Senior playgrounds idea catches on

You might recall that sometime last year I posted on a senior playground which opened in Blackley, Manchester in 2008, while similar playgrounds are already proving popular in Europe and China. Well, last week one opened in Hyde Park in London. There is an excellent article describing this on the Age UK website.

Nick Smurthwaite did a review and went with members of his family.

Most people want a speedy end to the DRA

Two-thirds of people support government plans to abolish the default retirement age (DRA) of 65, according to a survey of 1,011 people by charity Age UK.

The majority of respondents (70 per cent) said it was wrong to enable employers to force staff to retire when they reach a certain age.

Plans to phase out the DRA have already been announced by the coalition government but Age UK has called for an abolition deadline to be made clear when the Budget is unveiled tomorrow.

The charity has claimed that £3.5billion was wasted last year because tens of thousands of workers were forced to stop working when they reached 65. It said that people who work beyond 65 generate extra tax revenue and can reduce employers’ pension liabilities. Further government plans to raise the state pension age would save taxpayers billions of pounds, it said.

Michelle Mitchell, director of Age UK, said: "The default retirement age is a hugely unpopular law which is well past its sell-by date.

"Forcing people in later life out of the labour market when they want to work, save for their pensions and pay taxes is nonsense. It makes a mockery of the government's plans to help people work longer.

"A clear commitment to scrapping forced retirement next April is needed to end speculation and confusion among employers and employees alike. It would show how the Government was making freedom and fairness a reality for many people in later life who are denied that opportunity."

Last week Steve Webb, Pensions Minister, hinted that the DRA could be repealed much sooner than the coalition government initially suggested. He said the government’s phasing out approach would be applied “vigorously” and called the DRA an “anomaly”.

Age Uk now launched

Age UK has finally launched itself this month with a number of high profile ads. Here is one of the first featuring Brain Cox.

Older people 'ignored by society'

Nearly eight out of 10 over-60s think older people are ignored by society, according to a new survey.

Age UK, the new charity which combines Age Concern and Help the Aged, asked more than 1,000 people aged 60 plus how they thought older people were treated.

Some 78% said "ignored" and 80% said older people's voices were not heard as much as younger people's.

Almost two-thirds (64%) said they believed working people had a greater voice than those who were retired.

The survey was released as Age UK launches a new television campaign which starts on Monday during the ITV1 soap Emmerdale. The adverts feature the faces of actors Brian Cox, Sir Ian McKellen and Eleanor Bron, who are all over 60, but the voices of different older people from around the UK.

The survey also found 95% of those questioned thought getting older should be a time of enjoyment and celebration and Age UK wants older people from across the country to tell their inspiring stories.

Michelle Mitchell, Age UK's charity director, said: "As a group within society, people in later life often feel ignored and this research clearly demonstrates how this is a reality experienced by the majority. Ageing can present many challenges, particularly for those experiencing disadvantage. Age UK campaigns and provides services and solutions to help improve later life.

"However, we believe an ageing society presents tremendous opportunities that should rightly be celebrated and it is heartening to see that this is a belief held by such a high percentage of those polled. The search to find these inspirational stories is just one way to celebrate later life and is a first step in ensuring that the voices of people in later life are heard loud and clear."

The campaign is been fronted by Diana Moran, best known as television fitness expert The Green Goddess.

:: YouGov questioned 1,076 adults aged 60 and above online between April 9 and 12. The figures were weighted and are representative of all 60 plus adults in Britain.

More help for older workers to find jobs?

Yvette Cooper, Work & Pensions Secretary announced yesterday at the Labour Party Conference that the G'ments Local Employment Partnership (LEP) schemes would be used to create more jobs for older people.

She announced that the government would treble the number of jobs it aimed to create through LEPs - from 250,000 to 750,000 - by the end of 2010.

The new LEP opportunities should be used to offer the over-50s personalised support from Jobcentre advisors to help them get back into the workplace.

There are now 370,000 people aged over-50 who are out of work - an increase of 50% over the past 12-months.

Tom Wright, chief executive of Age UK - formed in April after Age Concern and Help the Aged merged - warned that the support offered to older people through Jobcentre Plus 'routinely fails' the over-50s.

He said: "Some of the support currently offered through Jobcentre Plus routinely fails [the over-50s]. Many of those we spoke to said advisors make little effort to find them jobs to match their skills and experiences.

"We are calling for the government to do much more to improve the support offered by the Jobcentre Plus and to provide financial incentives to employers to take on people aged over-50, particularly those who have been out of work for six months."