Are The Elderly Still Judged By Younger Generations

8th August 2014

We read an interesting article recently in Care Industry News about society becoming more accepting of the elderly and their mobility needs. It highlighted an interesting fact that the stigma of being useless and frail attached to the use of mobility aids is actually mainly in the minds of the user, not the general public.  

The article discussed a survey conducted by Stair-Lift-Comparison.co.uk which showed that 33% of the 350 users that took part believed that there was a stigma attached to the use of mobility aids, with over a third believing that mobility scooters attracted the greatest stigma. 

However, a parliamentary report shows that the number of UK citizens aged 65 and over will nearly double from the current 10 million to 19 million by the year 2050, so with people living longer, the older generation continues to grow and therefore their is a greater need for mobility products. As a result mobility scooters, mobility aids and stairlifts are a more prominent and a regular everyday public sight. The director of Stair-Lift-Comparison.co.uk, Jason Tate commented: “It is human nature that the more familiar we become with something, the more accepting we are.”

The survey also showed that 81% of those that took part believed that society is becoming more accepting of mobility aids: probably due in large part to this growing presence in society and in pop culture but that the growing acceptance may be linked to the growing number of over 65s in the UK.

We found it heartening to read this article and the report to see that the elderly are starting to be recognised as the respectable citizens that they are and that the stigma associated with mobility products is lessening.

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