Story: Abtisam Mohamed
On 24th of April 2007, over 100 older people from minority ethnic groups attended an older people’s consultation day to express their concerns about the lack of services available to them.
A normally isolated group, they came forward to voice the issues that concern them and to allow them to make recommendations for future action.
The event was organised because of the increasing evidence which shows that older people from minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to face a greater level of poverty and are less likely to have their specialised needs catered for by mainstream services.
The findings from this consultation event have shown results consistent with previous studies which show that elders from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities do not receive the same services as their white counterparts. Lack of service uptake did not indicate lack of need but instead highlights a range of barriers which prevent accessibility. The barriers to participation need to be addressed collectively. Recommendations have been made in the report which presents the findings of the consultation.
To value the contributions of the older people who have participated in this consultation we call for the appropriate bodies in the local authority, National Health Service or local service providers to acknowledge the recommendations and agree a constructive way forward. It is equally vital that local Councillors and MPs acknowledge the issues raised and suggest constructive ways forward which will ensure that older people regardless of their race or ethnicity are given equal to all services.
For further information please e-mail Miss Abtisam Mohamed at amohammed@yetc.co.uk or Mrs Gulnaz Hussain at pacfirvale@aol.com
See the attached report for the full findings.
Also, see the report on Services for Elders from our May edition.