This report is part of a three-year project run by Healthwatch Norfolk for Norfolk County Council Adult Social Care. The project looks at how people in the county are preparing for later life, the experiences of those over the age of 65 and the people who care for them.
The report outlines the findings in our second year of this project and focuses on people over the age of 55 and how they view experiences of later life.
Most people we spoke to had negative expectations of ageing, often linking it with poor health, loss of independence and limited support from health and care services. While a number of people said they were preparing for growing older by eating healthily, staying physically active, making a will, and keeping socially connected, others were worried about long waiting times and experiencing what they saw as ageism in health services. Money worries and the rising cost of living were also major concerns.
Based on our findings we have made a series of recommendations to Norfolk County Council’s Adult Social Care department, including better communication around how to prepare for later life, expanding affordable physical and social activity opportunities in communities and tackling perceptions of ageism in health and care.
