The Voice for Older People session, organised by Wolverhampton Equality and Diversity Partnership on Wednesday 12 February, aims to start a dialogue about what affects older residents in Wolverhampton.
People aged 55 and over are being invited to share their thoughts on a range of topics such as isolation and loneliness, health and social care, transport, housing, crime reduction, income, pensions, leisure and more.
The conference will take place in the Council Chamber, City of Wolverhampton Council, St Peter's Square, from 11am to 1pm. It will be facilitated by Sean Smith from the Social Audit Network.
Councillor Linda Leach, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: "We want to enable older residents to live as full and independent a life as possible, and I would encourage them to come along to this event and share their thoughts and feelings on a range of issues, and what it's like to be an older person living in Wolverhampton.”
The city has around 41,000 residents aged 65 and over, and in the next 20 years it is predicted the number of people aged 70 and over will rise by 25.3%, while the number of people aged 80 and over will jump by 62.5%.
Councillor Anwen Muston, founder member of the Wolverhampton Equality and Diversity Partnership, said: "We want to listen to the views of older people in the city and support them to engage in the decision making process, and this event is a first step in creating a stronger co-ordinated voice for the older people of Wolverhampton.
“We will also be supporting the development of the Older People’s Forum which will enable effective consultation, host meetings on a range of topics and provide an opportunity for people to get together on a regular basis."
Fellow Wolverhampton Equality and Diversity Partnership member Dr Sadhu Singh MBE added: "I would like to see Wolverhampton become a city for all ages. Community elders need to come and discuss solutions regarding care homes and we need to explore and discuss roles in which faith organisations play in the care and health of older communities."
For more information and to book free tickets, please visit Eventbrite or call 01902 313052.
