Today is Older People's Day - a welcome celebration of the contribution that older people make to society. There will be much written, and still more done, to underline the importance of building bonds and relationships between people of all ages. Less, however, might be said about the issue of 'active ageing', what it means to older people and how we might achieve it.
What is active ageing? It is the answer to the outdated stereotypes and negative perceptions of older people that still crop up with depressing regularity in the media, the workplace and in conversation. It means giving older people the opportunity to continue in jobs which they find interesting and worth doing. It means giving older people the chance to continue to practice the skills or profession learned over a lifetime.
It is also something that is sadly denied to many people in their fifties and sixties seeking work. Too often we hear poignant and painful stories of repeated rejection and quiet despair from older people who want or need to work. We need to ask why - and what is to be done about it?
There exists something of a comfortable consensus, shared by political leaders and media commentators, about the need for people to work longer. Siren voices warn us that increases in the retirement age are needed to keep pace with strides in longevity if we are to avoid a crippling pensions bill. Words, however, are not matched by deeds. Government expects people to work beyond State Pension Age - but what help is it giving older jobseekers? At present, very little.
It is almost daily that we hear of new schemes to help young people enter the workplace. Last week the Evening Standard filled its front pages with a call to arms over the issue of youth unemployment, backed up by a high-profile campaign to persuade the Capital's businesses to take on young apprentices.
There is far less effort being put into helping the older generation in the same way. There is no support from Jobcentres for people beyond State Pension Age who are looking for work. Their numbers are not recorded in Government statistics. Instead, people over the State Pension Age are automatically assumed to be "retired" or, more jarringly, "inactive".
The situation faced by people approaching the State Pension Age is also not without its problems. One of the toughest nuts to crack in our current workforce statistics is the high number of people aged 50-64 who are unemployed for 12 months or more. Indeed, nearly half of people in this age group who are unemployed - 192,000 at the last count - have been without work for a year or more - the largest proportion of any age group, including the so-called NEETs. This is worrying for people who may be beginning to look to their retirement, and who feel that they need to work urgently to secure their financial future. Just this week, financial services provider LV issued research which found that over a third of over-50s were planning to delay their retirement for financial reasons. In this context it is particularly worrying that so many of the Government's policies to support people back to work are directed towards the young and have no equivalent for older people.
Government is not the only institution with a role to play. The captains of industry must also play their part. We can carry on trotting out examples of clever company innovations making the business case for older workers, but these are not part of the mainstream. Indeed, a report from Policy Exchange earlier this year made for important but depressing reading, showing that discrimination against older workers by employers remains a key barrier to the employment of over-50s. When the think-tank applied for 1,200 jobs as both a younger and older worker, the 25 year-old applicant got a positive response twice as often as the 51 year-old. Despite the progress made - and indeed the very clear laws designed to prevent this kind of discrimination - there remains a culture of bias against older workers. So much for progress.
Perhaps we shouldn't be too disheartened. Many older people are contributing much in experience and skills. The last set of employment statistics showed the highest level of people aged over 65 in employment - 931,000 - since comparable records began in 1992. However, if we want to truly celebrate active ageing then we must do more. It would be disastrous if older people were not given the support they need and a fair chance to work at precisely the time they are being urged to work longer - and no number of older people's days or talk of building intergenerational bonds will change that.
Chris Ball is Chief Executive of TAEN - The Age and Employment Network, a network organisation that promotes an effective job market that serves the needs of people in mid and later life.
TAEN has just launched its third jobseekers survey that will shed light on the situation faced by older jobseekers across the country. It has been produced in collaboration with Wendy Loretto, Professor of Organisational Behaviour at University of Edinburgh Business School. Please visit www.taen.org.uk to take part or to find out more.