Older People's Partnership

What is the purpose and what are the goals of the Partnership?

The Tameside Older People Partnership exits to ensure that there is a co-ordinated multi sector approach from all stakeholders in the Tameside Strategic Partnership to enable older people aged 50 plus to live active, satisfying and independent lives whilst ensuring that the needs of the most vulnerable people are met.

The Partnership will:

• Promote Older People's Contribution to the communities they live in and the achievement of the aims of the Sustainable Community Strategy
• Be needs focused - Meeting the needs of all older people, including the most vulnerable
• Promote joint working across agencies and communities so that shared goals and outcomes for older people can be achieved
• Listen and respond to older people's needs and views
• Provide Information of a high standard, in a range of media and languages regarding available services and support
• Ensure easy and equitable access to services and support
• Be proactive by ensuring that strategic planning and service development anticipate and is responsive to changing needs

What is the national context?

The percentage of the population of the U.K. who are older people is growing. There has been an increase in number of people aged over 50 from 13.8 million in 1951 to 20 million in 2003 and this is projected to increase to 27.2 million by 2031. By 2022, 20% of the English population will be over 65 and by 2027 the number of over 85 year olds will have increased by 60%.

The government has been concerned for some time regarding this demographic shift and realised that this had implications for all parts of the public sector and society in general. Consequently they introduced the Better Government for Older People in 1998 to improve the engagement of older people in public policy and decision making.

In 2005 the Government launched Opportunity Age is the Government's strategy for an ageing society. The strategy aimed to end the perception of older people as dependent; ensure that longer life is healthy and fulfilling; and that older people are full participants in society. It was first published in ‘Opportunity Age: Meeting the challenges of ageing in the 21st century’ in March 2005.

Coordinated and led by the DWP Secretary of State, in his role as Champion for Older People, the strategy focuses on three key areas:

• work and income - to achieve higher employment rates overall and greater flexibility for over 50s in continuing careers, managing any health conditions and combining work with family (and other) commitments
• active ageing - to enable older people to play a full and active role in society
• services - that allow us all to keep independence and control over our lives as we grow older, even if we are constrained by the health problems which can occur in old age

What are the the Partnership's Priorities in Tameside?

In order to achieve this aim the partnership will ensure that joint actions are taken by the relevant partners to address the following key themes:

• Improving information and communication
• Ensuring adequate income
• Supporting healthy lifestyles
• Developing lifelong housing
• Feeling safe in the community
• Improving getting around
• Promoting learning and development

Key projects the partnership is currently working on

• Increasing the opportunities that older people have to live healthy lifestyles
• Providing advice and support to vulnerable older people to access services to improve their quality of life
• Supporting older people to access all the benefits they are entitled to
• Increasing the range of alternative housing provision for older people who are no longer able to live in their own homes

Further Information

• Terms of Reference
• The Quality of Life Strategy for Older People in Tameside (464KB)
• Information for Older People

For find out more about the work of the partnership, please contact Phil Spence on 0161 342 2841 or visit www.tameside.gov.uk/olderpeople

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