Pillar 2: The places and communities we live in

Good health is the foundation of ageing well. Getting older is not a process of inevitable decline and many people stay fit and well long into their later years. Age brings with it a host of opportunities and advantages, but it can also be a time of illness, dependence, and loneliness.

We want older people in Cheshire West to enjoy their later years, and live life to the full. We are signed up to the World Health Organization's Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities, signifying our commitment to learning from and sharing best practice with other areas and we will relaunch our Age-friendly Network in June 2022. We recognise that older people are a very diverse group, covering a wide range of ages, ethnicities, social and economic backgrounds, and life experiences. As such, they will experience life in many different ways. Some may work past retirement age, many may have caring responsibilities for a parent, partner and/or grandchildren; a number will do voluntary work or mentoring in the workplace; and some may take up new educational and leisure opportunities. Older people will have at least as diverse a range of lifestyles as the adult population of working age. We want our older population to live well, be independent and continue to contribute to and be active members of their community.

We will:

• Develop an Age-friendly action plan for the period 2022-25 that will align with and support the Place Plan. Cheshire West's Age-friendly Steering Group will lead this piece of work.
• Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan to measure the impact and outcomes of the actions implemented (some of which will be reflected in the Place Plan outcomes).