Express & Star senior reporter James Vukmirovic spoke to shoppers in Bilston market about a recent report around ageism and discrimination towards older people
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00So what do you think when you hear about a report that says a lot of people over 65 feel
00:06that they're being ignored or overlooked?
00:08I doubt it.
00:09No, I don't.
00:10It looks that way.
00:11I doubt it.
00:12No, no, no.
00:13No.
00:14As I said, especially in Girlston, they're so friendly.
00:15No, they're not friendly.
00:16But in general, do you find that as you've gone out and about, do you feel that your
00:21viewpoint's been ignored in some ways, or people are looking at you differently?
00:25Well, it's good to be different.
00:28We're not killing.
00:29We are.
00:30Yeah.
00:31This is it, just look at the study, it says people talk about discrimination, they talk
00:36about ageism and sort of just being discriminated upon because of their age.
00:41Can you understand why there is that sort of viewpoint that older people do feel discriminated
00:45because of their age?
00:46I suppose some people do, but some people when they get older, they grumble about it.
00:57I mean, what do you think? Do you think it's the same?
01:01I agree, it's the same. We're in our 80s, so we're alright.
01:06We're quite satisfied with, yeah, how we're treated.
01:11But do you think there's a lot of services for older people, do you think that some places people will sort of go,
01:18OK, they're older people, we'll just leave them to it?
01:22No. No, I don't think so. No, I think on the whole, we're pretty well used to it.
01:34We are. We are. Yeah. Yeah.
01:39So what do you think when you hear a report like that that says that a lot of over-65s feel like they're being discriminated against?
01:48A little bit from the government, I think. I'm especially concerned with the winter fuel ones.
01:56I think, you know, I've worked since I was 15, I'm now 78, and I've played into the system for well over 40 or 50 years.
02:09And I'm sorry, but I'm not discriminated.
02:12And I feel a lot of foreigners coming into the country haven't got a penny in, and then they're taking lots of things out to the country.
02:20And I suppose as well with people who are over 65, do you feel there's also a feeling of people getting a bit more ignored at this stage?
02:27Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.
02:31People sort of ignore you when you get a bit older. You sort of disappear into outer space. In fact, sometimes you become invisible.
02:42That's actually what the report's saying as well. Obviously, half the winter fuel ones.
02:48Some examples of youth farmers you've got that are older?
02:52I haven't particularly, because to be perfectly honest, myself and my wife, since Covid came in and then we didn't go out at all,
03:03we've had a new lease of life, basically, by actually going out now and meeting perhaps younger people and explaining how our situation is.
03:16More of the younger people are now understanding, and you're getting less discrimination than I used to, as you say.
03:24But there can be a sort of conscious bias in some way. It's like a digital car parking. A lot of people maybe aren't as tech-savvy.
03:32Yeah, well, I'll be perfectly honest, I'm quite lucky in the fact that I've got a blue badge.
03:39So, I did apply for a blue badge, which I've got because, you know, I'm a spider and my wife's not very good on her legs.
03:46And we actually now have got the advantage of the blue badge, which I think a lot of elderly people should employ and perhaps get,
03:55which does help you sort of go out a little bit more, because you're available to park a bit closer to where you need to be, rather than having a little walk, you know.
04:08So, what's your reaction when you hear news or hear a report that says that people over 65 feel they're being ignored or almost feeling invisible?
04:16I don't know.
04:18OK, how's that?
04:20I don't know.
04:22What else?
04:24Well, I suppose, can you understand, though, why a lot of people do feel like that?
04:28Oh, I kind of know, yeah. Especially if they're very old.
04:33Do you feel that there's, in what sort of cases, do you think because of the lack of facilities for them, or do you feel people don't listen to them?
04:40Yes, probably people don't listen to them. I doubt quite that.
04:45OK, and some of the things that people have spoken about, they've spoken about technology and smartphones and parking and things like that.
04:56Do you think that there's a lot of technology out there that could be made easier for older people to use?
05:01Yes, I do. I only have my phone for emergencies. I don't use text or anything like that.
05:15And now, people say, oh, you can get it on the South Channel. Oh, no, I can't do that.
05:24Do you think, in a way, that that's almost age discrimination?
05:29Mm-hmm. Yeah.