A short film has been produced by Gwynedd Council’s Social Services to help people get a better understanding of the services available for the county’s residents as they get older.
The DVD will be shown at events and meetings held over the coming months and can also be seen on the Council’s website and YouTube page.
It is a useful guide for people as they get older, or the families or carers of older people, as they decide where and how they want to live, as maybe their health and mobility deteriorates. The film shows real life experiences of people who use some of the services the Council runs or supports, which can help older people to continue to live independently in their own homes as they get older.
These services include:
- Telecare equipment around the home which can raise the alarm should a person become ill or suffer a fall;
- the Enablement programme helps people who have spent time in hospital or convalescing to regain skills and confidence so that they can continue to live in their own home;
- equipment such as handrails and adapted baths and showers suitable for people with mobility problems;
- social events such as lunch clubs which can often be a lifeline to those who could otherwise become isolated;
- extra care housing as is currently being built at Y Bala, which gives older people the opportunity to have their own flat within a complex allowing them to live independently but with care services on hand if needed.
Councillor Wyn Williams, leader of Gwynedd Council’s Social Services Portfolio, said: “I was delighted to see the DVD and it has been very well received so far when it has been shown at open days and to community councils across the county.
“Services for older people in Gwynedd are changing – national and local research shows us that people’s expectations are changing and they want to live at home for as long a possible. The Council, working in partnership with the health service and the voluntary sector, can support them to do this.
“The aim of this film is to show which support services are available. There are first hand accounts of people who are using some of the services, for example Miss Ellis from Caernarfon was able to return home to live after a spell in hospital.
“There is also an interview with an amazing lady – Mrs Roach, who is 105 years old, and lives by herself in an extra care housing complex in Holyhead, very similar to the development the Council is building at Y Bala.”
Rhiannon Ellis from Caernarfon, who features in the film, received the enablement service after she spent time in hospital after an accident at home.
She said of the service: “It was invaluable and meant I could look after myself after ten weeks, including laying a fire every morning. The girls were so cheerful and kind. My name for them was ‘Angels’.”
The see the film go to www.YouTube.com/CyngorGwynedd or visit the Council’s website www.gwynedd.gov.uk and search for ‘Older People’ from the A-Z bar on the home page.
