Voice of Older People

Joan Bakewell, aged 75, a Dame and with a CBE, is a grandmother and has recently accepted an invitation from Harriet Harman to take on this role. She explains "I am not on the government payroll. I retain my independence. I am a spokesman to the government rather than for it. There are now more pensioners than teenagers in Britain and it is important that they are listened to. I am happy to stir up debate." She has recently published her manifesto for a fairer deal for older people in 'The Times'.

Joan Bakewell's manifesto for change

Joan Bakewell was recently appointed by the Government as the Voice of Older People. Below are the key points of her 'manifesto for change':

Government commitment We want to know that considerations of accommodation and care are taking a high priority in government strategy and that local planners will cater for older people.

Financial security Probably the thing we worry about most is not having enough money to fund care at the level we would like. So we want minimum care standards at the cheaper end of provision to be raised. We want a shake up in the patterns of financing care, with the Government making clear what we, after a lifetime paying taxes and insurance stamps, are entitled to. We want government to pressure energy companies to give financial concessions to the older people and for local authorities to consider council tax concessions.

Housing choices We would like to be able to choose between a community consisting largely of our own age group, or to remain part of the broader community, with all the delights and irritations of normal living.

Information There are plenty of charities and grant-giving bodies that can, and do, offer services and help to older people. But we don’t know that they are there or how to reach them. Please let us have a regularly updated directory of all that is available.

Professionalism We need a workforce trained in all the particular skills of caring: not simply nursing but an attitude of compassion and empathy that promotes friendship and wellbeing. We need pay structures that tempt people to do this.

Accessibility We don’t want to be out of sight, out of mind. That means being near bus stops, shops, parks, cinemas, etc.

Science There are great strides to be made that can make life easier for us as we grow less mobile, from architecture to technical wizardry. Competitions and prizes — granny awards — could encourage the young to join in.

Respect We don’t want to be infantilised and patronised by younger generations who know little of the useful lives that we have led. When we are in care we want fewer rules about how we can behave. We want flexibility for our visitors and sympathy for our families. We want more dementia units in care homes and more funding for research into dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

(Edited extract from The Times).

There is an online petition which will be sent to the Department of Health as part of its public consultation on the forthcoming Green Paper on Care and Support Services.