AGE UK in Redditch and Bromsgrove is working on a radical new plan to help make north Worcestershire a better place to grow old.
Figures show across the two towns there are more than 68,000 people aged 50 and over, increasing the strain on existing services.
Bromsgrove has a higher than average older population with 21.5 per cent of people living in the district being 65 or over. The national average is 17.3 per cent.
And statistics show that, between 2014 and 2029, the number of people aged 65 and over living in Bromsgrove district will have increased by 36 per cent to 28,700.
Other figures show 16 per cent of over 65s in Bromsgrove are unpaid carers and around 8,000 older people live alone in the district – that number could be as high as 11,300 by 2030.
Alison Schofield, chief executive of Age UK Bromsgrove, Redditch & Wyre Forest, said: “With an increasing ageing population, funding cuts and pressures on health and social care, these are challenging times.
“The need for support has never been greater which is why we have been reviewing the way we deliver our services, whilst making sure we are in a sustainable position to meet the increased demand for our services.”
Although Age UK is a national brand, local services are paid for locally through grants and proceeds from the charity’s popular shops.
She added as people aged they needed reliable information on health, money, entitlement and services and that was offered through Age UK’s Information service.
She said people being able to live independently was a key priortity for people and the charity was currently reviewing its existing Help at Home, Handyman and Gardening services, with a view of launching a new integrated service early next year.
Age UK marketing officer Jo Hughes added the charity could be a two-way process too, and encouraged people to get in touch.
“We need more volunteers, people who can offer support or advice, who can help running classes or with befriending, or who can support our shops or to fund raise,” she said.
“Sometimes it is about empowering people.”
The current range of services includes: Information and advice, Handyperson and Gardening, Help at Home, Footcare, Befriending, Care Calls, Wheelchair Loan plus a variety of community-based activities.
Information and advice services are open from 10am-1pm at Bromsgrove Age UK, Windsor Street, or by calling 01527 570490.
