[PR] Say No To Ageism Week 2006

Victor

http://www.dublinbus.ie/news_centre/dublin_bus_news.asp?action=view&news_id=562

Say No To Ageism Week 2006
An Action Programme In the Transport Sector

1. Introduction

“Say No To Ageism Week” is an initiative of the Equality Authority, the Health Service Executive and the National Council on Ageing and Older People. The aim of the week is to promote new awareness and understanding of ageism and of how ageism excludes older people from participating in and contributing to society. Public awareness activities to raise awareness and to stimulate practical action to combat ageism within organisations are being developed as part of the week.

Practical action to combat ageism and promote equality for older people as customers is another key part of the week. The transport sector has taken on to champion this part of the week and to provide a leadership by developing and implementing an action programme on these issues during 2006.

Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, Iarnrod Éireann, Rural Transport Initiative, Veolia Transport (operators of the Luas) have developed this action program and are committed to its implementation

2. Combating Ageism

Ageism

Biological ageing is a continuous process that affects us all. However attitudes and practices within society create associations between chronological age and what is and is not expected of a person at that age. This becomes a process of social ageing.

Ageism involves a combination of institutional practices, individual attitudes and relationships. It impacts on young people and older people.


Barriers

Many older people encounter barriers in accessing goods and services. Many of these barriers can be resolved by simple, practical and reasonable measures. Some common barriers include:

* Attitudinal barriers due to a lack of understanding regarding ageing and older people.
* Communication barriers due to a lack of accessible and user friendly information material
* Physical barriers where older people have a disability.
* Service barriers where the needs of older people are not taken into account.


Rationale for Action

Providers of goods and services can contribute to combating ageism and promoting equality for older people. Action by providers of goods and services in this regard is good for older people and good for business. The benefits include:

* An enhanced quality of life for older people
* Responding to the growing share of the market place occupied by older people
* Compliance with the Equal status acts which prohibits discrimination in the provision of goods and services, accommodation and education on nine grounds including the ground of age.


Age Friendly Provision of Goods and Services

Age friendly provision of goods and services is provision that:-
* Does not discriminate against older people and others on the grounds of age.
* Takes account of the specific needs, experience and situation of older people and other age groups in the design and delivery of goods and services.
* Makes reasonable accommodation for older people with disabilities.
* Contributes to promoting equality for older people and other age groups including through positive action measures allowed under equality legislation.
* Communicates a commitment to age equality out into the wider community that is served by the organisation


3. Action Programme

Dialogue with Older People

This will involve dialogue between transport providers and older people to explore issues of concern to older customers, to identify the needs of older customers and how best to meet them, and to review current policy and practice to ensure equality for older customers.
1. Explore the experiences and perspectives of older staff or voluntary members on age friendly employment and customers service practices.
2. Organise meetings with organisation of older people to explore age friendly practices.


Training

Training provisions will assist a positive age awareness among all staff, will support skills development for key staff in promoting equality for older people and will enhance the implementation of this action programme.

Include age awareness training in training provided to customer service staff and front line staff involved in the provision of services.

Develop materials on age friendly employment and customer services provision to include in induction packs for staff or voluntary members.

Include a training module on age equality in mainstream training for staff.

Organise events to support age awareness and skills to promote equality for older people involving key management staff.


Communication

This will involve a focus on how organisations communicate effectively with older people alongside a focus on the messages communicated about older people.

Review and further develop information materials to ensure they are user friendly and accessible to older people.

Use internal publication to profile age related issues and perspectives.

Explore how marketing strategies could further enhance the profile of older customers and could more effectively communicate with older people.

Review language used in signage in terms of how older people are referred and in terms of facilitating older people in accessing services.


Customer Service

This area of action will focus on older people as a specific group of customers with particular needs that have to be taken into account. This focus in the action programme reflects the importance of transport in supporting independent living for some older people.

1. Develop and communicate a policy that includes a focus on age friendly customer services in consultation with older people and their organisations.
2. Develop cross organisational links on this issue between different transport providers and between transport providers and the Health Services Executive.


Promoting Say No To Ageism Week

This action programme will be developed and implemented during 2006. A publication will be produced exploring the initiatives taken during the year and identifying learning for the future. Say No To Ageism Week provides an opportunity to highlight the issues both within organisations and with the wider general public using the transport services.

1. Place posters for Say No To Ageism Week adapted for sites across the transport sector.
2. Distribute the booklet “Towards Age Friendly Provision of Goods and Services”.

mackerski

Without proper hyphenation, the name of this initiative is amusingly ambiguous.

Dermot

John R

Don't you mean hyphenation?

mackerski

John R wrote:

Don't you mean hyphenation?

I do now.

Dermot