Age UK report examines ageing amongst Black Caribbean communities
Age UK has published a report entitled, ‘Ageing while Black: the experiences of older Black Caribbean people in England’.
The report covers different aspects of life, including employment and housing, with a sizable section on health that looks at topics such as racism, discrimination and inequalities.
On dementia, the report says:
“Older Black Caribbean people are more likely to report being in bad or very bad health compared to older White people, and are more at risk of stroke, diabetes and some forms of dementia than White older people.”
Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, says:
“Our report shows that racism and discrimination have lifelong impacts – on health, income, housing, and wellbeing – and these inequalities don’t disappear in later life. In fact, if anything they intensify, especially when they combine with ageism to hold people back.
However, there are some highly practical measures that can be taken to make things better for older Black Caribbean people, such as ensuring services are culturally sensitive and carefully targeted where appropriate. Strategies like these don’t carry a big price tag, but they do require a change in attitude by policymakers, based on an understanding that the barriers many older Black Caribbean people face are horribly real and require effective, tailored responses if they are to be dismantled. And the same is often true for other minoritised communities too.”
Read the report, that includes ten policy recommendations, here: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/siteassets/documents/reports-and-publications/reports-and-briefings/equality-and-human-rights/ageing-while-black.pdf