Over 50 and full of life
People from across Warwickshire aged 50 years and over joined together to celebrate Warwickshire Older People's Week last week (from 28 September to Friday 2 October.)
The national theme for Older People’s Day was ‘Full of Life.’ And Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Older People’s Forums organised a week of activities to celebrate the contribution that older people make to society and to encourage even more people to get the most out of later life.
Hundreds of older people gathered at celebratory events in Warwick and Bedworth where they enjoyed a wide variety of taster sessions on offer from belly dancing and indoor bowls to pottery and painting.
The serious message behind the fun was to put older people in the driving seat when it comes to services and support, and they were addressed by representatives from the Department of Health and the county council about ‘personalisation’ which is giving older people more control and choice over their care.
Dr Graeme Betts, Strategic Director of Adult, Health and Community Services at Warwickshire County Council, added: "We want to celebrate the positive side of later life across Warwickshire and mark the role that older people play our society. We hope that the week has helped raise awareness of the services and support that are there for older people across the county."
Warwickshire’s older population is growing significantly, and there are 91,400 people aged 65+ in the county. However many are not aware of the services available or the support that they may be entitled to. For example, although research has found that older people receiving direct payments reported feeling happier‚ more motivated and having improved quality of life‚ just 5.9 per cent of those aged over 65 receiving community-based care are in receipt of direct payments. The scheme means that instead of getting services provided by social services, people are given the money to buy the care they need and choose the kind of support that is right for them.