Building a Society for All Ages

Building a Society for All Ages is the Government's strategy (July 2009) and it builds on the 2005 strategy "Opportunity Age" which has according to the HM Government website largely implemented.
The new strategy sets out "a programme of action to support the changes for individuals, for families, for the workplace and economy and for public services and communities."

Changes in law made saving for retirement fairer and easier than before and the current Equality Bill will outlaw unjustified discrimination on the basis of age in the provision of goods and services. The Care and Support Green Paper addresses the care needs of an ageing population.
The strategy takes into account that we have a demographic change and more older old. So the government also calls for a "shift in attitude and behaviour across society so that old age is no longer perceived as a time of dependency and exclusion".

On the government's website they continue listing services they offer which apparently help people of all ages. They mention the "new interactive 'one stop shop' for helping people planning ahead" (I haven't found this one yet). There is a new "Active at 60" package (which includes free swimming). To increase participation for these activities they plan to provide a "all-in one card". There are also plans (and a £20 million learning transformation fund) to offer learning opportunities in later life.

They published a "Families and Relationships Green Paper" in Nov 09 - I still need to find the paper. To make sure different generations have the opportunity to keep in touch with each other they run digital inclusion projects, targeted at giving people in sheltered housing access to new technology. (Here I'm quite surprised - are people who live in sheltered housing not likely to have not have less close family?).

There was a "grandparents summit" in Nov 09. Topics for discussion included how families and childcare services can adapt to better meet the needs of grandparents, the impact of combining employment with care of their grandchildren and ways to provide more information to grandparents more effectively.

The government currently funds 12 intergenerational projects across the country to break down barriers and challenge negative stereotypes. (I still need to find out about those). Efforts will be made to mix older and retired with younger workers in order to pass on knowledge and experience. To ensure mobility the "driving for life programme" will be in place.

Link to the government's strategy.

The Care and Support Green Paper includes a health prevention package and it will raise the focus on preventative services for conditions that often affect people in later life, including footcare, falls prevention, continence care, depression and arthritis.

Link to the Care and Support Green Paper.

And there is a conference "Ageing Population 2010" which takes place on 25th February 2010 to discuss the government's strategy and to hear views from different parties involved e.g. Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation.
Link to the conference.