03.02.14
Commission launches new report on healthy ageing
Cultural factors in ageing must be recognised and accommodated, the Birmingham Policy Commission has urged.
A new report, launched in the House of Commons tonight, explores how good ageing can be achieved in a multi-cultural society and examines the cultural opportunities and challenges around planning services for older people.
The commission calls for policy makers to include cultural sensitivity when planning and commissioning health and social care services, and recommends a new post of Commissioner for Older People in England.
Human rights should be at the heart of health and social care policy, the report states, with more effort taken to give all older people a voice when designing services. Health inequalities in younger life must also be addressed to allow everyone to age well.
Professor Steve Field, Chief Inspector of General Practice for the Care Quality Commission, headed the commission, ‘Healthy Ageing in the 21st Century: The best is yet to come’.
He said: “This is the first time we have looked at ageing in a super diverse society. Birmingham is a multicultural city. Its ‘super-diverse’ population provided an ideal opportunity to explore the implications of ageing for ethnically diverse people from across the world.”
The report found that some communities and faith groups drew on the huge contribution older people make to society and that “sharing this good practice presents a real opportunity for communities of all kinds”.
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]