The Older People’s Commissioner for Wales visited Llangollen to meet with residents at the Old Vicarage Care Home and hear from them about the action she should take to deliver positive change for older people.
They told Rhian Bowen-Davies that the care and support provided there, which is focused on people’s individual needs rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach made them feel valued and safe, and that the wide range of activities on offer gave them something to look forward to every day, an important part of having a good quality of life.
The experiences, views and ideas shared by older people will be used to shape the Commissioner’s upcoming Strategy and Work Plan as well as her ongoing work to improve policy and practice.
The visit to Llangollen was part of a wider series of visits to meet with older people across Wales where the Commissioner and her team will be hearing directly from older people about the action they should deliver and the key issues they should focus on, with visits to every local authority in Wales planned in the weeks ahead.
As well as providing residential and respite care, the Old Vicarage also supports older people living with dementia, and its owner and manager Bethan Mascarenhas recently won a top award for her outstanding commitment to her work, having become one of the youngest care home owners in Wales shortly before the pandemic.
The Commissioner said: "It was great to be back in north Wales to meet with older people living in the Old Vicarage and learn more from them about the ways we can support care home residents to have the best possible quality of life.
“The Old Vicarage challenges expectations about what life in a care home can be like, and it was really positive to see how happy and safe the older people I spoke with felt living in the home.
“The experiences shared will help me develop my upcoming Strategy and Work Programme, which will have older people’s voices at its heart.”
Alongside travelling throughout Wales to speak directly with older people, the Commissioner is also inviting older people to share their experiences in writing by completing a short questionnaire.
She added: "I want to hear from as many older people as possible, from a wide range of different backgrounds and communities, so please do make your voice heard by completing my questionnaire if you can and help deliver positive change for older people.”
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