COLUMN: How we help improve the lives of our older population

With a greater proportion of older people living in Lincolnshire compared with the rest of England average, the county council and our partners are committed to meeting the needs of our growing ageing population.

We have just had our second annual Age Friendly Lincolnshire Conference, which is a good opportunity to update you on the work we are doing to improve the lives of our older population.

Organised in conjunction with our national partners, Centre for Ageing Better, the conference brought together organisations with a remit around housing, employment, community development and tackling inequalities, and those supporting or delivering services for those who are 50-plus, including all local authorities in the county, housing providers, health services and voluntary organisations.

The conference included highlights of schemes and initiatives from councils, businesses and the community sector across our county. It brought home to me the superb work which is helping our older, vulnerable residents live safe, healthy, active lives.

Design guides are improving the quality of new residential developments and meeting needs for older people. Activity sessions are set up for those living with dementia, active care programmes for those with Parkinson’s, while healthy ageing programmes can be tailored for those with specific needs. Businesses can become age-friendly employers.

Community hubs provide drop-in advice and information points to support people with issues ranging from benefits to IT access. And our Wellbeing Lincs service continues to provide the right support for people to live independent, long lives, keeping them safe and well at home and in their communities.

We also know that many people are struggling to make changes to their homes to keep them warm and safe. As we age, it becomes more challenging to maintain and improve our homes for a range of reasons. Many of us become less active and agile, so those things we could do so easily around the home become more of a problem and we don’t always know where to go to seek advice.

Which is why we are excited to be working in partnership as councils and other organisations across the county, with the Centre for Ageing Better, on our pioneering alliance to establish Good Home Lincs. The aim is to find the best ways we can provide services for local people to improve the condition of their homes or adapt them, and make sure they can access these services easily.

Our goal is a one-stop-hub, providing residents with tailored advice and support on how to get and pay for the home improvements and adaptations they need and provide them with the confidence and capability to carry them out.

For people who need a bit more assurance, sheltered housing schemes offer self-contained accommodation, easy to manage and with support available.

I’d like to finish by highlighting our exciting plans for more extra care housing schemes developing in Lincolnshire, supporting independent living but with additional amenities and a bit of extra on-site support if needed. Work is progressing on the new Welton scheme, due to open at the end of next year. The joint project with Homes England, West Lindsey District Council and LACE Housing will feature 62 apartments for older people.

In addition, The Hoplands in Sleaford has now been awarded planning permission with work due to start in the new year. In partnership with North Kesteven District Council, the development will bring much needed accommodation to the district. It will include 40 extra-care apartments for older people and 12 maisonettes providing community-supported living accommodation, specifically for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities and those who are autistic.

These schemes will add to our successful opening of De Wint Court in Lincoln and I’m looking forward to seeing this take shape in other areas of the county in future years. They are a vital part of our package to support independence, improve the wellbeing and enhance the quality of life of our older residents.