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Delivering for older people in rural areas: a good practice guide
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 11p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The proportion of older people in England’s rural areas is significantly higher than in urban areas. It is a trend that is likely to continue, as more people move to the countryside for quality of life reasons in their 40s and 50s and stay on into retirement. With an increasingly active older rural population many of whom continue to work beyond retirement age or contribute to the life of their community through voluntary work, there is a need to re-examine what it means to deliver for older people in rural areas. Policy makers needs to look beyond a focus on health and social services, to look at all rural services which impact on the lives of older people including leisure, transport, crime and housing. The report examines the rural context of delivering services and identifies good practice in delivering mainstream and targeted services for, or involving older people in, rural areas and in particular overcoming the problems of isolated communities from main service centres and the need to develop joint working across a range of public and private sector organisations. At the heart of this booklet is a collection of case studies which illustrate ten guiding principles for developing successful services. This is complemented by sections on understanding what older people want, demographic trends and the value of profiling rural communities. Consultation and the importance of listening to and involving older people in shaping future services are also discussed.
Out of sight, out of mind: social exclusion behind closed doors
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 40p.
- Place of publication:
- London
1.2 million people over 50 are severely excluded: 400,000 aged 50 to 64, 360,000 aged 65 to 79, and 400,000 aged over 80. They have an average income of just £131 per week. A woman over the age of 85 is six times more likely to be severely excluded than a woman aged between 65 and 69. 56% of severely excluded people over 50 do not consider their health to be good, compared to just 17% of those with no signs of exclusion. One in five people over 80 living alone are severely excluded, and men over 80 living alone are 11 times more likely to be lonely than men over 80 who are living with a partner. The number of very old people living alone is expected to increase by 16% over the next 15 years. Recently bereaved 65-79 year olds are 10 times more likely than those who are married to be lonely; recently bereaved older people are three times more likely than married older people to show three symptoms of depression. Over half of homes that are privately rented by the over 50s are considered non-decent. Those aged 50-64 are eight times more likely to be severely socially excluded if they rent their home privately than if they own it or pay a mortgage. The number of people with dementia is set to rise from 700,000 at present to 1 million by 2025, significantly increasing the number at risk of social exclusion.