Ageing well
Ageing well is not just ageing without ill health or disease, but about being able to remain independent, and contribute to and participate in society as desired. As people age, they are more likely to need health and social care services. The health and social care system nationally and locally is facing unprecedented pressure to support an ageing population with complex needs in a climate of growing financial and workforce pressures.
Census 2021 data
Data from the 2021 Census (1) showed that, in South Gloucestershire:
- almost 2 in 5 people were aged over 50 (110,453 people, 38%)
- almost 1 in 5 people were aged over 65 (54,192 people, 18.7%)
- almost 1 in 10 people were aged over 75, (26,627 people, 9.2%)
The population of South Gloucestershire is expected to grow over the next 20 years, as well as an increasingly older population. This will lead to changes in life expectancy and the number of years lived in disability. View the Population projections page, Life expectancy page and Burden of disease page of the Our population dashboard for more information.
Access to services
The Covid-19 pandemic impacted the health and wellbeing of our communities, including reduced access to services and increased social isolation and loneliness.
It is important to ensure that people of all ages have access to the essentials, such as good quality nutrition, good quality affordable housing, fuel to warm or cool homes, and the ability to travel to access services.
As people age, their wellbeing and independence becomes more at risk if they are not able to access these essentials. The ongoing cost of living crisis is impacting people’s lives by reducing their ability to spend money on essential goods and services. These financial issues will also impact the cost of delivering health and social care services, and the retention of its workforce.
Services for healthy ageing in South Gloucestershire includes communities-based support, third sector organisations, and health and adult social care. These services keep people engaged and independent, support people in their own homes and communities, and find them appropriate specialised care, including residential care or reablement, when needed.
To have efficient and effective adult social care provision, services must be tailored to the needs of the local population, streamlined and easy to navigate, forward thinking to intervene earlier and shape future services around future needs, and help residents to be healthy and independent for longer.
Data dashboard
An in-depth dashboard on this topic area is in development.
Headline data can be found on the Our population page.
Other resources
- GOV.UK: Healthy ageing: applying all of our health
- GOV.UK: Health economics: a guide for public health teams
- GOV.UK: Productive Healthy Ageing Profile
- GOV.UK: Health inequalities in ageing in rural and coastal areas
- GOV.UK: The Effect of Mid-Life Risk Factors on Dementia in Older Age
- GOV.UK: Falls: Applying All Our Health
- International Longevity Centre UK: Delivering prevention in an ageing world
- GOV.UK: COVID-19: wider impacts on people aged 65 and over