Ageing well in Carmarthenshire

In Carmarthenshire our aim is to support and promote age friendly communities where people can age well and live a high-quality later life. Creating age-friendly communities provides us with an opportunity to ensure that age is not a barrier to living well. It allows us to create an environment where older people can participate in society and be valued for the positive contributions they make, somewhere that people can feel included and participate in the activities they value and somewhere that they can stay living in their homes as long as possible, feeling safe, comfortable and secure.

Carmarthenshire is the 4^th largest local authority in Wales, with 190,073 residents, an increase of 9.5% since 2001. The number of people aged 65 and over in the county has increased by 18.9% since the 2011 Census. This increase amongst the older age groups has been the most dramatic observed, in particular, those aged between 60 – 74 years and 85 years and over, where increases of 24.1% and 32.4% respectively were reported which reinforce the model of an ageing population. By 2039 it is projected that nearly 1 in 3 Carmarthenshire residents will be aged 65 and over which is why it is important that we consider the impact of an ageing society now.

The ageing population of Carmarthenshire presents a challenge for all communities within the county to become more age-friendly to support people to be able to live well as they grow older. We, as a provider of public services, have a responsibility to ensure that our residents live fulfilled lives through providing everyone with the opportunity to ‘age well’ and fully participate in community life.