The power of the ballot box

Sometimes it is very easy to think that we are the only nation in the world suffering from the various dilemmas now confronting us, in terms of, for example; economic woes, an ageing population, pension and care costs, youth unemployment, obesity, drinking problems and healthy living in general. And this list is by no means exhaustive.

But these issues are global, affecting just about every developed nation and many lesser developed nations as well. And the ways in which other countries are attempting to grapple with the situation are as many and varied as there are nations. We should, therefore, look elsewhere and see whether we like the way things are going and whether they provide a good blueprint for us here.

One particularly pernicious avenue of discussion here, both in the media and amongst politicians (notably of the “two brain” variety), is to set “the young” versus “the old”, as though one camp can only gain if the other camp loses. This is no way to solve such problems, especially if it leads to the actual polarisation of society.

The following extract is taken from a recent report from DutchNews.nl concerning the political situation in Holland:

“Fears that pensioners are being hard hit by the government’s austerity measures continue to boost support for the 50Plus party, according to a new opinion poll.

The TNS-Nipo poll says the fledgling party would win 24 seats in the 150-seat parliament if there were a general election tomorrow. That would make it the second biggest party in parliament, behind the VVD Liberals on 28. The party debuted in parliament at the September general election and has two seats.

The Labour party (PvdA), which currently partners the VVD in the coalition government, would be third with 23. The Labour leader caused a stir earlier this week when he said the over-50s are the richest group in the country.

The TNS-Nipo poll puts the Socialists in fourth place on 19 seats and the anti-immigration PVV fifth with 16.”

Despite an attempt a few years ago to set up an “older persons” party in the UK (which appears to have sunk without trace) we must hope that British democracy is better than this. Just look above at who came fifth in the poll, only a few seats behind!

Planning for old age – “at least meet me halfway”

Today’s newspapers and news outlets are almost all carrying a similar story regarding the over 50s “sleepwalking  into old age” with respect to their pension provision following comment by the National Association of Pension Funds (NAPF) and a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies regarding increased life expectancy.

(e.g. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20543308)

Such issues are extremely important as is the allied issue about older people sleepwalking towards an unhealthy old age by virtue of their inappropriate lifestyle choices.

There is no shortage of information on these topics but rather people just do not seem to want to put any effort into understanding these things, matters which are going to affect a great part of their lives in a very fundamental way. Rather like my disappointment at not winning the lottery can be largely explained by the fact that I don’t buy any lottery tickets so individuals must show greater commitment and take greater responsibility for their own future well-being.

We all know it’s boring, we all know the institutions have vested interests (note the focus here on pensions and not other forms of financial provision) and we all know it can be difficult – but not that difficult, not the basics anyway!

So that people can get their heads around some of the issues I attach below the link to a brief description which I wrote a few years ago and which has not changed in the slightest way – except become more urgent.

http://www.inmyprime.info/factSheets/biscuit.htm

Age UK calls for an automatic right to work flexibly

Every worker should be able to do their job flexibly unless a business can justify otherwise, according to a new Age UK report, A Means to Many Ends.

Flexible working practices include working from home, doing flexitime or different working hours, or simply being able to swap shifts.

Age UK believes that an important way to unleash the full potential of Britain’s older workers, many of whom are unable to work conventional hours because of caring responsibilities and the need to balance other personal issues with work, is to change the UK’s traditional and more rigid approach to work

These changes, the charity says, would enable older people to use their years of experience to contribute to the economy and extend their working lives. This would also de-stigmatise flexible working and encourage employers to examine how the practice could benefit their organisation.

Age UK’s Charity Director General, Michelle Mitchell said, ‘With their skills and knowledge, older workers are an invaluable asset to the UK economy. Yet, far too many people aged 50 and over are locked out of the job market because they are unable to work conventional hours, often because they have to care for a relative or have health issues.’

‘In these tough economic times when the UK needs to make the most of its resources, it is just common sense for the Government and employers to embrace flexible working.’

