Age Concern Values

Enabling: we enable older people to live independently and exercise choice

Influential: we draw strength from the voices of older people, and ensure
that those voices are heard

Dynamic: we are innovative and driven by results and constantly deliver for older people

Caring: we are passionate about what we do and care about each individual

Expert: we are authoritative, trusted and quality-orientated

                                         

Our mission is:

 “To promote the well-being of all older people and help make later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience."

We want:

• A society where all older people have the right to make decisions about their lives and the power to influence decisions that affects them. 
• Older people to be recognised for the positive contributions they make to their communities.
• The diversity of our ageing population to be recognised at every level of our society, in every region and locality; and the differing experiences, views and preferences of individual older people to be valued and reflected in the services and products offered to them.

To achieve this, we:

• Campaign to end ageism in five key areas: employment, health, social care, learning and in the market place. Older people are often disadvantaged simply because of their age and such ageism impoverishes not only older people, but society as a whole, because older people’s skills and experiences are not used.
   
• Campaign for an adequate income in later life for all older people and to end pensioner poverty.  Older people have the right to an income that provides an adequate standard of living; and to share in the rising prosperity of the nation.  They should not have to choose between food and warmth; they should have the income to stay healthy, sociable and active.  Ensure that Age Concern is a movement that all older people can relate to; that membership is available which enables their views to be heard and acted upon, and which will provide the benefits and opportunities older people have said they want.

How we do it

We focus on older people who need to develop skills that will help them to live in the harsher economic climate many face through escalating council tax and utility bills as well as severe loss of planned pension income.

Why we changed

For a number of years we helped the same small group of 80 older people as they advanced in years and tried to provide services appropriate to their changing needs. This produced a programme that was reactive and led us towards a provision of care with more exacting standards that no-one could afford to provide and required professional standards of care that volunteers could not give.

We decided to discontinue with the provision of services that required care skills which many believe is the domain of health and social service providers. Since then we have redeveloped the organisation.

Helping you to help yourself

We wish to support older people in a broad spectrum of help that will develop their ability to help themselves. Our aim is to assist them to successfully manage their lives, socially and economically, through continuing employment where appropriate and with a respect for the local environment in which they live.

Older people who are increasingly confused by the complexity of modern living tell us that they need uptodate, accurate information. They want to meet the difficult times in life with the reassurance and support of a mentor.

 There is a growing demand for patient computer helpers who give confidence and fun to learning and for software that helps them manage and develop their lives and businesses. These are some of the things that we try to do.