Tewkesbury man feels invisible due to age discrimination
The Centre for Ageing Better said ageism is impacting half of over 50s
New research from the Centre for Ageing Better has revealed the specific impacts of age discrimination on older people. Their findings show half of over 50s in England have experienced age related prejudice.
The charity found for people aged 50-60 this happened most commonly at work, followed by on social media, television, films, and in news reports.
For people over 70 age discrimination was found to occur in social care and healthcare settings as well.
Tony Lush, an 81 year old man from Tewkesbury, has seen a change in how people react to him since growing older. Although Mr Lush said he is enjoying the ageing process he is beginning to feel invisible to others.
Mr Lush, said: "I'm usually on a mobility scooter so I'm down at kids level or even dogs level. I don't feel I'm really being seen.
"I can remember one occasion sitting in a supermarket in my mobility scooter and a woman walked passed and patted the top of my head. I thought that's weird.
"My view of ageing is that what I'm being seen as is different to what I'm actually feeling."
The Centre for Ageing Better are launching their Age Without Limits campaign. They hope it will raise awareness of the issue, stating age discrimination is detrimental to the lives of millions of people.