Anchor’s Programme for Change aims to transform the lives of older people.
Our research shows that 91 percent of people aged 70+ are fed up with successive governments’ stalling on efforts to overhaul social care funding.
Our research shows that 69 percent of people do not trust the government to deliver on social care reform and 83 percent of the public have serious concerns about their quality of life in older age.
Despite the £1.5bn injection promised in the Spending Review, our research enforces the importance and urgency of finding sustainable social care solutions that will impact current and future generations of older people.
Jane Ashcroft CBE, Chief Executive of Anchor, said: “Hundreds of thousands of older people have already suffered as a result of years of inaction by successive governments. For too long, decisions have been made with little attempt to listen to those most affected. Our Programme for Change lays out a clear plan that’s shaped by older people themselves. Acting now will secure a positive future for today’s and tomorrow’s older generations.”
Love living in later life – a programme for change from Anchor
In our Programme for Change, we outline 10 key areas in which we can transform the lives of older people which include the following:
Better housing now & in the future
1. Establish a taskforce to lead the way on a national strategy for increasing supply of suitable and affordable retirement housing and care.
2. Central government provide guidance to local authorities to ensure a clear and consistent approach to assessing need and granting approval, including on the application of developer contributions and infrastructure levies.
Improving health & wellbeing outcomes
3. Develop a National Positive Ageing Strategy applicable across both the private and public sector to make the UK a society for all ages, supporting physical and mental health and wellbeing and a blueprint for local authorities that encourages more intergenerational interaction.
4. Introduce legislation specific to the retirement housing and care sector, to replace the patchwork currently in place, that sets clear expectations and provides greater consumer protection.
Quality care for all those in need
5. Cross-party development of an urgent plan to reform social care, including a cap on individuals’ care costs, greater incentives to tackle delayed transfers of care and better education of the public about their financial responsibilities under the current system.
6. A government initiative to recognise and celebrate those working in social care, to drive greater parity of esteem with those in the NHS.
Embracing age friendly towns, cities & neighbourhoods
7. Local authority economic development strategies to involve older people themselves in designing the best ways to ensure public spaces and retail environments are age- friendly, building on the work of the World Health Organisation and others. National support for this could form part of the proposed National Positive Ageing Strategy described above.
8. Retailers and transport companies sign up to and implement Anchor’s Standing Up 4 Sitting Down campaign.
Advancing the rights of older people
9. Appoint a Minister for Older People and an Older People’s Commissioner to champion, celebrate and protect older people and ensure greater joining up of services across government to respond to our ageing population.
10. Bring together sector organisations, government departments and older people to shape and deliver the UK contribution to a UN Convention on the Rights of Older People, including ensuring older people are not digitally excluded by businesses and public services.
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