As you may have seen on our social media, we have begun to mark Awareness Days on our LinkedIn page.
We are doing so to highlight the importance of these days and what they represent, including what they mean to members of our network.
We started with International Equal Pay Day on 18th September, as equal pay is sadly still an issue affecting most industries, including retirement living. International Equal Pay Day is observed by the United Nations to represent the longstanding efforts towards the achievement of equal pay for work of equal value. Whilst providers in WiRL’s network have a pay gap slightly better than the UK national average (8.2% vs 9.4%), we know that there is far more to be done. We therefore thought this day was key to mark at WiRL, especially since we were founded to work towards achieving equality in the retirement living industry, and equal pay is a key part of this.
On 1st October, we celebrated International Day of Older Persons which aims to recognise the contributions of older individuals and to highlight issues affecting them. This day is an important and necessary celebration for the retirement living industry, given that older people are at the heart of everything we do. The theme of the day this year was "'Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide", promoting awareness about the importance of ensuring that people can grow old with dignity and purpose. This is, of course, a core aim of the retirement living industry.
18th October marked World Menopause Day, an important event organised by the International Menopause Society and World Health Organisation to raise awareness and educate people about menopause. At WiRL, we believe it is vital to mark this day, as Menopause is an issue that at least half of the industry has or will face, and its impact continues to be under-recognised. All older women will have been through Menopause, and many women working in the sector at the moment are going through it, so it is important to break taboo and raise awareness about the symptoms of Menopause and the support options available. The theme for 2024 is Menopause Hormone Therapy, which many women in the industry may either be receiving or thinking of taking, making it key to have conversations around this.
October is also Black History Month, which originated in the USA but is now celebrated globally. Black History Month gives everyone the opportunity to share, celebrate and understand the impact of black heritage and culture. This year's theme is "Reclaiming Narratives", aimed at recognising and correcting the narratives of Black history and culture. We are thrilled to spotlight Pannel Croft, a retirement living scheme that has a predominantly Black resident base, to showcase the stories of residents living there.
We will continue to mark Awareness Days in the coming months, including the following:
International Day for Persons with Disabilities - 3rd November
Holocaust Memorial Day - 27th January
LGBTQ+ History Month - February
International Women's Day - 8th March
Global Accessibility Day - 18th May
If you are interested in sharing your experience related to any of the above or have any ideas on how we can mark these days on our social media, please feel free to get in touch at info@wirl.uk.
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