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Standard Eight - The promotion of health and active life in older age

  • Last modified date:
    15 February 2008

The aim of this standard is to extend the healthy life expectancy of older people.

Standard

The health and well-being of older people is promoted through a co-ordinated programme of action led by the NHS with support from councils.

Progress

As part of their work on promoting independence, many local authorities are developing programmes to encourage health and active ageing. These are often council-wide strategies, involving transport, leisure and education services, as well as social services. An example of this is the Quality of Life Strategy for Older Citizens launched in Camden in July 2002. A number of local authorities have got together a 'Peer Challenge' project which aims to share learning and expertise around promoting health and active ageing, and then to communicate the main messages more widely.

There has been a range of development work, for example:

  • eight pilots have been run on different approaches to pre-retirement health checks - the learning from these is expected later this year.
  • with funding from the New Opportunities Fund, Healthy Living Centres are being set up around the England, offering a range of services to promote good health - a number of these are focussing on services and support for older people.
  • local exercise action pilots - this cross-Government initiative will pump £2.6m over three years into testing out different ways of encouraging people to take regular, moderate physical exercise. The programme will look at what is needed to help older people to take exercise.

Next Steps

Promoting health and active ageing is central to much of the Government's programmes, particular in relation to health and social care. For example, it is central to the delivery of promoting independence and health inequalities agenda.

Many of the targets set for the next three years will be important levers, for example, around the setting up of integrated falls services and around the management of coronary heart disease and diabetes in primary care.

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