Denbighshire County Council has welcomed news that Wales has become the first country in the world to adopt the Declaration of the Rights of Older People – hailing it as a major step in the right direction.
The Welsh Government’s Declaration will help older people understand their rights more effectively and how they relate to current equality and human rights laws in Wales.
It will help those responsible for the development and delivery of public services, by making clear how they can support and engage effectively with older people across Wales.
Earlier this year, Denbighshire County Council signed a pledge to take forward work based on the World Health Organisation and the United Nations’ principles to make their communities more age friendly.
The pledge, known as the Dublin Declaration due to Ireland’s presidency of the EU, highlights the need to create age friendly places, with a key focus on promoting awareness of older people, their rights, needs and potentials, as well as highlighting the positive social, economic and cultural contribution made by them.
Councillor Bobby Feeley, Denbighshire’s Cabinet Lead Member for Social Care, Adults and Children’s Services, said: “There is clearly more focus on the rights of older people than ever before, and rightly so.
“Older people have an extremely valuable contribution to make in all walks of life and we must continue to celebrate this contribution. We must support and engage properly with our older people and making sure they have a strong voice in how we deliver public services, but also about their rights as individuals.
“This Declaration is very much a step in the right direction.”
