From recent headlines, you might be forgiven for concluding that councils just view older people as a major liability and a drain on their resources. However, this is far from the case. The best are building partnerships to promote the health, wellbeing and participation for older people as a key part of their responsibilities. New local government legislation will place a shared responsibility on councils and their health partners to undertake a strategic needs assessment of the population in their areas. In the context of older people, this could be interpreted as simply requiring a review of the current and projected future demand for health and social care services. However, this would be a mistake – important though it is to know what populations look like and how they currently use services. We need to build a consensus about the elements that need to be put in place in communities to promote a positive later life. This has been a key focus of recent work led by the Department of Work that the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) has supported. We hope it will find expression in a new public service agreement. But what are the key prerequisites for wellbeing in later life? The obvious ones are income, health, appropriate housing, maintaining independence and safety. Others are less tangible and more qualitative: choice and control, belonging and participation, satisfaction with where you live and someone to turn to for help. Studies across these dimensions have also highlighted a common element: the need for reliable advice, information and, on occasion, brokerage to help older people understand and access what is available for them. Councils have a strong interest across all these dimensions. To sustain the local economy we will increasingly need older people to stay in employment. Many who have caring responsibilities or want to work part-time will look for the same flexibility and support available to parents, for example. Grandparents, too, play a key role in supporting younger people to work. Older residents rate the continued availability of reasonably priced goods and small, local convenience stores as very important. There is a strong body of evidence on the benefits of promoting healthy lifestyles for older people, to help them maintain their health and remain independent and active. Councils have recognised this by promoting access to leisure, culture, adult learning and community activities. Much local political campaigning and voluntary activity depends on the involvement of older people. The simplification of the pensions and benefits system, to reduce multiple or duplicated claiming arrangements, has been a key feature of recent DWP work with councils. The promotion of integrated central/local government systems that cover entitlement to other benefits from council run services, simplifies and promotes take-up. Planning to meet future housing demand needs to address the issue of the ageing population. The baby boomer generation has enjoyed increased home ownership and will be looking for housing options geared to their lives as older people. Councils need to anticipate this. Providing the right housing can lead to significant benefits in terms of maintaining independence and reducing the care consequences of social isolation, fear of crime or inappropriate accommodation. Housing with care support when available can reduce the demand for residential care. Through its work streams, IDeA is seeking to bring together different perspectives on ageing and a stronger focus on the outcomes older people want from where they live. Its Healthy Communities programme is helping councils benchmark their activity and adopt a wide public health and wellbeing focus. Its cultural services work is helping councils develop approaches that promote participation and community cohesion. The contribution of a strategic approach to housing and commissioning is central. Such approaches will consolidate a lot of existing, piecemeal activity into a more complete package. But to date, there has been little reinforcement nationally for the steps councils have taken locally with their partner organisations. The reasons are obvious. There is little reinforcement for collaborative activity if the financial savings accrue elsewhere and there is no mechanism to incentivise upstream investment or planning. This is the challenge that we expect from a new public service agreement that plans for later life. We have the right local mechanism in local area agreements to deliver this. Councils are ready to respond. Andrew Cozens is strategic adviser, children, adults and health services for the IDeA
