Social Care News

Study finds older people feel stereotyped and a 'burden'

A three-year study backed by the Royal Voluntary Society has found that two thirds of older people feel stereotyped and 61 per cent of over-65s think society sees them as a burden.

The Shaping Our Time study into the views of the over-65s was backed by funding from the Big Lottery Fund and was carried out in partnership with the Centre for Citizenship Participation at Brunel University and the Centre for Social Action at De Monfort University.

The report's findings also say:

• More than half of the respondents (56 per cent) said they felt ignored and 66 per cent said they felt stereotyped
• 62 per cent said they don't feel as old as they are and 61 per cent don't see age as important
• 57 per cent hold the media responsible for encouraging the idea that older people are a problem
• Nearly two thirds (57 per cent) do not use services specifically for older people (16 per cent because services were stereotyped - one comment was they didn't want to be herded into an "old people's creche")
  
• Of those that did use services for the elderly, one in 10 said these were not the services they wanted
• Only a third said they felt the contribution of older people to society was recognised

Find out more about the Shaping Our Time study into older people

Read more about the 'Shaping Our Time' RVS study into well-being and ageing

Download a copy of the Shaping Our Time report