Inaccessible public transport, cracked and uneven footpaths, stairs without handrails, poorly lit public spaces and inadequate signage are among many obstacles facing older people, the council says, and they are contributing to social isolation, health problems and productivity losses.
''We have an enormous challenge ahead. We still have a majority of train stations that are not accessible, let alone footpaths, bus stops, seating and lighting,'' Council on the Ageing spokeswoman Anne-Marie Elias said.
'''We will find [the elderly have] more slips, trips and falls which will cost the health system.
''We also need to consider the social cost of people being isolated. People withdraw, they stop going out, they stop socialising. You can't ignore the demographics.''
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 41 per cent of 65- to 69-year-olds and 92 per cent of those aged 90 and older report some kind of disability, and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing says that one in three people over 65 fall each year, with 10 per cent of those sustaining a serious injury.
Yet, 10 years after the United Nations called for world governments to create a society for all ages, there are virtually no laws in Australia compelling local councils, state governments or developers to ensure public spaces are easily accessible for older people.
Four access consultants contacted by The Sun-Herald were unanimous in their criticism of the situation in Sydney.
''We're talking about the absolute basics - trip hazards in the middle of the footpath, adequate signage so people can navigate their way around easily, non-slip surfaces so people don't slip - it seems obvious but these things are falling through the cracks,'' said John Evernden, accredited access consultant with Independent Living Centre NSW.
The Federal Government has moved to introduce minimum standards for access to buildings, but these regulations will not apply to the basic infrastructure that people use to get from A to B.
''There is simply nothing solid compelling governments or developers to consider older people when building and designing the public domain,'' said health researcher Catherine Bridge from the University of NSW. ''The new standards are an improvement on what we have, which is a complaints-based system, but they are about minimum standards, not best practice.''
The NSW Government has baulked at the cost of introducing the new measures recommended in the draft standards. Earlier this year it also elected not to renew the funding for the You're Welcome program, which provided free advice to councils on how they could improve access to public places.
A spokesman for the NSW Minister for Aging and Disability Services, Paul Lynch, said it was ''nonsense'' to suggest the NSW Government was unprepared for an ageing population. ''The NSW Government is ready to meet the challenges of an ageing population through the Towards 2030: Planning for our Changing Population strategy.'' [rc]
Copyright © 2009. Fairfax Digital
October 4, 2009
AUSTRALIA: Sydney no place for the elderly
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SYDNEY, NSW / The Sydney Morning Herald / National / October 4, 2009
By Paul Bibby
A BASIC need of Sydney's rapidly ageing population - the ability to get around in public - has been seriously neglected, according to the NSW Council on the Ageing.
By 2030, 25 per cent of the NSW population will be 65 and older, but poor urban design and inadequate legislation will prevent older people leading active lives.
Inaccessible public transport, cracked and uneven footpaths, stairs without handrails, poorly lit public spaces and inadequate signage are among many obstacles facing older people, the council says, and they are contributing to social isolation, health problems and productivity losses.
''We have an enormous challenge ahead. We still have a majority of train stations that are not accessible, let alone footpaths, bus stops, seating and lighting,'' Council on the Ageing spokeswoman Anne-Marie Elias said.
'''We will find [the elderly have] more slips, trips and falls which will cost the health system.
''We also need to consider the social cost of people being isolated. People withdraw, they stop going out, they stop socialising. You can't ignore the demographics.''
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 41 per cent of 65- to 69-year-olds and 92 per cent of those aged 90 and older report some kind of disability, and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing says that one in three people over 65 fall each year, with 10 per cent of those sustaining a serious injury.
Yet, 10 years after the United Nations called for world governments to create a society for all ages, there are virtually no laws in Australia compelling local councils, state governments or developers to ensure public spaces are easily accessible for older people.
Four access consultants contacted by The Sun-Herald were unanimous in their criticism of the situation in Sydney.
''We're talking about the absolute basics - trip hazards in the middle of the footpath, adequate signage so people can navigate their way around easily, non-slip surfaces so people don't slip - it seems obvious but these things are falling through the cracks,'' said John Evernden, accredited access consultant with Independent Living Centre NSW.
The Federal Government has moved to introduce minimum standards for access to buildings, but these regulations will not apply to the basic infrastructure that people use to get from A to B.
''There is simply nothing solid compelling governments or developers to consider older people when building and designing the public domain,'' said health researcher Catherine Bridge from the University of NSW. ''The new standards are an improvement on what we have, which is a complaints-based system, but they are about minimum standards, not best practice.''
The NSW Government has baulked at the cost of introducing the new measures recommended in the draft standards. Earlier this year it also elected not to renew the funding for the You're Welcome program, which provided free advice to councils on how they could improve access to public places.
A spokesman for the NSW Minister for Aging and Disability Services, Paul Lynch, said it was ''nonsense'' to suggest the NSW Government was unprepared for an ageing population. ''The NSW Government is ready to meet the challenges of an ageing population through the Towards 2030: Planning for our Changing Population strategy.'' [rc]
Copyright © 2009. Fairfax Digital
Inaccessible public transport, cracked and uneven footpaths, stairs without handrails, poorly lit public spaces and inadequate signage are among many obstacles facing older people, the council says, and they are contributing to social isolation, health problems and productivity losses.
''We have an enormous challenge ahead. We still have a majority of train stations that are not accessible, let alone footpaths, bus stops, seating and lighting,'' Council on the Ageing spokeswoman Anne-Marie Elias said.
'''We will find [the elderly have] more slips, trips and falls which will cost the health system.
''We also need to consider the social cost of people being isolated. People withdraw, they stop going out, they stop socialising. You can't ignore the demographics.''
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 41 per cent of 65- to 69-year-olds and 92 per cent of those aged 90 and older report some kind of disability, and the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing says that one in three people over 65 fall each year, with 10 per cent of those sustaining a serious injury.
Yet, 10 years after the United Nations called for world governments to create a society for all ages, there are virtually no laws in Australia compelling local councils, state governments or developers to ensure public spaces are easily accessible for older people.
Four access consultants contacted by The Sun-Herald were unanimous in their criticism of the situation in Sydney.
''We're talking about the absolute basics - trip hazards in the middle of the footpath, adequate signage so people can navigate their way around easily, non-slip surfaces so people don't slip - it seems obvious but these things are falling through the cracks,'' said John Evernden, accredited access consultant with Independent Living Centre NSW.
The Federal Government has moved to introduce minimum standards for access to buildings, but these regulations will not apply to the basic infrastructure that people use to get from A to B.
''There is simply nothing solid compelling governments or developers to consider older people when building and designing the public domain,'' said health researcher Catherine Bridge from the University of NSW. ''The new standards are an improvement on what we have, which is a complaints-based system, but they are about minimum standards, not best practice.''
The NSW Government has baulked at the cost of introducing the new measures recommended in the draft standards. Earlier this year it also elected not to renew the funding for the You're Welcome program, which provided free advice to councils on how they could improve access to public places.
A spokesman for the NSW Minister for Aging and Disability Services, Paul Lynch, said it was ''nonsense'' to suggest the NSW Government was unprepared for an ageing population. ''The NSW Government is ready to meet the challenges of an ageing population through the Towards 2030: Planning for our Changing Population strategy.'' [rc]
Copyright © 2009. Fairfax Digital
