Older West Australians say ageism shows up, everyday at the GP, at work and even in families. Thirty seven per cent of West Australians aged 50 and over have faced age discrimination since turning fifty, 28 per cent say it affected their work.
Advocates stress that your rights do not shrink with age and that help is close at hand. Here is how readers can push back with confidence, plus who to call in WA today.
“I still hear people saying, ‘You are doing well for your age,’” says John Whitten, 72. “I am proud of my years, but I am working three days a week, learning new software, figuring things out on the computer and my mobile, just like everyone else.”
That line lands with many readers.
“Ageism does not just influence how society sees older people, it can shape how older people see themselves. If older people constantly see inaccurate stereotypes of themselves as frail, forgetful or out of touch, they start to believe them, leading to feelings of invisibility or helplessness,” says Ms Shawnee Van Poeteren, Advocare’s program manager for advocacy.
A COTA WA spokesperson puts it plainly: “Every time we talk about the issues that affect older Western Australians, age related discrimination comes up.”
This is not a niche grievance. For many, it is the background noise of daily life.
Two years into the State Seniors Strategy, the WA Government’s Challenge Your Bias campaign asks all of us to notice ageist habits and language and to swap them for respect and accuracy. The aim is simple: fairer services, healthier attitudes and more confident participation for older West Australians in work, health and community life. If you want to start today, search Challenge Your Bias WA and download the checklist and conversation starters. Choose one habit to change this week and try it.
Work is a major pinch point. Surveys show that more than one third of West Australians aged 50 and over have experienced age related discrimination, and more than one quarter say it affected their work. That can look like being overlooked for roles, training or promotion because of age rather than ability. The cost is not only financial. It chips away at identity and confidence.
Health care can be another pressure point. So called elderspeak, with pet names, a sing song tone and over simplified explanations, may be well meant, but it reduces understanding and autonomy. Your rights do not change in a clinic. You are entitled to clear options in plain language and to bring a support person. Ask the clinician to state all choices and to write them down for you.
As more essentials move online, digital inclusion matters. Readers now renew a licence or vehicle registration through DoTDirect, claim Medicare in myGov, book GP and specialist appointments on portals, top up a SmartRider or manage concessions, pay Synergy and Water Corporation bills, manage council rates, receive Australia Post parcel notices, use parking that is pay by app and present airline boarding passes on a phone.
When a form or booking exists only on a website, people without the right device, skills or support can be shut out of services they rely on. Libraries and community centres across WA run friendly tech help sessions. One hour with a patient volunteer can turn a brick wall into a doorway.
Family life is not immune. Advocates warn that inheritance impatience sometimes creeps in when adult children treat parents’ assets as already theirs. Pressure about money or titles can slide into elder abuse long before a will is read. Early, confidential advice helps you set boundaries and protect relationships.
“Advocacy organisations like Advocare support rights based approaches for individuals who are impacted by ageism related issues. We are constantly reminding people that rights do not diminish with age,” says Ms Van Poeteren. If something feels off at work, with a service or in the family, you can name it and seek support. Federally, the Australian Human Rights Commission handles age discrimination complaints under the Age Discrimination Act 2004 in a free and plain English process that often resolves through conciliation. In Western Australia, the Equal Opportunity Commission can take complaints under state law, generally within twelve months of the incident, and will explain your options over the phone. Many matters resolve early once everyone is clear on rights and responsibilities.
Language is one of the quickest fixes and it is entirely in our control. Practical guidance recommends asking people how they want to be described, avoiding labels such as the elderly, and focusing on a person’s role, skill or choice. Try this instead. Say older people or people in their seventies. Use role first, such as experienced engineer rather than elderly worker. If age is relevant, ask the person’s preference. Editors and organisations can also check images and captions so that older people are shown as colleagues, carers, learners and leaders. Small edits add up.
Help is close at hand. Advocare, WA’s Seniors peak body for aged care advocacy, offers free and independent advice on rights, aged care issues and elder abuse. Speak to Advocare on 1800 655 566. The WA Elder Abuse Helpline is 1300 724 679 on weekdays. For aged care concerns anywhere in Australia, the Older Persons Advocacy Network connects you to advocates in your state on 1800 700 600. Keep these numbers somewhere easy to find and tell a friend. They are for early questions as much as urgent ones.
John has seen some of this up close. When a service waved off his concern with “do not worry at your age,” he wrote down what happened, asked for the policy in writing and phoned an advocate to practise the words he would use at his follow up appointment. At the next visit he was given all options in plain English and agreed to a plan he felt part of.
“It was not about making trouble,” he says. “It was about being treated like the adult I am.”
His advice is practical. Decide the outcome you want, prepare a short script and take one action this week.
This is not only a Perth story. Advocates say the patterns are similar in regional WA from Geraldton to Albany, where fewer local services can make early phone advice even more important. A confident call today can prevent a crisis later.
Older West Australians are not a special interest group. They are colleagues, business owners, carers, volunteers and mentors whose experience keeps this state running.
“Ageism is an endemic issue and permeates every aspect of the lives of older Western Australians,” says the COTA WA spokesperson. That is precisely why tackling it is everyone’s work. When we include older people fully, workplaces run better, health care feels fairer and communities grow stronger.
Write down one instance of ageism you faced and the outcome you want. Do one thing this week. Call Advocare on 1800 700 600 to rehearse your questions and to plan next steps. Your rights have not diminished with age and neither has your voice.
