Ageing Well
Ageing Well, announced by Minister for Pensions Steve Webb on 12 July 2010, is a new programme designed to support local authorities to improve their services for older people.
The key aim of the programme is to provide a better quality of life for older people through local services that are designed to meet their needs and recognise the huge contribution that people in later life make to their local communities. An essential aspect of the programme is to help local authorities to improve efficiency whilst still delivering quality services.
The programme is driven by this Government’s view that older people in our society deserve every opportunity to age well, in communities that value their experience.
Ageing Well is part of the Government’s recognition of the need to shift power from Westminster to local people and their communities.
The Government recognises that local concerns need local solutions. It will encourage authorities to take the lead to work in partnership with other local organisations, and older people, to develop imaginative approaches to the issues faced by their particular communities.
Ageing Well is designed to:
- help local authorities to use their resources effectively
- promote well-being in later life
- ensure that older people can live independently for longer
- engage older people in civic life
- tackle social isolation by recognising older people’s potential.
It is a sector led programme which consolidates current best practice from local authorities, the findings of wider research and the lessons learned from earlier pilot activities. This combined body of evidence shows that strong leadership, working in partnership, joining up services and including older people in service design and delivery, leads to more cost effective services with better outcomes for older people.
A number of local authorities are already leading the way in improving services. This project is designed so that they can share their experiences more widely with other local authorities.
