Empowering older ethnic minority people across Scotland

Our diversity and inclusion team recently held a meeting with the Scottish Ethnic Minority Older People’s Forum (SEMOPF) in our office in Edinburgh with members from across Scotland attending. Since its launch in 2018, the forum has been a catalyst for change in Scotland, raising the collective voice of ethnic minority older people, influencing policy change and challenging inequality and discrimination faced by ethnic minority older people. The forum is chaired by Mrs Mukami McCrum MBE and has 20 members from a wide range of ethnic minorities.

Conservative MSPs Dr Sandesh Ghulane and Pam Gosal also attended the meeting which gave members the opportunity to share issues and to ask questions. There were good discussions about care, health and the cost of living. Julie Turner from the dementia training team gave an engaging dementia information session and Sir Geoff Palmer, scientist, and human rights activist, came along to chat with members.

There were also performers – forum members and Age Scotland staff enjoyed a Tai Chi fan dance and Indian Bollywood dance.

Pam Gosal MSP, said: “It was great to visit the Scottish Ethnic Minority Older People’s Forum event at Age Scotland’s office in Edinburgh.

“Good to hear about some of the important work being done in this area, with some great cultural dance performances to top it off!”

Age Scotland is wholeheartedly committed to working to bring about greater diversity and inclusion for all older people in Scotland and the forum’s engagement and advocacy work is vital in helping to deliver this.

Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, diversity and inclusion manager at Age Scotland, said: “The forum has provided a much-needed platform for ethnic minority older people to have their say about how well, or not, public services meet their needs, identify the gaps, and look at what actions are required to ensure all barriers are removed for everyone to access them. The members themselves offer incredibly valuable insight, shaped by their own experiences and those from the communities they are networked into.”

Get in touch!

To get in touch with the forum, email our diversity and inclusion manager, Rohini Sharma Joshi, at rohini.sharmajoshi@agescotland.org