16 Oct 2023
Rev Peter Crumpler, associate minister at St Paul’s Church in Fleetville, looks at the power of the written word.
Sometimes, something you say or write can have a greater impact than you expected. Last time I wrote for the St Albans Times, I asked whether St Albans and Harpenden were good places to grow old.
I flagged up some of the challenges for older people with rail ticket offices being closed,
supermarkets removing checkouts staffed by people, and the expectation that everyone would be able to access services on their smartphones or over the web.
The response on social media and elsewhere was clear. Many people had experiences of themselves or older friends and neighbours missing out. People who found they could not park their cars because they had to have certain apps on their phones, or older people feeling more isolated as there was no one to talk to at the supermarket.
One response I heard numerous times was this: ‘It’s not just St Albans.’ The issue of older people being discriminated against is one that’s national – as well as on our doorstep in Hertfordshire.
Now the charity Age UK has launched an ‘Offline and Overlooked’ campaign calling for all public services – including the NHS, councils and other bodies – to be legally required to offer and promote an offline way of reaching and using their services.
They say, “Public services are rapidly ‘going digital’. It’s becoming harder – and in some cases impossible – to access day-to-day necessities such as banking, making NHS appointments or even just paying for car parking.
“Older people who aren’t or choose not to be online are being locked out of essential services. It’s discrimination – plain and simple. And it poses real risks to people’s health, wellbeing, finances and ability to participate fully in our society.”
Age UK point out that many people prefer to handle their finances, their bills or their health matters in person or over the phone. They add, “No one should feel forced to perform important tasks online if they don’t feel comfortable.”
Many churches in St Albans and around the country support older people in a range of ways, from drop-ins to lunch clubs and much more. Older people are often active in our congregations and play key roles.
Yet, even in churches, we can sometimes exclude older people by expecting sign-ups for events to be online, or issue emailed information without having paper copies available. Later this month, two new voluntary ‘Anna Chaplains’ will be licensed in St Albans, to help provide spiritual support to older people of all faiths and none. They will be working alongside Maggie Dodd, an existing Anna Chaplain for the city. It’s a significant step, underlining the local churches’ commitment to older people in the local community.
But all of us need to be supporting Age UK and other organisations as they seek to bring age discrimination into the spotlight, and ensure public bodies and companies take steps to ensure seniors can stay in touch.
Because one day all of us are going to be old…
