Celebrating the fourth year of International Older People’s Day today, Councillor Arnold Woolley (Flintshire), WLGA Spokesperson for Older People said:
“Wales’ older population is more critical than ever to the vitality of our country. Two years ago, for the first time in the UK’s history, the Office for National Statistics reported that there are more people of pensionable age than children under 16 and Wales has a higher proportion of older people than any other part of the UK. Life expectancy is increasing at a rate of six hours per day and as a result many people are enjoying a longer older age.”
“The media has often reported this in terms of costs and the burden that an older population brings to Wales. However, figures from the Welsh Assembly Government’s Strategy for Older People show the value and cost savings that older people bring to the Welsh economy. If those older people with caring responsibilities were paid it would cost at least £1 billion a year. Similarly, the value of childcare provided by grandparents is estimated at £259 million a year. Also, older people are the most likely group to offer their time to volunteer, the value of which has been estimated at £469 million a year.”
“We are in a period of economic austerity. It is important that older people are recognised as a vital group in ensuring that our local communities continue to thrive and survive in future years”.
Councillor Lindsay Whittle (Caerphilly), the WLGA Spokesperson for Equality and Social Justice added:
“Today is a day of celebration, recognition and reflection where we pay tribute to the vital contribution of the older people of Wales. I have been privileged to discover how every local authority in Wales has developed a range of projects and programmes to involve and include older people in local areas. This has included the establishment of older people’s fora in every area; programmes to ensure that older people receive the benefits that they are entitled to as well as opportunities for them to share their developed skills with other generations such as a cooking with other generations and sharing their skills and knowledge across schools’.
