn’t make is clear whether she wants older people to mobilise to advocate for fairness for all people or for particular issues which specifically affect older people. I suspect the latter when she says “not standing up for ourselves”.

There are already several national and international organisations which support the rights of older people:

The Global Alliance (GAROP) of which Age UK was a founder member:

rightsofolderpeople.org/about/

There is also the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Ageing and Older People currently chaired by Rachael Maskell. Baroness Ros Altmann is another officer in that group who tried very hard to force a House of Lords fatal motion on the withdrawal of the universal winter fuel payment.

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/250102/ageing-and-older-people.htm

The most recent activity I can find for the APPG was in December 2024 when Professor Chris Witty, Chief Medical Officer, gave a presentation on Health in an Ageing Society sharing his analysis of the challenges posed by an ageing population, along with a range of recommendations to address disparities in healthcare access and outcomes and enhance overall wellbeing among older people.

Age UK provide easily accessible updates on what the APPG does.

www.ageuk.org.uk/our-impact/politics-and-government/all-party-parliamentary-group/

Then there’s the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) - headquarters in London with 16 active regional and devolved nation branches:

www.npcuk.org/campaigns

That NPC would be a good place to start for someone who wants to be actively involved.

No idea why GN prefers "of" to "into"....

I'm not sure a group of exclusively older people would be taken very seriously. Retired people already get enough bad eggs thrown our way, just for being older than the throwers. In any case, when you get a lot of people together to express opinions about what ought to be done, it tends to degenerate of a full and frank exchange of ideas with nothing much actually getting done.

love0c - some people must be confused by the opening post.
I am.

I genuinely would be interested to know what pattieb means and what she finds frustrating.
If I find something frustrating I tend to complain (formally) about it.
If it's just a small irritation i might just complain on here!
(Sorry all!)

I think it's the same reason that there's no pressure group claiming to speak for all young people, or all middle-aged people. We don't all think the same about issues.
Better to have campaign groups on well-defined issues or ideology.

pattieb I automatically assumed you meant anyone eligible for their pension. Do not know why you have been jumped on.

I’d be interested to know specifically what the OP thinks is unfair.

Which age group of people does she think is getting preferential treatment in comparison?

Feeling so frustrated with the state of things.

What frustrates you pattieb?

Te older people get the more diverse we become. It is vey difficult to think of any body that could just speak up for 'older people'.

There are many bodies around who talk for specific groups of old people, like Age UK who deal with those who need help, assistance and advice at all levels. But politically older people support all political parties from far right to far left, at any given age some people will be ill and disabled others still doing handstands and somersaults, some want age-appropriate clothing, others want anything but.

Agreed, rafichagran. I don’t know why she is getting such a hard time.

Snarky not Sparky.

eazybee

Never mind, Barleyfields.
At 74 there is still plenty of time to learn some manners.

Sorry but I found that funny. I don't really agree with the OP, but Patti should be able to express her views without posters being sparky.

Why not start something yourself. Why expect someone else to do it.

You could look up Silver Voices, OP. That is a group whose purpose is to speak for the over 60s. You may or may not agree with all its points, but as we are such a diverse group it’s unlikely that we’ll ever speak as one.

In general I feel that older people have been very fairly treated. It is the younger people I feel sorry for : with tuition fees and house prices sky high where’s the fairness in that? In what areas do you think we have been unfairly treated?

Never mind, Barleyfields.
At 74 there is still plenty of time to learn some manners.