According to Age UK’s report, there are currently nearly 900,000 people in the UK working past the age of 64 and nearly 8 million people aged 50-64 who are economically active. But a further 735,000 people aged 50 and over want to work but are economically inactive. Factors including the UK’s ageing population, rising State Pension age and poor private pension return, mean in the future this number is likely to get even bigger.

The report’s recommendations seem sensible, yet overlook the practicalities of how difficult it can be for smaller employers to accommodate flexible working. Also, it fails to place sufficient emphasis on the fact that a desire to work flexibly in later life is by no means solely related to need. Many older people simply want to work flexibly rather than continuing the full-time grind, and could be tempted to remain economically active or to return to the workplace if more flexible working options were available in jobs other than retail and similar industries.

The report is available at: http://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/age-uk-calls-for-automatic-right-to-work-flexibly/

Joblessness amongst UK’s older people soars by 53%

According to a recent study by the Resolution Foundation, Unfinished Business: Barriers and Opportunities for Older Workers, the proportion of older jobless people in the UK who remain unemployed for more than a year has risen from 33.2% to 44.5% since 2008.

This is in marked contrast to comparable economies such as Canada, Germany and Australia, over the same period. Over a million more older people would be in work if the UK matched the employment rate for 50 to 64 year olds of better performing countries in the OECD

The study also found that older women face particular barriers, with only 60% of older women in work compared with 72% of older men.

The report identifies six key hurdles to supporting greater employment among over-50s: a lack of adequate financial incentives to remain in, or return to, work; significant caring responsibilities; lack of employment support to move back into work, including training; limited access to flexible working opportunities; continued age discrimination; and poor health.

Nothing new there, then. But the problem in dealing with the situation lies in getting a grip on who needs to do what and where to start. Here the report hits the nail on the head when it states, “The overall policy framework for older people, whether working or retired, has evolved in a highly piecemeal fashion.”

Now we have had the legislation and a multitude of “initiatives” what is actually going to change to overcome these barriers – and who is going to drive that change?

The report is available at:

http://www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications/unfinished-business-barriers-and-opportunities-old/

Choice and consequences in the fight for a healthy old age

Constantly we read sweeping and often misleading generalizations in the press about today’s over 50s. Take these two articles which appeared in one recent issue of the Daily Mail:

First was a story about the development of a new ‘polypill’ which Professor Sir Nicholas Wald of the University of London maintains should be given to all over-50s to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Tests showed that taking the tablet every day for 12 weeks gives those in their  fifties, sixties and seventies the blood pressure and cholesterol  levels of twentysomethings.

The proposal is that we should all be taking it. ‘It is specifically designed for healthy people to keep them healthy,’ the professor commented. ‘It is like taking anti-malarials if you are going to Africa – you take them in order to reduce your chance of contracting the disease.’

The second story focused on the rise of eating disorders in older women which apparently have increased by 42 per cent in the past 11 years — leading to all kinds of health problems such as osteoporosis, heart, liver, digestive and gastro-intestinal problems, not to mention depression. Surprisingly, women over 50 — average age 69 — comprise 78 per cent of all deaths from anorexia.

So, on one hand we are all thought to be eating and lazing our way to disaster and in need of mass preventative treatments that will keep us physically as young as in our twenties, and on the other we – women at least – are being criticized for wanting to counteract the signs of ageing and being told to resign ourselves to the inevitable: “our mothers at [this] age would have slipped into a skirt with an elasticated waist and indulged in another cake,” the journalist comments.

While the author of this piece maintained that a desire to emulate impossibly beautiful women celebrities has led to a new anxiety and discontent in older women, I don’t think it’s that simple.
One of the biggest challenges for us all today as we age is that we have unprecedented amounts of choice.  And exercising that choice and making those decisions about what we want and need and have to do is hard.

