Agenda item

To receive and consider the attacged report of the Director of Public Health

The report of the Director of Public Health presented to the Inner West Community Committee the refresh of the draft Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2025 to gain feedback. The report also requested support and promotion of the work of Age Friendly within the city.

Robina Ahmed, Advanced Health Improvement Specialist and Liz Griffin of the Older People’s Forum were in attendance for this item

The Community Committee were provided with the following points:

• Around 1 in 3 people are aged 50 and over. The number of Leeds residents aged 80 and over will increase by about 50% in the next 20 years.
• Age Friendly Leeds is one of the eight priorities in the Best Council Plan 2020-2025. The vision for Leeds is that it is a place where people age well, older people are valued, respected, appreciated and seen as assets.
• The draft Age Friendly Leeds Strategy 2022-25 has been reviewed and refreshed. The process has been overseen by the Age Friendly Board whose role was to provide strategic leadership and set the strategic direction for the Age Friendly Leeds work programme and ensure that the objectives are being met.
• Leeds is a member of the World Health Organisation Age Friendly Cities programme and has used and adapted the framework to identify and address barriers to the well-being and participation of older people.
• The strategy sets out six key priority areas: housing; public and civic spaces; travel and road safety; active, included and respected; healthy and independent ageing and employment and learning. Each of the priorities was headed by a domain lead. Domain leads have been identified and are working to implement the actions set out in the plan. The domain leads will feedback on a quarterly basis.
• The Leeds Older Peoples Forum (LOPF) gave practical ways for the local community to become involved to strengthen the age friendly approach and Councillors were invited to support and encourage people and businesses to get involved in:
  • The Age Friendly Ambassador Programme
  • Becoming a Dementia Friend
  • Age and Dementia Friendly Businesses
  • The Come in and Rest Scheme
  • Leeds Older People’s Age Friendly Steering Group

·  Members were informed of various schemes and opportunities that were available for supporting people with dementia.  There were schemes that businesses and other organisations could support such as the ‘Come in and Rest’ scheme which would provide people with a warm place to sit and rest without an obligation to buy and Dementia Friends training which was available to all.  There was also the Age Friendly Ambassador Scheme which was aimed at those with an interest in promoting age friendly initiatives.  Further information was available on the Age Friendly Leeds website.

In response to comments and questions, the following was discussed:

·  The Age Friendly Steering Group focussed mainly on those aged 50 and above.

·  Involvement and role of Neighbourhood Networks.

·  Concerns regarding public transport and difficulty with obtaining Blue Badge parking within the City Centre.  These issues would be raised with the travel connection steam.

·  The need for Neighbourhood Networks to receive funding from Adult Social Care and the NHS.

·  The need for funds for the strategy to be successful.

RESOLVED –

1.  That the report and the refresh of the Age Friendly Strategy be noted.

2.  That the work currently underway to support age friendly, winter planning and the cost of living crisis in local areas and how these could be built on together be noted.

3.  That the needs of the local ageing population and how these needs can be addressed through local age friendly work be noted.