For anyone who hasn’t come across them before, the council has several hubs that encourage different equality groups to meet and work together to tell the council about the issues that affect them. The hubs aim to:
- platform diverse communities’ needs
- provide a space to share ideas and shape services
- influence change to promote inclusivity
Leeds City Council (LCC) has asked Leeds Older People’s Forum (LOPF) to chair the Older People’s Hub, so we invite older adults four times a year to discuss city-related issues and how they affect the wider community.
I recently attended the last one and had a fascinating morning. I took notes as groups discussed changes to social care and the feedback we’d like to give the Casey Commission, while my colleagues listened to feedback on proposed changes to how we could find out about council services. There were lots of older people there, a mix of individuals who come along regularly, others who represent specific interest groups, like Ageing Without Children, and a whole group of older ladies from Holbeck Together who had never been before either. The room had enormous depth of experience, from those who cared for friends and relatives, people currently receiving care or council services, and individuals who worked in social care and/or even commissioned it.
In the end, the third speaker couldn’t make it, so we saved the discussion on supported housing strategy for another time, which meant I had 10 minutes to ask people questions about Place-Based healthy ageing. That’s government jargon for ‘where you live’. There were perhaps no surprises about what people thought would make where they live a place that supports healthy ageing: local services like GPs and chemists, vibrant shops and great green spaces. The best bit for me, though, was the recommendation from one of the Holbeck Together members:
we can all do our bit; we all need to smile and talk to people.
We all know social isolation and loneliness can harm people’s health in many ways, and organisations like Leeds’s Neighbourhood Networks do a great job of getting people out, or going to them. Hopefully Baroness Casey will make effective recommendations which are implemented, and the Council transformation work will happen in due course, but for now we could all do our bit for healthy ageing and have a chat with a friend, a neighbour, someone in the park, or at the bus stop or maybe come to an equalities hub meeting.
If you would like to share your views on how we might improve services for older people, and fancy a morning of lively debate with people from across Leeds, come along to the next Older People’s Hub in January. As an individual or a group, you can get news and information on future dates by signing up here: Older People’s Hub – Leeds Older People’s Forum or, alternatively, call us on 0113 244 1697. Leave a message, and someone will get back to you.
The Hub operates at Age UK Leeds in the city centre so that we remain as accessible as possible, and we have a small pot of money that allows us to reimburse transport costs.