Growing older in Wales: Perspectives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic older people

The lived experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic older people in Wales remain underexplored. The Covid-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, including older people, and pre-existing inequalities have been exacerbated. Without a more specific focus, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic older people and the issues affecting their lives are rendered invisible.

In response to this, the Commissioner sought to gather the lived experiences of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic older people through working with the organisations and people with whom people engage regularly. The Commissioner used existing networks and methods of engagement to connect with older people (people aged 60+) and asked those organisations and individuals that facilitate such engagement to gather the personal accounts or the lived experiences of what it is like for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to grow older in Wales.
Older people who took part were able to determine what they wanted to share as part of their ‘lived experience’, and this report was written based on these findings.

Prior to publication, the Commissioner and her team arranged follow up engagement events with the organisations and older people who had taken part, in the format which best suited the groups. Some of these took place as face-to-face events, whilst other organisations received a
video, or written feedback from the Commissioner.

These follow ups allowed the older people and organisations who enabled the research to hear the Commissioner’s findings and discuss how the report captured their views and experiences. During face-to-face follow ups, older people were interested in what the research had found,
and the action that the Commissioner has taken as a result, which, as highlighted in the report, includes work focused on digital exclusion and access to GP practices, both key issues raised as part of this research.