Issue - meetings

To consider the Ageing Well Programme Annual Report and provide comment and recommendations to the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The Ageing Well Programme Board presents its first annual report of the 5 year programme aimed at making Cheshire East a good place to grow old. The report summarises the work to date, the achievements in 2012/13, and the plans for 2013/14.

Bernadette Bailey attended the meeting to present the Ageing Well Programme Annual Report for 2012/13. This was the first annual report after the Ageing Well Programme had been established in 2012. The programme was seeking to make the Borough a good place to grow old. It was based on seven work streams which reflected the issues that older people had highlighted were most important to them. Bernadette mentioned some of the Programme’s highlights over 2012/13 including:

·         Be Steady, Be Safe exercise classes to help reduce risk of falls.

·         Improving access to information on specialist housing options.

·         Awareness raising campaign about home safety issues and preventing falls.

·         Developing lists of reliable trades people to whom people could be signposted.

·         Establishing the Income and Employment work stream from many diverse areas involved in promoting income, employment and preparing for later life.

The Cheshire Living Well, Dying Well Partnership had been established and aimed to improve health and wellbeing by normalising death and dying in society and supporting a change in attitudes and behaviours to encourage people to discuss and plan for the end of their lives. Plans for the second year of the Ageing Well Programme included:

·         Future development of schemes such as Street Safe and Falls Awareness E-Learning.

·         Reducing social isolation.

·         Tackling fuel poverty.

·         Developing community transport grants.

·         Improving links with other programme to encourage closer working and ensure there are no gaps in services.

The Committee asked questions and the following points were made:

·         The Committee wished to see more intergenerational networking between over 50s and schools, particularly involving computer training for old people delivered by school pupils.

·         Social Isolation initiatives needed to consider how people with mobility issues would be targeted as these people would struggle to leave home to attend events.

·         People were being encouraged to be proactive about planning for retirement and their end of life. The Good Retirement Show would educate people about what to expect in retirement and support people in making decisions for their later life.

·         Parish Councils could use local information to identify the needs of people in their area and plan actions to address those needs. The Programme would engage with Cheshire Association of Local Councils (ChALC) to see how parishes could contribute to coordinating services and community efforts more locally.

·         Some health and wellbeing issues related to stress caused by financial problems. The Programme could engage other sectors, besides health and social care, such as banking and commerce whose services had an indirect contribution to health and good living to publicise what help and support they are able to offer people to improve their wellbeing (e.g. mortgage advice).

RESOLVED:

(a)  That Bernadette Bailey be thanked for attending.

(b)  That the Ageing Well Programme Annual report 2012/13 be noted.

(c)  That the Committee’s comments be shared with the Ageing Well Programme Board.