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Older people’s lives will continue to be under threat because of ageism‚ unless the Government acts to ensure age discrimination is prohibited by upcoming legislation‚ according to a new report from Age Concern.

The failure of public authorities to outlaw discrimination means that older people are all too often denied life-saving treatment‚ discouraged from accessing vital health tests and denied transforming health and social care and mental health services. In-built discriminatory regulations‚ unfair practices and ageist attitudes all combine to mean older people – the primary users of health and social care – often receive inferior care and unequal public services.

“Age of equality? Outlawing age discrimination beyond the work place” is published ahead of the Government’s Discrimination Law Review‚ which is due later this month. The Review will publish recommendations for the Single Equalities Act‚ which aims to bring together the existing legislation on protection against discrimination – and Age Concern is calling for it to include greater protection for older people.

The Age Concern report outlines the potential importance and impact of age discrimination protection – especially for the most vulnerable older people. It calls for public authorities‚ such as local and national government and the NHS‚ to be placed under a legal duty to promote age equality in every aspect of their work.

Existing forms of discrimination mean that anyone over 65 with mental health needs is not included in mainstream services‚ and so receives less funding and reduced services. There is also overt discrimination in breast cancer treatment and bowel cancer tests‚ and many older report receiving inferior health and social care.

Despite experience of ageism being three times more common than any form of discrimination – nearly one in four people (23%) has experienced some form of age discrimination – older people can also legally lose out on important goods and services simply because of the date on their birth certificate. Age Concern’s report calls for light-touch protection against unjust discrimination in goods and services. Discrimination is pervasive across all aspects of the lives of older people: insurance‚ car hire and financial products are often denied to people over certain ages‚ or at an extortionate premium; volunteers often experience cut off ages; and older people can be denied membership of clubs and association or admission to places of entertainment.

Gordon Lishman‚ Director General of Age Concern‚ said:

“At present‚ older people can be openly and unfairly discriminated against simply because of their age. It means they can be denied life-saving or life-enhancing medical treatment‚ it means that they are unfairly charged a premium and it means they can receive inferior service simply because of their age.

“Age discrimination has been left behind by legislation for other forms of prejudice‚ legislation that has made a real difference to challenging unfair discrimination. It is now time to offer the same protection for older people who have‚ for too long‚ been treated as second class citizens.”

Notes to editors

Case studies and spokespeople are available. Contact Samuel Heath on 020 8765 7512 for more details

Examples of individual discrimination included in the report includes:

• Andrew‚ in his late 60s‚ was refused holiday insurance cover by several companies because of his age. He said: This gave the feeling of rejection as a human being. Eventually‚ one company accepted the risk at a very heavy premium but even then excluding certain destinations.
• Stella‚ who is in her 80s‚ found that she did not have the right to buy her home because she was over 60 when she moved in. She has been a council tenant for 56 years.
• Charlie‚ who is in his 60s‚ was rejected for a working holiday with a national conservation charity. When he challenged this‚ he was told: “After many requests‚ some holidays are for under 40s because they prefer a holiday where they don’t have to socialise with ‘the oldies’.”
• A keen golfer and winner of two county competitions‚ Derek wanted to join a local golf club after he moved house. He was surprised and upset when his application was refused because of his age‚ and commented: They have told me that at 58 I am too old; Gary Player and Arnie Palmer‚ in their seventies‚ might disagree.
• Pete has a learning disability and regularly attended a local authority-funded training centre – his only opportunity to socialise with anyone apart from his mother. When he reached 65‚ he was told he had to leave. An alternative day centre for older people could not accommodate Pete because of his learning disability. Pete was told that‚ because he was no longer of ‘working age’‚ it wasn’t essential for him to attend day care at all.
• Jennifer‚ who has learning disabilities‚ had been living in a care home catering specifically for her needs until the age of 65. At this point she was made to leave the home‚ because it is only registered for the 18 to 65 age group‚ and had to move into another home designed for people with dementia.
• A research report on older volunteers quoted one women who had been ‘retired’ from voluntary work following the arrival of a new manager who claimed that there was a legal cut-off point at 70. She said: You finish at Christmas…they didn’t tell you why…. when you got to 70 there was a law that came out that you’d all got to retire.
• Tony had been a volunteer flying instructor with his local gliding club for over 30 years. On reaching 70‚ he could only continue giving full flying instruction by taking an expensive medical examination‚ based on rules which he believes are outdated as they fail to reflect current risk levels of cardio vascular problems. He remarked: As a very fit 72 year-old who does well over ten times the average amount of flying in a year‚ I am aggrieved that I cannot pass on my skills.
• A leading retailer offers annual multi-trip insurance cover only to travellers up to the age of 70. For those aged 66 and over‚ there is a premium loading of 100 per cent. In contrast‚ the premium loading for winter sports is 35 per cent. Frances‚ from Surrey‚ used to get family travel insurance cover for £50. She reported: As soon as my husband turned 65 it went up to £130. From one day to the other he’s no less fit!
• Gerald‚ who is a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists‚ needed to hire a car after a double decker bus wrote off his nine-month-old Jaguar. “The local car hire company was happy to rent a car to me but hearing I was 78‚ they informed me that their insurance company would not allow it.”
• Theresa‚ aged 70 and in excellent health‚ runs a successful small business. Last year‚ she wanted to buy a large studio but a high street mortgage lender refused her a mortgage because of her age‚ even though she owns collateral in property worth over £2 million. Theresa was forced to borrow money from an overseas lender at twice the high street interest rate.
• Keith‚ who is 78‚ wanted to buy a TV from his local electrical dealer using their ‘buy now‚ pay in 12 months’ scheme. But when the firm found out his age‚ they turned him down. He commented: I would have thought that they‚ or their financial suppliers‚ could have built insurance into the scheme to cover their financial position in the event of an early demise.
• Robert‚ a GP aged 62‚ was turned down by thirteen income protection schemes in six months. He remarked: Only one insurance company would accept me‚ at a derogatory rate‚ which is an excuse for rejection….