Age Discrimination Paper

Age Discrimination

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Age Discrimination

Introduction

Northern Ireland collectively with United Kingdom comprises of culturally diverse population. This culturally diverse population also consists of ethnic minorities that accounts for about 8% of the total United Kingdom population, as per the census of year 2001 (ons.gov, 2001). Health and Social care sector is exploiting all its practices and approaches, as the need for services is increasing drastically by the travellers, mainly ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland and other parts of United Kingdom. Also Northern Ireland has a rapidly increasing ageing population overall. The main purpose of this paper is to consider the age discrimination that exists within the Health and Social care in Northern Ireland and to some extent in the rest of United Kingdom as a result of age limits, which are imposed on services such as Cancer screening. Main emphasis of this paper will mainly be on multiple ethnic minority groups in Northern Ireland who are particularly vulnerable to the age limits placed in Health and Social care, as a result of which they are dying younger compared with their settled counterparts in the discussion part.  

 The increasing tendency of Health and Social care seekers has given rise to the establishment of community based Health and Social care centres, providing quality of services even at national level. Health and Social care sector is also flourishing as the need of immense care is needed by the people with physical and learning disability and also with the ageing population. Social workers are found to execute their practices in almost all areas of health and social care services, arousing as a result of genetic and environmental factors, age discrimination, poverty, ill parenting, physical disability, abusive carers, drug and alcohol abuse, negligence, domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, being a looked after child and young people living carer houses. This paper will also cover recent United Kingdom legislations, surrounding age discrimination in the provision of Goods and Services.

Discussion

As stated above, the ethnic minorities comprises of 8% of the total United Kingdom population in 2001, and this is reflecting a total increase of 50% of the total population of ethnic minorities in last 10 years (1991-2001), and has further increased during the recent decade. This ethnic minority population comprises of sub-populations of mixed origins such as Caribbean and Africans, Asians such as Indian and Pakistanis, Chinese and others. All these ethnic minorities differ in ethnicity, religion and cultural values. At the same time, they also differ in beliefs to health and social care and services. Moreover, prevalence of certain diseases and disorders are more common in ethnic minorities, as a result of several negative social aspects such as age discrimination, poverty, less privilege to health and social care, racism, physical, emotional and sexual abuse, deprivation of rights to choice and freedom, education and employment.