AN AGEING POPULATION

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• AN AGEING POPULATION
• AND RESEARCH IN WALES

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• Development of Strategy for Older People
• Implementation of Strategy
• Next Steps
• Research and OPAN

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Ageing Population - Key Points

• Wales has a higher share of older people compared
  to the rest of the UK (22 - 600,000)
• The highest concentrations of older people tend
  to be in the rural parts of Wales
• Over the next 15 years the number of people of
  retirement age in Wales will increase to 28 of
  the population.
• The number of very old people (85) in Wales will
  increase by over a third to 82,000.

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• UNDERPINNING PRINCIPLES
• Valuing older people - citizenship
• Engagement and participation
• Tackling Ageism and discrimination
• All aspects - not just health and social care

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Ageing

• Life expectancy is increasing across most of the
  world
• People, especially those in the richer countries,
  experience less disability as they age than
  previous generations
• This is a triumph for health, social and economic
  improvements - TO BE CELEBRATED

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LITERATURE REVIEWS

• Research Literature Reviews produced By UC
  Bangor
• KEY ISSUES FOR OLDER PEOPLE IN WALES
• TRANSPORT, ACCESS, MOBILITY AND RURAL LIVING
• SOCIAL INCLUSION
• LIFELONG LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT
• HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
• HOUSING SERVICES
• HEALTH PROMOTION
• EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE

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PREPARING THE GROUND

• Consultation
• A session on the Strategy at each of the 4
  Assembly Regional Committees
• an all Wales conference to gather evidence and
  seek views of older people and their
  representatives. with Age Concern
• A programme of 27 focus groups to ensure the
  views of older people are taken into account.
  through Age Concern
• Wide ranging written consultation
• An analysis of all evidence by Researcher (UC
  Swansea)

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• Research evidence that some older people in Wales
  have problems of
• poor housing, poverty, poor nutrition,
• lack of opportunity for employment, education,
  leisure
• inadequate transport services, and
  dissatisfaction with health and welfare
  provision.
• perceive an imbalance of power and influence, and
  a lack of respect.
• Age is seen as stigmatising and it is perceived
  that older people are discriminated against.

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Strategy for Older People in Wales

• Strategy - Launched 30 January 2003
• Took account of over 100 consultation responses
  to When Im 64..and more Advisory Group report
• Landmark Strategy the first of its type in the
  UK
• The Strategy will enable all Partners to
• plan for an ageing population
• create a better society for older people
• improve the delivery of services to older people

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Strategy for Older People in Wales

• 5 Key Aims of Strategy
• Citizenship
• Work and Learning
• Healthy Ageing
• Independence and Dependence
• Making It Happen
• .

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PROGRESS

• A Minister with specific responsibility for Older
  People has been appointed Mr John Griffiths AM
• A new Assembly Cabinet Sub Committee on the needs
  of older people to ensure a cross- cutting and
  coherent approach. .
• Explicit funding of 13m over the period from
  2003 to 31 March 2008 to ensure effective
  implementation of the Strategy.

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PROGRESS

• An independent National Partnership Forum for
  Older People - all sectors and majority of
  members are older people
• Develop/implementing Intergenerational Practice
  Strategy in Wales to create better understanding
  between old and young
• Assembly funded Free Swimming for people 60 has
  been commenced on a pilot basis in Wales from
  November 2004. This aims to promote exercise and
  inclusion

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PROGRESS

• The Assembly Governments Free Bus Travel scheme
  improving access to bus services by pensioners
  and disabled people, ending isolation and social
  exclusion
• A Health Promotion Action Plan for Older People
  has been published - October 2005 to promote
  healthy life styles including diet and exercise
• National Service Framework for Older People in
  Wales to achieve consistency in the availability
  and quality of health and social care for older
  people - March 2006
• Provide business start-up support through Prime
  Cymru to1000 older people (by end of Dec 2004),
  bringing about the creation of 250 new
  businesses.
• Link-Age in Wales - a one stop approach to
  maximise income of older people through social
  benefits and pensions - addressing poverty

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• COMMISSIONER FOR OLDER PEOPLE
• Legislation currently in Parliament to create
  independent Commissioner
• Commissioner will be champion for older people
• take account of UN Principles for older people
• influence policy and service delivery
• be a source of information, advocacy and support
  
• speak up on behalf of older people in Wales,
• helping to raise the profile of older people and
• increase awareness about the needs of older
  people
• Commissioner will be in post in 2007

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• POLICIES UNDER DEVELOPMENT
• Housing Needs of Older People - a national debate
  on future trends and requirements including new
  models, assistive technologies. Strategic
  Guidance Spring 2006
• Economic Contribution of Older People - following
  consultation, development of policies that
  recognise role of older workers, life long
  learning and volunteering.
• An evaluation framework produced. Field work from
  June 2006 leading to a fundamental review to plan
  for second 5 years of Strategy (2008 2013)

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NATIONAL SUPPORT PARTNERS Better Government for
Older People Cymru Age Alliance Wales
Voluntary Sector WIHSC Networking and
Partnership Beth Johnson Foundation
Intergenerational Practice
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Local Development through Older Peoples
Champions
Cabinet Members in Local Authorities (political
level) Older Peoples Forums In a position of
inform and influence locally Local Strategies for
Older People Based on Wales Strategy - Developed
with older people
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Equality
Literature Review of research on the needs of
Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and trans-gender older
people Research into the needs and experiences
of Black and Minority Ethnic Older People in
Wales BME and LGBT Networks developed through
Age Concern
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Evaluation

• Framework for an overarching evaluation of the
  Strategy (Prof Vivienne Walters Oct 2005)
• Review and Evaluation by independent contractor
• Collection of key baseline information
• Development of Performance Measurements
• Findings to Strategy Advisory Group (Nov 2006)
• Policy Framework for Strategy 2008 - 2013
• Case Studies
• Longitudinal Study

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Strategy -Conclusions
Good Progress on Strategy Implementation Structure
and Foundations in Place Ownership and
Impetus Only 3years 6 months out of 10 year
timetable Research Base will continue to underpin
development
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Social Services Directions

• POLICY CONTEXT
• Replaces Building For the Future (1999)which has
  been completed
• Complements Designed For Life
• Draws on Rights to Action the vision for
  childrens services
• Acknowledges Making the Connections as the broad
  approach to public service
• COMMON GROUND WITH DESIGNED FOR LIFE
• Centrality of users
• Rebalancing services towards the community
• Importance of professional and user involvement
• Need for a whole system approach

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• TIMETABLE
• Draft in July
• 12 weeks consultation
• Final version - turn of year
• Robust Implementation Framework
• 10 year vision to 2016 in 3 year bites

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Improvement Agenda

• Better assessment and care management
• Engagement of users and carers as a continuous
  process
• More focus on maximising independence
• More reliability, responsiveness and consistency
  in services
• Engagement of the workforce in contributing to
  decision making
• Commissioning for quality and to manage the
  market
• Better joint working within LA and with partners

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Research

• Some of the key priority areas for research might
  be
• Age Discrimination
• Promoting independence
• Challenging dependency
• Assessment
• Active and healthy ageing
• Telecare
• Dementia
• Strokes and Falls
• Hospital care for older people

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OPAN

• OPAN will be a vital resource
• First all Wales network devoted to older people
  and ageing research, informing policy and
  practice
• the significance of older people policy agenda
  and need for research- based evidence of
  evaluation of policies.
• Key developments in health, housing and social
  care
• Also need broader evidence base on the lives that
  older people experience
• Strategic approach to research development
  vital with more collaboration, good co-ordination
  and dissemination