FIGURES released by NISRA show that Northern Ireland’s ageing population is growing and this has come as no surprise.
The demographic changes that we are seeing are part of a global trend and as in the rest of the world, improved health, lifestyles, and the prevention and treatment of disease are all contributing to increased longevity.
The increase in our older population is great news and something which society is set to benefit from. A few years ago my office produced a report which showed that the total net value of the contributions made by older people will be £24.7 billion over the next 50 years.
Many families could not run smoothly without grandparents offering childcare and community and charitable organisations rely heavily on older volunteers who give up their time and expertise freely. Many older people are also the primary carers for their spouses or siblings.
Lots of older people choose to continue working into their older years so that they can remain active, socialise with others and use their experience to help younger colleagues. However, as the state pension age has increased, others are forced to work for longer for financial reasons, despite wishing to retire. Whilst working for longer suits many older people, this is not appropriate for those who have a physically demanding job or who have developed age related illnesses. Support for informal carers, flexible working and retraining opportunities must be considered by Government and employers if we are to harness the potential of an ageing workforce.
Government increases to the state pension age and the way those changes have been notified to upcoming retirees have created much concern amongst the 55 plus age group. Women are particularly subject to inequality as their state pension age has seen the fastest and most significant change.
In Northern Ireland, not only are people living longer lives than ever before, they are also living in better health. However, many older people, particularly those aged 85 and over, will need more care and it’s vital that all of the support is there when they need it.
Over the past few years, older people have told me that they are worried about what they can expect from public services. There is no doubt that an ageing population will lead to an increased demand on the health service and too often, older people hear frightening stories in the media about waiting times for health appointments and crisis situations in A&E departments.
It is clear to me that public expenditure, particularly on health and social care services, will not be increasing at the same rate as the ageing population so the challenge for government is to see how budgets can be spent more effectively. There must be new and better ways of delivering services, and older people must be involved in these decisions. Comprehensive planning and innovative thinking will be required in order to ensure that all of the services and support required by older people will be available, when and where it is needed.
As Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland I find the latest population projections to be excellent news. Society has much to gain from an ageing population but only if government properly plans for it. Unfortunately there has been little evidence to date to suggest that this is happening; the sooner this changes the better.
