Help for lonely older residents in plan to make town ‘age-friendly’

A COMMUNITY in South Yorkshire could be used as a pilot for plans which could ultimately see a town become ‘age-friendly’ with facilities to ensure older residents remain fully integrated members of society.

Penistone could be used as a test-bed for the proposals, which could see Barnsley become a town with facilities geared towards helping older people.

Age UK has been running a social inclusion service in the district since January last year and that is expected to continue for the two-year contract.

But after that, it is now expected organisations will be encouraged to bid for grants which would be used to meet objectives for combating loneliness and social isolation.

It would replace the current “commissioned” contract, under which Penistone Area Council, which pays for the service, has direct control over its performance.

The scheme uses two Age Concern workers, who have been involved in work to identify those at risk from loneliness and isolation, to offer help in getting them involved in activities and projects such as volunteer car scheme, with drivers taking people on journeys for no more cost than the expense of running their car.

It is regarded as a pioneering scheme and has been closely watched both by the local authority and Age UK, which has now set up similar schemes in Cudworth and Wombwell using some of the experience gained in Penistone.

Penistone Area Council’s manager Elaine Equeall told councillors: “With Age Friendly Penistone, there is scope for us to pioneer this idea.

“A number of cities have adopted this, putting older people at the heart of planning and design and development of the city or town. We would be in an ideal position. We have been looking at Barnsley becoming an age-friendly town and we could trial that.”

Coun Dave Griffin added: “I think on a smaller scale, it would be a good start.

“I am interested in reshaping the High Street and making it age-friendly. Improving the town centre for everyone who uses it.”

Penistone Area Council is expected to bid for money from a £5m fund being made available to the borough’s “principal towns” for improvement works to help prevent them being overshadowed by the regeneration of Barnsley town centre. More work will now be done before the area council next meets in July to draw up proposals to extend the work to minimise the impact of social isolation.

The Age Concern scheme has been described as highly successful, with 81 per cent of those who have had contact with it saying their wellbeing had improved as a result.

Future work could focus on involving men by replicating projects such as the ‘Men in Sheds’ scheme which brings men together through practical tasks.