Community Support and Health Services: Age Friendly Action Plan

Gwynedd is a rural county and therefore access to health services can be challenging, but is of course essential. Working closely with communities can support developments to provide access to health services.

Community support is essential in an area like Gwynedd and organisations and community hubs are all working closely within their local areas to support local needs. Recent findings from Ardal Ni 2035 have helped communities to recognise the gaps and what needs to be done.

 

Our Action Plan

  • Community Catalyst is a service in Gwynedd that supports individuals to start their own micro-enterprises to meet the needs of what people need locally for support.
  • Cyngor Gwynedd are developing the work with Direct Payments by raising awareness and trying to get more individuals who qualify to ensure they get support through the system.
  • Some organisations across Gwynedd have Social Prescribers who work closely with all partners in that local area (Mantell Gwynedd and Antur Aelhaearn)
  • Betsi Cadwaladr are trialling a health hub drop-in in Tywyn area (South Gwynedd) 
  • Cyngor Gwynedd and organisations across Gwynedd have set up over 10 community hubs with an extra three locations currently being explored.
  • Llechen Lân Project at Cyngor Gwynedd are trying to understand how to meet the needs of an ageing society in Gwynedd and their access to social and health services.
  • Cyngor Gwynedd’s Education Department are spending £1.2m on alterations to develop Community Rooms within schools across Gwynedd.
  • Continue to provide cost of Living drop-in sessions across Gwynedd to link individuals with organisations and information.

 

Case Study

A Dementia Actif Gwynedd staff member shares an insight to the importance of including access to classes both face-to-face and online through a magic moment:

“Attending the online classes has given a person living with dementia the confidence to attend Arfon’s face-to-face class. She felt that she couldn’t always keep up with the pace of a face-to-face class and stopped attending. She felt that following a slower-paced online class was more suitable for her at that time.

However, by now, she reports that attending the online classes has increased her confidence, and because of that, she has returned to the face-to-face class at Arfon which she enjoys, and feels that she can keep up with the exercises much better. Now, the live online classes have been cancelled for the time being due to staff capacity - however, along with her husband, they continue to do the online sessions at home, by following previously recorded sessions.”