Council and democracy

3. Supporting the independence of the growing number of older people

Hertfordshire has an increasingly ageing population and older people have made a huge contribution to the county. There are more than 155,000 people in Hertfordshire aged 65 and over. 73,000 of these are 75 and over, and nearly 19,000 are aged 85 and over. A key concern is that more older people will live alone with less support from family carers.

The challenge is focused on those aged 75 and over. 12 percent of those aged 65 and over are in touch with Adult Care Services (ACS). This rises to 22 percent of those aged 75 plus and 46 percent of those aged 85 and over. It is likely these proportions will increase over time.

Older people make up a large proportion of Hertfordshire’s population and are potential users of the range of council services. This crosscutting challenge also affects partner organisations, such as district councils, the health service and the voluntary and community sector.

The Council needs to use its community leadership role to respond to this challenge for all older people in Hertfordshire. In line with ‘Putting People First’, this challenge aims to provide culturally sensitive services that meet specific diversity needs.

The recent White Paper ‘Your Health, Your Care, Your Say’ provides an important policy framework for this challenge. Adult Care Services will make a significant contribution to this challenge as well as working with other departments around lifelong learning, information services, cultural services
and transport.