THURROCK’S leading councillor for health outlined how the borough’s growing older population was the focus of the council’s second Annual Public Health report.
Cllr Barbara Rice, portfolio holder for adult social care and health introduced the report at a meeting of the council, explaining: “It is a requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 for the Director of Public Health to prepare an independent report on the health of the people of their local authority each year.”
Public Health became a council responsibility in 2013.
Cllr Rice said: “This year the focus is on the Health and Well-being of Older people” adding that it “coincides with the Charter for Older people I will be presenting next and it is of particular relevance for the Thurrock population”.
She added: “Thurrock has at the moment a lower proportion of people aged 65 years and over compared to the England average, 13.6 per cent compared to 17.3 per cent, and this percentage is set to rise substantially over the next 20 years.
“Sadly Thurrock residents living disability-free over the age of 65 is significantly lower when compared to the national average.”
Cllr Rice added: “Our vision for Thurrock is one where people can enjoy their later years, and remain independent healthy and active for longer.
“I don’t want to dwell on the negativity associated with ill-health and disability in older persons I am sure we are aware of some of those issues, however, we in this chamber are in an ideal position to inform our local communities of the availability of both services and just as importantly activities to support our older generation to stay, and indeed to work towards becoming more physically active, eating well, staying safe and accessing advice.
“Did you know for example there is an oven-cleaning project – a safeguarding and fire prevention initiative working in partnership with the fire service.
“When a person becomes too frail to clean their oven the build-up of grease could be a fire hazard and referrals are made to the fire service, and the oven cleaned if the person qualifies.”
Cllr Rice called on other members to make a difference too, saying if each of the 49 councillors spoke with ten older people a week it added up to 25,480 people in a year and “latest figures indicate that there are 21,815 people aged 65 and over in Thurrock”.
She said: “We all know our budgets in Adult Social Care have been cut by a quarter with more to come, so my message is one for all of us as elected members to ensure we help our communities by engaging with our older residents to embrace the next item which is the proposed Older persons charter and to work with our local area co-ordinators to improve the lives of our older residents.”
Members unanimously endorsed the report and the Older Person’s Charter.
