Age UK Ealing Manifesto 2024
The upcoming election provides an opportunity for Ealing's future MPs to reflect on the contributions of older residents and how they can better meet their needs. The cost of living crisis in particular has had a severe impact on the quality of life for many older Ealing residents. We are calling on you to provide a voice for older people in our area, and to commit to the following:
1. Support action against the growing impact of social isolation and digital exclusion and ensure alternative options are available for older people in Ealing.
2. Make London an age-friendly city and Ealing an age-friendly borough. Ensure travel, housing, banking, health and other services are suitable for older people.
3. Incorporate age-friendly design principles, such as better lighting and welcoming places to rest, into all aspects of planning. Age-friendly design should make public spaces comfortable for older residents and foster positive connections between people of all ages.
4. Develop a strategy for public toilet provision across London, including in Ealing, as part of public health responsibilities. Include maps to help people find public toilets and other available locations.
5. Support and work alongside charities and community groups delivering programmes for older people to ensure these services reach those who need them.
6. Ensure all older residents can access at least one good meal per day by supporting meals on wheels services, lunch clubs, social prescribing and shopping services.
7. Support steps to fully meet the 2014 Care Act duty to ensure that information and advice about support for older people and their families or carers is available; ensure that this sets out details of what services are available, connections between different services, and how accessibility requirements will be met.
8. Ensure that commissioners and providers involve older people in a meaningful way to make informed decisions about their care needs and care planning. It is particularly important that older people are supported and have an active decision-making role at the point of transition into care.
9. Maintain phone lines so that those who do not have an internet connection are still able to access local services and engage actively as citizens. Improve automated systems for phone-based information provision, which many older people find inaccessible.
10. Work with Safer Neighbourhood Teams, residents associations, service providers and others to tackle crimes targeting older people including doorstep, telephone and online scams. This should include ‘staying safe’ awareness training and more support for older victims of crime.