With the population living longer and social care becoming more expensive, it is in everyone’s interests to help elderly people maintain their independence, says Cllr Nick Daubney

With populations living longer alongside tightening public sector budgets, the social care system that supports us as we get older is under increasing pressure. But all too often older people feel they have no option but to move into residential care because they struggle to get the necessary support to remain at home.

Given the choice, the vast majority of older people would opt to stay independent and in their own homes for as long as possible.

However, with complicated-to- navigate and disjointed systems, getting the right support to do so can be difficult. This can cause a delay in access to appropriate and timely interventions which could help prevent acute problems by helping people to address low-level issues before they escalate.

There are ways that councils can assist older people to access early intervention services to help them retain their dignity and independence for longer, improve their quality of life and cut the cost of care.

A pioneering initiative has been successfully rolled out across King’s Lynn and West Norfolk designed to help older people access the right level of support at the right time to help them lead active, healthy and independent lives.