Ms Bridget Sleap:

Certainly it reminds me of some research that is being done at Yale which looked at the very negative images of older people on television and in the media and how that had a negative impact on people's health and their wellbeing. There is, probably, evidence to support the relationship between ageism and physical health. HelpAge International is a member of a coalition of organisations. We did a consultation across 50 countries and asked older people how being treated differently and discriminated against affected them. They said they were made to feel incompetent, that they were useless and that they were a burden on society. This had a huge impact on their mental wellbeing as well. I think it can be harmful in many different ways.