Help shape Buckinghamshire’s Healthy Ageing Strategy

Closed 17 Jul 2023

Opened 19 Jun 2023

Contact

Public Health

phadmin@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Feedback updated 4 Apr 2024

We asked

We asked for your views on key priorities to live a healthy, happy life for longer and help develop the Buckinghamshire Council Healthy Ageing Strategy. 

The engagement ran from 19 June to 17 July 2023.  

You said

We received 228 responses to the survey: 

  • respondent ages ranged from 30 to over 85 years 
  • the average age of respondents was 61 - 65 years 
  • 40% had a disability, impairment and / or long-term health condition 
  • 60% of respondents were living in a rural area 
  • 40% of respondents were living in an urban area 

Things that helped ageing well included: 

  • a range of activities to join 
  • local shops, cafes and pubs 
  • volunteers supporting activities and community groups 
  • neighbours helping one another 

Challenges to ageing well included: 

  • a lack of transport options to get to activities and services (especially in rural areas) 
  • vehicles parking on pavements, lack of dropped kerbs, poor quality pavements (especially in urban areas) 
  • access to health professionals including GPs and dentists 

We did

Your responses were used to help create the Healthy Ageing Strategy and the underpinning action plan. Responses informed the priorities for the first year of the strategy, including outdoor space and buildings and the need to address the conditions of the pavements.  They also helped to identify actions across the other age friendly areas throughout the action plan.  

An Age Friendly Bucks Partnership has been established to oversee the development and delivery of the strategy. A wider network of stakeholders, including residents, will also be established.  

On 5 March 2024, the Cabinet approved the Healthy Ageing Strategy and endorsed the actions within it.  

Overview

Buckinghamshire Council logo

We want to hear what ageing well in Buckinghamshire means to you to help shape our Healthy Ageing Strategy.

Ageing well is about people of all ages living healthy, safe and fulfilling lifestyles.

It includes creating health-promoting places where people can, for as long as possible:

  • stay living in their homes
  • take part in activities they value
  • be a part of their communities

We are creating a Healthy Ageing Strategy for Buckinghamshire. This will set out key priorities to help people live healthy, happy lives for longer. It will include:

  • support for individuals
  • improvements in the environment, built infrastructure and social and community networks

To help us develop the strategy, we want to understand how we can support people who live and work in Buckinghamshire to age well as they grow older.

Supporting people to age well

The World Health Organisation identified 8 areas that support people to age well:

More Information

  • outdoor spaces and buildings:
    • high quality, accessible and social public spaces which are safe and help people to move around independently
    • such as walkable streets, reduce pavement parking, welcoming warm spaces
  • transportation:
    • accessible, affordable and appropriate travel options
    • such as age friendly active travel schemes
  • housing:
    • accommodation where people can live safely and comfortably, and which can improve physical and mental health, wellbeing, and social connections
    • such as age well design codes used in new build properties
  • participating in society:
    • reduce and remove barriers to participation to foster engagement with activities and events which build a sense of belonging
    • such as access to toilets so people feel confident and able to leave their homes to engage in local activities
  • respect and social inclusion:
    • age-friendly initiatives to involve people in later life within the community and help them feel valued
    • such as reduce negative preconceptions of ageing, facilitate intergenerational interactions, and raise awareness on ageing
  • volunteering and employment:
    • explore why employment in older adults is falling, as well as how volunteering can be supported
    • such as healthy retirement support
  • communication and information:
    • build positive and accessible communications and campaigns, and challenge negative stereotypes and stigma
    • such as develop a local, inclusive communications approach
  • community support for health and wellbeing:
    • strengthen the health and wellbeing of communities and support the network of community-based groups
    • such as healthy libraries framework

We want to know how these areas support you to age well in Buckinghamshire. Tell us:

  • what would make where you live a great place to age well
  • what your area does well to support ageing well and any challenges
  • what would better support people to age well

We want to hear from people 40 years old and over who live and / or work in Buckinghamshire.

How to have your say

You can tell us your views in one of the following ways:

If you have any questions about this activity, please email us at phadmin@buckinghamshire.gov.uk.

Please tell us your views by midnight on Monday 17 July 2023.

What happens next

Your feedback will help us understand key areas for further work and focus for the next stages of developing the Healthy Ageing Strategy.

Privacy

We will use the information you provide here only for this activity. We will store the information securely in line with data protection laws and will not share or publish any personal details. For more information about data and privacy, please see our Privacy Policy.

If you have questions about data and privacy, please email us on dataprotection@buckinghamshire.gov.uk. Or write to our Data Protection Officer at Buckinghamshire Council, The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, HP19 8FF.

Areas

  • Amersham
  • Aylesbury
  • Beaconsfield and Chepping Wye
  • Beeches
  • Buckingham and Villages
  • Chesham and Villages
  • Denham, Gerrards Cross and Chalfonts
  • Haddenham and Waddesdon
  • High Wycombe
  • Missendens
  • North West Chilterns
  • South West Chilterns
  • Wendover
  • Wexham and Ivers
  • Wing and Ivinghoe
  • Winslow and Villages

Interests

  • Health
  • Mental health and wellbeing
  • Communities