Age Friendly Vale
At the Vale of Glamorgan Public Services Board meeting in April 2021 the Older Peoples Commissioner for Wales and her team presented information to partners on the importance of and benefits of becoming age friendly and achieving World Health Organisation (WHO) Age Friendly Status. Recognising the importance of this work as we recover from the pandemic, particularly as the Vale has a growing older population, the PSB agreed to jointly take forward the work in the Vale to apply for Age Friendly status.
Age Friendly Communities
The concept of Age Friendly Cities and Communities was developed by the World Health Organisation in 2007. The WHO recognise 8 key features (domains) of age friendly communities, these are:
- Outdoor spaces and buildings
- Transportation
- Housing
- Social participation
- Respect and social inclusion
- Civic participation and employment
- Communication and information
- Community support and health services
Work is taking place across the Vale to strengthen activities and support in these domains to make the Vale become a better place for people to grow old in. By becoming age friendly we recognise this will make the Vale a friendlier place for all, especially older people.
Age Friendly Engagement Survey
Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the joint Vale PSB and Vale 50+ Strategy Forum survey. The findings from this survey have been shared with Partners and will help inform the future focus of the Forum and the development of the Age Friendly Vale application and action plan to ensure the Vale is a place where people of all ages can live happily and healthily, especially as we grow older.
Age Friendly Vale Charter
Partners are working together to develop an Age Friendly Vale Charter that shows the PSB’s specific areas of focus and commitments where we can work together as partners, side by side with our community to ensure that people are ageing well in the Vale. The Charter has taken into account what residents, community groups and partners have told us. We will continue to hear directly from those aged 50 and over living and working in the Vale to inform the future Action Plan to ensure we’re focusing on the issues we can have the biggest effect on that matter most.
You can view the Charter and our 8 Commitments that we will be working towards.
Financial Entitlements
Millions of pounds worth of financial entitlements go unclaimed by eligible older people in Wales, in 2018/19 unclaimed Pension Credit alone reached £214 million. The below table includes some of the most common financial entitlements available to older people that often go unclaimed and information on how to check your eligibility. For more advice and support you can contact:
- For advice Age Connects Welfare Rights Service – 02920 683682
- For general information Age Connects Good Neighbours Scheme - 01446 732685 for Central Vale and 01446 795549 for the Western Vale
- For Advocacy Support Age Connects Advocacy Service - 01446 795632
Financial Entitlements and Benefits
| Type of Entitlement |
Overview of Entitlement |
Contact details |
|---|
| Pension Credit |
Pension Credit is a weekly boost your income based on how much money you have coming in.
If your weekly pension is less than £167.25 (£255.25 for couples), you may be eligible for Pension Credit, which tops up your income and unlocks a range of other entitlements.
|
Pension Credit claim line - 0800 99 1234 |
|---|
| Council Tax Reduction |
You may be entitled to a Council Tax reduction if you meet certain eligibility criteria. Anybody who has been medically diagnosed with having a severe mental impairment (SMI) that appears to be permanent, which includes Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, may be eligible for a Council Tax discount. |
Council Tax Team - 01446 709564 CouncilTax@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk |
|---|
| Attendance Allowance |
People over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision because of illness or disability may be eligible for Attendance Allowance. |
Age UK Attendance Allowance helpline - 0800 731 0122 |
|---|
| Carers Allowance |
If you care for someone for 35 hours a week or more, you may be eligible for carers allowance. Whilst people receiving their state pension are often not eligible for the full amount you may still be able to get some money in recognition of your caring role. |
Carers UK information and support line - 0808 808 7777 |
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