News
The Employers Forum on Age joins The Age Action Alliance
3 October 2011
Coming together to improve the lives of older people
The Employers Forum on Age (EFA) announced that it is joining dozens of organisations from across the voluntary, private and public sectors who are coming together to celebrate the lives of older people and address the challenges of our ageing society.
The Age Action Alliance, launched today to coincide with Older People’s Day celebrations, will work together to improve the lives of older people and help transform communities into better places to grow older.
As the first national initiative of its kind, the Alliance aims to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged older people, prevent deprivation in later life and challenge age discrimination.
It will build on successful projects developed by the voluntary and private sectors and Government programmes and will champion innovative ways of working to deliver practical solutions.
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith said: "Just as we recognise the real opportunities of an ageing society we need to be alive to its challenges. We have a huge number of organisations doing fantastic work to get older people engaged in their local communities – the Age Action Alliance is about getting them together, talking to one another, and sharing ideas about how social justice can be achieved for older people at a local level."
Denise Keating, CEO of The Employers Forum on Age, commented: “With average life expectancy increasing, it is vital that society adapts alongside this. We are proud to be part of a group of organisations that will make a difference in improving the lives of the older generation in our community.”
The vision of the Age Action Alliance is that it will be informed by older people themselves. It will tackle several issues relevant to older people, including public health and active lifestyles, safe warm homes, improving the lives of excluded groups, combating loneliness and isolation, working on age-friendly neighbourhoods, promoting digital inclusion and new attitudes to ageing.