Growing and changing population

To meet the challenge and embrace the opportunities of an expanding older population, we will implement Kent’s Strategy for Later Life. This will identify actions needed by all partners to develop and enhance the valuable contribution, economic and social, that older people offer and to meet their needs.

For example we will:

• Use the experience and contribution of older people to their local communities by promoting and supporting voluntary activity at all levels throughout Kent, with a particular focus on areas of deprivation.
• Encourage and support older people’s use of the internet to access information and keep in contact with friends and relatives.
• Promote activities that encourage older and young people to benefit from each other’s experience and skills. This includes older people acting as mentors to the younger generation, who can, in turn, teach the benefits of digital technology to older people.
• Support independent living at home wherever possible and lobby government for resources to promote this policy in innovative ways.
• Improve the quality of private rented housing; supporting asset-rich, cash-poor older homeowners to undertake home improvements. We will develop attractive housing options to encourage single older people to vacate family-sized homes.
• Help communities to help themselves through initiatives such as ‘good neighbour’ schemes and ‘time banks’, where people can do tasks for each other.
• Promote ‘personalisation’ of services (for example through the Kent Card) enabling people to purchase and manage the services and care they receive.
• Explore with business how to grasp the opportunities posed by an ageing workforce, and mitigate the challenges.