Should we choose to take the easy option and decide that polypill protection is an easier path than living a healthy lifestyle?  And should we, men and women, choose to disregard aspirational role models that perhaps in earlier years encouraged us to up our game and slump into invisible comfort rather than taking a robust stance against some of the unwelcome signs of ageing such as grey hair, increased weight and lack of flexibility?

As a nation of elders it’s surely time we grew up, got a grip and took greater responsibility for ourselves and our futures – physical, financial and emotional – so that attitudes such as this become irrelevant.

Yes, we’re ageing, and yes it isn’t always all great,  but aren’t we lucky to be alive for longer to enjoy it?

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2175493/Polypills-Why-50s-offered-slash-risk-strokes-heart-attacks.html#ixzz213UC4fPX

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2175610/An-obsession-looking-Fab-Fifty-rise-older-women-eating-disorders.html#ixzz213TiTzBe

Midternships: a hands-on way to support and encourage older workers’ career change

I was interested to read on the US SHiFT website about their new pilot programme designed to help people at midlife gain hands-on work experience in a new career field. “Midternships” are the equivalent of internships for older workers. Through them,

• Workers at midlife gain on-the-job documented experience in a new career.
• Employers gain valuable temporary help from a qualified pool of experienced, motivated, and skilled workers.
• Once inside an organisation, Midterns may also become candidates for fulltime employment.

Of course this still doesn’t get round the issues associated with the fundamental acceptability of unpaid internships and the fact that older people may be less likely than younger individuals to be able to work for nothing (though this is debatable), combined with the potential loss of face that may accompany it.  

Also, according to SHiFT, “Currently, about two-thirds of our Midterns are working in non-profit organizations. Less than one-third work with for-profit companies.” So, some questions around that too along the lines of where does volunteering stop and midternship begin?

However, all issues aside, it’s good to see a new term for a new concept and a new way to help overcome the barriers of ageism and the difficulties older people face in making a career change in later life.  

Watch that space…?

http://www.shiftonline.org/Midternships.aspx?goback=%2Egmp_4306411%2Egde_4306411_member_102113776

Proof that innovation isn’t the prerogative of the young

An inspiring story in today’s Metro concerns two women who four years ago, in their fifties, established Incredible Edible – a food growing and sharing scheme which has now been adopted internationally.

To date, more than 30 other areas in Britain have taken on the name and similar schemes are running all over the world.

Incredible Edible was founded by Pamela Warhurst and Mary Clear – now 61 and 56 respectively who wanted to cut through all the red tape that often comes with community projects and just get out there and grow.

Incredible Edible relies on volunteers and donations and a refreshing “can-do” attitude. ‘We never envisaged that it would become a world movement,” said Mary Clear. “We have no staff, no office, no filing cabinet or telephone number other than our own, and yet a world movement has happened. …We had the balls to stick with it and carry it through, without referring to the usual models – consultants and bureaucracy.”

This is a wonderful example of older people’s entrepreneurial activity, energy and passion which we know is there in bucket loads and about which we should hear more. Any more examples anyone?

PS: The only downside of the Metro article is that the accompanying illustration is of a random young woman. Why no picture of the two ladies themselves, or at least a photo of an older gardener?

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/newsfocus/901280-incredible-edible-launches-scheme-to-grow-and-pick-food-anywhere#ixzz1x61510mf
 

 

Supporting individual employees in building up career resilience and longevity

In a recent piece in HR Magazine Penny de Valk, CEO of Fairplace Cedar argues for greater support for older workers. She comments:

“To attract and retain the best and most varied talent, businesses need to support individual employees in building up career resilience and longevity.

Steps that businesses can take to achieve this include:

• Asking why employees come to work. Understanding employees’ values and motivations enables businesses to maximise workers’ sense of purpose
• Helping individuals to understand how they contribute to the organisation’s goals. Setting clear, achievable objectives keeps morale high
• Ensuring individuals have someone to whom they can turn to for support. A career coach can help mature workers to plan for the long term”

All of these seem blindingly obvious basic steps. So why – by and large – isn’t this happening?

