What is the Older Peoples Strategy for?
The strategy’s vision is to improve the quality of life and health of older people in Gateshead.
How will it do this?
The strategy sets out what the Gateshead Older People’s Partnership plans to achieve in relation to services for older people. It explains the outcomes we hope to see and how we plan to achieve them.
Gateshead Older People’s Partnership brings together representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure that services for older people are appropriate to their needs. Delivery groups formed from these representatives and others will work together, carefully improving and monitoring these services to try to ensure the highest quality of life and health for older people.
Why do we need an Older People’s Strategy?
It is widely recognised that we live in an ageing society. In 2007 we reached a significant point where for the first time there were more people over the state pension age than there were children.
In Gateshead, older people make up a larger portion of the population than the average nationally, and these numbers are expected to increase significantly in coming years. This situation will be challenging for the many organisations that provide services to older people. There will in particular be growing pressure on already tight budgets. The Older People’s Strategy aims to ensure that the quality of services is never compromised, and meets the needs of our older people.
A key part of the work on the new strategy was to consult with older people to look at what they have told us are the important things for them. Priorities were also identified from National and Local policy and strategies, and the latest evidence base, including looking at what will make the highest health impact. From this, four key themes have been developed around which the strategy will focus:
Theme 1 – Making a positive contribution
Older people have told us that they would like to have their skills, knowledge and experience recognised and valued. Also, they would like increased opportunities for older people to participate in a range of inclusive activities which promote better emotional health and wellbeing and reduce social isolation.
Theme 2 – Being informed
Older People have told us that they want opportunities to try new things, meet new people and go to social events. Also, they need to know where to go for information about resources and services. To do this, they need access to accurate and appropriate information and advice about a range of opportunities in their area. They also need information to help them make the right choice and decisions about their care and support that they need in the future. Older people would like to exercise independence, choice and control over their lives.
Theme 3 – Living Well
Living Well is about having good quality affordable housing which meets the needs of the individual. It is also about being able to live in a clean, safe neighbourhood, being able to get out and about and having enough income to enjoy life. Older People would like to feel safe and secure at home and in their community, with a range of accessible services including good information and appropriate accommodation.
Theme 4 – Keeping healthy and active
Better health to live longer with better quality of life and fair access to services. There is overwhelming evidence to show that the longer we remain both physically and mentally active, the better our health and well being as we age. People in Gateshead die on average eight years earlier than in healthier parts of Britain, so increasing life expectancy is a very important part of the Gateshead vision of a healthy and active Gateshead.