Supporting older people’s social inclusion and access to care: a new evidence summary!
Everyone in Wales should be able to access the support they need to age well. But older people can face different kinds of exclusion, making it harder to access care and stay connected.
Our new evidence summary looks at two ways to improve access to care for older people:
- joined-up working between health and social care
- social prescribing.
Why this matters
The Welsh Government estimates that by 2038, one in four people in Wales will be over 65.
Many older people face barriers like: social exclusion, poverty, difficulty accessing services or gaps in services.
Working together effectively can:
- improve people’s quality of life
- lead to better health outcomes
- reduce unnecessary hospital visits
- help people stay at home for longer.
Effective collaboration works best when:
- leaders are committed
- there’s a balance of power in any joint initiatives
- teams understand each other’s goals and priorities
- data is shared clearly and responsibly.
It can:
- help older people access services
- improve health and well-being
- reduce social isolation.
It does this by helping older people do things like:
- joining groups
- making friends
- using public transport
- building confidence.
The evidence summary also acknowledges that social prescribing has its limitations.
It doesn’t replace adequate funding and specialist support and may also be less effective in areas with fewer community resources.
Find out more
Visit our evidence summary: Supporting older people’s social inclusion and access to care.
Social prescribing
Social prescribing connects people to community-based support.