Caerphilly  50+ Positive Action

Caerphilly  50+ Positive Action: Ageing Well Living Longer  is our local delivery plan for the Strategy for Older People In Wales. It takes a citizens based approach, ensuring that older people should be seen as both as active contributors to their communities as well as potential users of services.

The plan is delivered in partnership with the council, voluntary, health, private sectors and Caerphilly 50+ Forum. They work together to ‘maximise the health, independence and involvement of those who are 50+ living and or working in Caerphilly County Borough’.

Caerphilly Living longer Ageing Well (PDF)

Priorities for 2016/2017  

In the climate of financial restraint and reduced resource in which the delivery plan has been developed, the following approaches will be taken during these two years: 

  • To identify and share current good practice that promotes and facilitates the wellbeing of older people in the borough
  • The use of a range of media formats and campaigns to encourage and support the changes needed to improve the wellbeing of older people in our communities:  
    • Increase the uptake of benefits and grants by those entitled to them
    • Raising awareness of the value of developing age friendly communities  
    • Tackling age discrimination 
    • Raise awareness on falls prevention 
    • Reduce the loneliness and isolation of the 50+
  • To enable residents where possible to help themselves, their relative, friends  and neighbours to age well through access to appropriate information and by supporting residents to identify their own issues and solutions.

Principles of working we aim to apply: We will encourage partners to work together and where possible pool resources and funding.

‘Age is Just a Number!’ campaign

In today’s society, older and younger people are often on the receiving end of the most negative stereotyping. We are all aware of the bad press about young people dressed in their ‘hoodie’ outfits and older people frequently described as frail and out of touch with modern technology.

Our ‘Age is Just a Number!’ Is a long standing campaign we are running in Caerphilly, through which we are trying to promote better understanding, improve tolerance, and help bridge the generation gap between older and younger people. 

We have a number of parts to this campaign: 

  • We use powerful, positive pictures and ideas submitted by Caerphilly residents that we hope will in time break down some of the negative stereotypes people have.
  • We asked a wide range of people their views on stereotyping and its impact on people and produced a report that details their responses.
  • We have also developed a range of training and presentations that can be used for events and team training sessions. For more information please contact our Corporate Policy team.

Keeping safe, what is abuse and who can help?

We are proud to say that with the support of partners and the Welsh Government we have produced 22,000 Bilingual Keeping Safe DVD’s. Each County Borough Council across Wales has now received 1000 copies to distribute to potential isolated or vulnerable residents in their communities.

You can find out more and access all 5 short videos online by visiting the Caerphilly over 50 Website

Simon Says Campaign 

We are creating a series of 12 Simon Says posters that can be used on social media or for notices boards etc.  Please feel free to use and share these posters. 

Dignity Games resources

Ensuring people are treated with Dignity and Respect is a basic human right, yet both the Commissioner for Older People in Wales and The Patients Association reports in to “Dignity In Care” highlight there is often a gulf between good and poor practice in Wales.

To help to address this issue we have developed games that tackle issues around dignity, respect and equalities.  These games offer an informal easy to use and effective way of generating discussion, challenging stereotypes and raising awareness.

Snakes and ladders: Dignity do’s and don’ts

Using Challenge Cards with scenarios, myth or fact and multiple choice questions the game provides a light-hearted way of discussing how we as professionals can influence our own and others behaviour's and responses. All you need to obtain is a Snakes and Ladders board.

Downloads:

Tidy Gin games pack

Dignity Double Word Score Scrabble: Uses a standard scrabble game with an additional set of rules that allows you to claim a double word score when using certain keywords. Download the additional rules and a printable version of the Dignity D counter. You can also browse the Tidy Gin photo gallery.

Pairs Card Game: Download and print the pairs card pack which uses our ‘Age Is Just A Number!’ positive images.

Word search: Download and print a set of these themed word search sheets. We would recommend that you have these laminated and use a dry wipe pen to allow for multiple usages.

Quiz: Simply download and print quiz questions and quiz answers. The answers are highlighted in red

Downloads:

Intergenerational Clubs and activities 

There are a number of excellent intergenerational clubs within the Caerphilly county borough. Visit our Intergenerational clubs section for details.

Social service Services and support 

Residential care options

Dealing with loneliness and isolation: There are lots of opportunities to get out and about, join a local group or just feel involved in your community. If you’re not sure where to start contact our community connectors who can visit you and help you to help yourself.

Community Directory

Caerphilly Over 50 forum

The forum have a really useful website www.caerphillyover50.co.uk and a more informal Facebook page Caerphilly Over 50 where you can find lots of information and advice.

The forum also has a twitter feed and tweet and retweet a range of information and advice from local, national and international sources. Twitter: 50plus_agewell.

50+ Engagement - The Right to be heard

The aim of this website is to provide tools and information that can be used by older people wanting to get their voice heard AND by the professionals who want to engage more effectively with them. Visit the 50+ Engagement - Right to be Heard website.