Over 50? Treated unfairly because of your age? Tell us about it

The Equality Commission would like to hear from older people who believe they have been treated unfairly because of their age.  The following scenarios are potentially examples of unfair treatment. We would like to hear from you if you feel you have had similar experiences:  

• Your doctor fails to refer you for medical treatment such as cancer treatment, a hip or knee replacement or heart surgery, because of your age.
• You are denied access because of your age to the full range of mental health services, such as home treatment, that are available to younger adults.
• Your GP refuses to prescribe you certain medication or refer you for certain investigations, such as blood tests or x-rays, because you have reached a certain age.
• Your travel, health or motor insurance has been withdrawn or made excessively expensive because you have reached a certain age.
• You have had difficulty finding a suitable course or attending a course at a college of further or higher education because of your age.
• You are treated with disrespect or patronised because you are an older person by a nurse or care worker.
• You receive poor standards of care while in hospital because you are an older person.
• A computer salesperson makes offensive remarks and jokes based on an assumption about your ability to use a computer.
• A health care professional disregards your choices or excludes you from decisions about your care because of your age.
• Your doctor dismisses your symptoms because you are an older person.
• You have been refused a loan or have had difficulty using your bank account because you are an older person.
• You are an older person in a rural area and have difficulty in getting public transport or out of hours medical treatment because of your age.
• Your optician allows payment for spectacles by installments, but restricts eligibility to those in work. You are a pensioner so you can’t use the payment scheme.
• You have difficulty using public transport, such as trains or buses, because you are an older person.

If you would like to discuss your experiences in confidence:

Phone: Claire McKeown on 028 90 890 851 or Roisin Mallon on 02890 500570

E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

Website:www.equalityni.org

How will we use your experiences?

The NI Executive is considering introducing new legislation into Northern Ireland that will give greater protection for older people against discrimination when accessing goods and services. Your experiences will help ECNI illustrate the type of unfair treatment experienced by older people in Northern Ireland and the protection that is needed under the new legislation.