Older people are an enormously diverse group, ranging from people who are in mid-life to those who have reached their centenary and beyond. It is a group that includes the generations that felt the impact of two World Wars and the creation of the welfare state, as well as the baby boomers, who were young adults in the 1960s. The diversity of older people extends well beyond age, to encompass ethnicity, income, sexuality, interests and life experience. Any response to older people therefore needs to be tailored to the need sand aspirations of individuals.
The report builds on our previous work on older people, a strong theme of which was that services and interventions that aim to promote independence and well-being are underdeveloped. It summarises the experience and learning from a diverse group of communities that are developing a broader approach to independence and well-being, with older people playing a key role in the process.
This report is aimed at anyone who has a role to play in contributing to the well-being of older people - either as part of a wider brief or within a service targeted specifically at older people. In particular, it should be read by those who are responsible for planning and commissioning services for older people, within the NHS and social services departments and beyond, by members of multi-agency groups, such as local strategic partnerships (LSPs) and also by older people, who may find the examples contained in the report useful in making the case for change locally.