« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
ADDING LIFE TO YEARS
ANNUAL REPORT 2002-03
CHAPTER 6: WIDER ISSUES
Older people form a significant part of our population. There are over 900,000 pensioners in Scotland and 1.7 million people aged 50 or over out of a population of around 5 million. Although the average population is projected to decline over the next few decades, the proportion of older people, particularly the very old, will increase.
The Executive is committed to a better life for older people in Scotland now and to supporting active ageing. This has been defined as 'the process of optimising opportunities for health participation and security in order to embrace quality of life as people age'. In this context health services are just part of a wider picture. National and local policies in fields as diverse as transport, housing, social justice, volunteering and lifelong learning directly affect the health and well-being of older people, especially their ability to participate.
Transport
Transport can play an important part in helping keep older people physically and mentally well. People aged over 60 can make the most of what's going on by using free off-peak local bus travel for a whole range of activities, such as visiting friends and relatives, shopping and using local leisure facilities. There are also specific schemes aimed at providing access to public transport for people living in rural areas. Improved access to transport, including transport which meets the physical needs of more disabled older people, can open up new opportunities.
Leisure and Learning
The range of leisure opportunities increases all the time, and local programmes such as Edinburgh City Council's 'Get up and Go' offer a wide range of activities all of which can contribute to the well-being and overall health of older people. Physical activities, such as walking, dancing and swimming can help people maintain or recover mobility.
Mental activity, everything from lifelong learning to crossword puzzles, helps maintain and develop our abilities and our interests. And for many people activities are linked to getting out of the house, meeting friends and making new ones - all important parts of staying well as we age. Policies designed to increase easy access to a wide range of activities can support older people in this.
Housing
In the past, many older people have lived in housing which did not meet their needs, because of size, condition or location. Such problems can and do impact on health and well-being. The range of policies aimed at improving the quality of housing and living conditions can have positive health benefits as well as enabling people to live in accommodation which meets their needs and their wishes.
Significant steps have been taken through the Central Heating Programme which will ensure all pensioners have central heating by 2006, thus tackling fuel poverty at its source. That scheme will be further extended to people over 80 who have poor existing heating systems.
The Warm Deal Scheme provides a 500 package of home insulation measures for pensioners and those on low incomes. Over 140,000 low-income and pensioner homes have already benefited.
The Housing Act is reforming the improvement and repairs grant system to widen its scope and ensure resources are targeted towards those with the lowest incomes.
Income
Providing dignity and security for older people is central to the social justice agenda. The Executive's long-term social justice targets are to make sure older people are financially secure and increase the number of older people who enjoy active, independent and healthy lives. It is working with the UK Government to tackle pensioner poverty and making progress towards its social justice milestone of reducing the proportion of older people with low incomes. The proportion of pensioners in relative low income households has fallen from 29% (250,000) in 1996-97 to 20% (170,000) in 2001-02. The proportion of pensioners in absolute low-income households has fallen from 29% (250,000) in 1996-97 to 9% (80,000) in 2001-02.
On average, Scottish pensioner households are 1,400 a year (around 27 a week) better off in real terms as a result of UK measures introduced since 1997. No pensioner has to live on less than 102.10 a week, and pensioner couples are entitled to 155.80 a week. The 200 Winter Fuel Payment is available to all pensioners, and has been uprated to 300 for those over 80. Free TV licences are available to all over 75s.
Improving Up-Take of Benefits
Pension credit, from October 2003, will target further support towards pensioners on low and modest incomes, rewarding pensioners for saving for the first time. This will provide just over 400 extra a year to eligible pensioners - around 350,000 pensioner households in Scotland. The Department of Work and Pensions is working with the Scottish Executive, local government and voluntary organisations through a
Partnership Against Poverty group which meets regularly. Partnership Against Poverty will evaluate existing work and consider new initiatives on take-up of social security benefits paid to older people.
Older People in Rural Communities
Older people can face particular challenges within rural communities. The report of the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, which was published in October 2001, highlighted some of the factors which contribute towards poverty and social exclusion for older people living in rural areas. While many of these factors are also common among older people living elsewhere in Scotland, those in rural areas are also likely to be particularly affected by isolation and difficulties in accessing services due to their remote location.
The Executive made older people a specific theme for the Rural Challenge Fund in 2002-03, and provides support for a number of local projects helping older people in rural communities.
Socio-economic Inequalities in Health in the Older Population
There is increasing evidence that substantial socio-economic inequalities in health are present in the older as well as the younger population. Older people from deprived areas are disadvantaged in terms of both the quality and the quantity of life that they can look forward to. Results of the 1998 Scottish Health Survey show that 44% of people aged 65-74 years living in the most deprived areas of Scotland rate their health as good or very good compared to 69% of people of the same age from the most affluent areas. Men aged 65 living in the most deprived areas of Scotland can expect to live for a further 12.3 years whereas men of the same age in the most affluent areas can expect a further 14.7 years - a difference of almost 2.5 years. These serious inequalities in health are not simply the product of the circumstances that older people are currently living in, although these remain important, but rather represent the end result of a lifetime's accumulation of the negative influences on health that are associated with deprivation. As population ageing continues in Scotland it will only become more important to ensure that all members of society are afforded an equitable chance of achieving a healthy and active older age.
« Previous | Contents | Next »