Making Wales the first dementia-friendly nation in the UK will be among the calls made by the Welsh Conservatives today as it urges the Welsh Government to extend the rights of older people.
Assembly Members will debate how best to alleviate the challenges faced by older people in Wales just days after the ONS announced that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease had overtaken heart disease as Wales’ biggest killer.
With the number of people aged 65 and over set to increase by 50% between 2012 and 2037, Welsh Conservatives believe that decision-makers should take a much sharper focus in seeking to address the issues faced by older people.
These issues include hard-to-access GP services; a welfare system whereby many people going into care end up losing their life savings; discrimination in the workplace; inadequate bus services and a shortage of public toilets; and a society which undervalues the enormous economic and social contribution of the elderly.
According to a report carried out by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, older people make a net contribution worth over £1bn a year to the Welsh economy, equivalent to almost £3m a day.
An Older People’s Rights Bill, Welsh Conservatives will argue, would afford older people greater economic security, independence and the freedom to make decisions about their own lives.
Speaking ahead of the debate, Welsh Conservative spokesperson for older people, Janet Finch-Saunders AM, said:
“Older people are all too often ignored and underappreciated by society as they are underserved by the Welsh Government. There exists a widespread, often privately-held, erroneous perception that older people present only a burden on public services while contributing very little to the economy which is completely inaccurate.
“Today’s debate is about highlighting the huge contribution of older people to the Welsh economy and to society, and to implore the Welsh Government to recognise this by bringing forward an Older People’s Rights Bill.
“Such a piece of legislation would ensure that the rights of older people are extended to address all their needs, which is no less than they deserve given they’ve spent a lifetime paying taxes into the welfare state. It is only right that they should now be able to benefit from this.”
Welsh Conservative spokesperson for social services, Suzy Davies AM, said:
“With an ageing population, there is a critical need to address the systemic failures across the health and social care system in Wales.
“Health boards and councils need to work much more closely together to achieve cost-effective solutions to some of the problems worst affecting the elderly.
“Issues currently confronting older people include needlessly prolonged stays in hospitals, unprotected assets, and isolation.
“Getting these issues on the debating table is the first step towards ensuring that the Welsh Government takes meaningful action to equip older people with the rights they need to live independent and fulfilled lives.”