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1073217/businesses-support-workers-rewarded-full-house-experience-dedication-energy

“Madonna generation” of women aged over 50 defy jobs recession

In its latest Work Audit report, published today, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) looks at how the jobs recession that began in 2008 has affected men and women across the age spectrum:

The report Age, gender and the jobs recession, which is based on official statistics from the Labour Force Survey paints, at least in some areas, a largely encouraging emerging picture for older women workers, both employed and self-employed.

However, such a report, also put into context with a detailed analysis of today’s latest employment figures, needs more space than can be given here.

Below is a link to CIPD’s own press release and above a link to the report itself.

http://www.cipd.co.uk/pressoffice/press-releases/Madonna-generation-women-over-50-defy-recession-180412.aspx

Nothing new to say about ageism

An article in yesterday’s Observer was entitled Ageism is back as unemployed over-50s struggle to get back into work. From this one might have hoped that it would have revealed some deep but profound secret that we weren’t aware of in that somewhere, for a period of time, ageism had gone away.

Well it didn’t and it hasn’t. There was no new news and certainly no good news in this piece.

The Work Foundation Director commenting that “The older worker had not fared too badly over recent years, and there were more over-50s in work now than before the recession” really missed the point.

The problem with ageism largely isn’t in the workplace itself it’s with older people trying to get back into the workplace – two entirely separate issues.

The reason there are more over-50s in work is probably twofold; there are more over-50s around, and those with jobs are staying on in work longer, for a variety of reasons.

The optimist in me says that, over time, if there are more older workers around, employers will appreciate more what they have to offer and this will eventually translate into actually recruiting new older workers. Is this just “pie in the sky” and, if not, how can we accelerate the process?

Read more at http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/apr/15/unemployed-older-workers-struggle-to-find-work?INTCMP=SRCH

 

The European Year of Active Ageing

In case you hadn’t yet noticed:-

“2012 is the (European Commission’s) European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. A chance for all of us to reflect on how Europeans are living longer and staying healthier than ever before  – and to realise the opportunities that represents.

Active ageing can give the baby-boom generation and tomorrow’s older adults the opportunity to:

     stay in the workforce and share their experience

     keep playing an active role in society

     live as healthy and fulfilling lives as possible.

It is also key to maintaining solidarity between generations in societies with rapidly increasing numbers of older people.”

This is how it is described on their website. For more see

http://europa.eu/ey2012/ey2012main.jsp?catId=971&langId=en

Last week, on 6 March, we attended the UK launch of this major initiative with many fine speakers and a TV link-up to the relevant EU Commissioner. Quite why the launch of “2012 as the year of” should take place in March I am not quite sure.

More from the website states:

“The challenge for politicians and stakeholders will be to improve opportunities for active ageing in general and for living independently, acting in areas as diverse as employment, health care, social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services or transport.

The European Year seeks to raise awareness of the issues and the best ways of dealing with them. But most of all it seeks to encourage all policymakers and stakeholders to set themselves goals and take action to meet them. 2012 should go beyond debating; it should start bringing tangible results.”

Unfortunately, a few things stand out.

There were very few politicians, policymakers or employers, as major stakeholders, in attendance. Furthermore, a number of the speakers complained of “pilotitis” or “projectitis” a phenomenon whereby things are started while money and enthusiasm exist, then fall by the wayside until they are eventually re-invented sometime later. And, the continuing problem of lack of clarity about the needs of different groups of older people was once again apparent. Without revisiting old ground, 50 year-olds are different to 80 year-olds!

Obviously it is early days in the year, well early-ish, so maybe more will emerge.

If you wish to “get involved” or would like to suggest appropriate initiatives, do check out their website.

Primetastic! – 50 tips for life when you’re over 50: Kindle edition now out

 

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