Action on health and care
Record NHS waiting lists, older patients unable to return home from hospital because of the crisis in care, councils lacking the funds to maintain vital services, care homes facing closure through spiralling costs… the cash-strapped health and care sector is struggling to meet the needs of many of those who use it most at a time of rising demand.
As the biggest users of health and care services, older people find themselves in the front line of the battle for the wellbeing of the nation.
So how can the Age Action Alliance make a positive contribution?
By bringing together providers, charities and experts with the very people who rely most on these services, we hope to arrive at workable solutions as well as flag up and make our voices heard on the issues. Topics will include:
- Independent living
- Care options and funding
- Home adaptations
- Maintaining health and wellbeing
- Support and benefits
- Telecare
- Living with dementia
- Health insurance
Get involved
We believe constructive dialogue and informed decision making is always the way forward and so we hope to use this section to provide a forum for debate and a home for helpful information and advice.
If you would like to contribute in any way, do please get in touch by emailing info@theageactionalliance.org.
The Age Action Alliance is supported by
Latest News
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Living in the poorest parts of England can cost you almost five years of your life
Centre for Ageing Better’s State of Ageing 2025 report highlights the substantial variations in the experiences of growing older across England with the difference in life expectancy in the richest and poorest areas.
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Covid’s seismic shock on older people “still felt five years on”
Older people’s health, employment and community connection have failed to recover since the pandemic, our new analysis from The Centre for Ageing Better reveals.
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Stigma and “stiff-upper lips” preventing access to mental health support
New research published by the International Longevity Centre UK (ILC) finds that serious mental health conditions are hampering older people’s ability to live more fulfilling long lives.
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Charity advancing dementia research gets £200,000 boost
Bath-based charity and Research Institute for Brain Health, ReMind UK, has received £200k in funding over two years from philanthropist, John Osborn CBE.
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Age UK: Many older women experience glaring inequalities
More than one third of women aged 50+ (36%) 4.1 million in England have experienced discrimination on the grounds of their age, sex or race.
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“Walkers” aim to end the stigma of unstylish mobility aids
A young design company has come up with a light and stylish new walker mobility aid, inspired by an octogenarian, that will appeal to anyone who values form as well as function.
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Increased NI contributions will “wipe out” essential services from charities
Age UK says that some essential services which help highly vulnerable older people, and their families and unpaid carers, will be forced to scale down or close.
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Access Social Care wins landmark judgement ordering Government to reveal social care data
Legal rights charity Access Social Care has won a “landmark court case” which will force two Government departments to reveal important information around the decision-making processes which determine funding for adult social care.
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NDTi and NIHR win European award for community-led research
NDTi’s Community Led Support (CLS) programme, in partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded research team led by the University of Birmingham, has won a prestigious European Social Services Award (ESSA).
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World first gives hope to millions at risk of sight loss
Age Action Alliance members, Bristol-based Siloton, have announced a major technology breakthrough which will make it far easier to access vital equipment to detect eye conditions affecting 5% of the world’s population – including many older people. Improved diagnosis and treatment for eye diseases affecting the sight of millions across the globe has taken a…
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Lottery award makes peer mentoring stroke project possible
A pioneering project to support stroke-affected people in the Bristol area in their recovery journey is being made possible with £20,000 funding from the National Lottery.
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Two million older people now have some unmet need for social care
New Age UK report finds older people are often struggling due to insufficient access to high quality NHS treatment, as well as social care, and that the system is currently under-prepared for population ageing.
Latest blogs & comments
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Extra care housing: can design help improve the health and wellbeing of older people?
Josie Dorling, an architect with Poynton Bradbury Architects, looks at how accommodation that is thoughtfully designed to promote social interaction among residents can help to combat loneliness and isolation.
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5 easy habits for a longer, healthier, happier life
The Open University (OU) is launching a UK-wide month-long national challenge, similar to Dry January but for ageing well: Take Five to Age Well.
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Why are we waiting?
Procrastination isn’t just the thief of time. It can also be a thief of lives… as well as public money, writes Tony Watts OBE
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Unpaid care is a feminist issue. Am I being unreasonable?
Yes, lots of men are carers,” writes June Andrews OBE. “But what I am saying is still true. The burden of unpaid care of older relatives is not carried equally.”
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I’m over 50. So, when it comes to health, when is it worth going private?
What are the benefits of taking out Private Medical Insurance – especially as you get into your 50s and beyond? The Age Action Alliance has got together with leading health insurance comparison website Usay Compare to provide you with the facts you need to know… and offer two months’ free insurance*.
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Making older people’s voices heard… where it matters
Tony Watts OBE is a partner of the NHS Older People’s Sounding Board, which AAA founding members NDTi facilitate on behalf of NHS England. Here he writes about how the Sounding Board is helping to ensure that users themselves can shape the design and delivery of services that affect their lives.
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Fitness doesn’t have an age limit
AAA member Jennifer Grumbley applies her years of knowledge as a pilates and fitness instructor to look at how we can best keep exercising throughout our life and into later years.
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How transformative tech in social care can speed hospital discharges
With the constant pressure to unblock beds to reduce waiting lists, how can technology play ITS part in speeding discharge? Gerry Toner at Curam sets out how their business is playing its part.
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Assisted dying legislation: who gets to decide who lives and dies?
“The risk of older people being nudged to die by health and social care,” writes leading dementia expert Professor June Andrews, “or even by a family with ‘inheritance impatience’ is more than I can bear without a broken heart.”
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Power of Attorney: 10 tips for the delicate discussion
Leading dementia expert Professor June Andrews has some helpful advice for anyone who has been putting off one of the most important decisions we can make…
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It’s never too late to live a healthier life
Sarah Culpepper of AAA members Glass Sponge Coaching has some helpful advice to improve our healthspans as well as our lifespans… whatever our age!
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Why do we grunt as we get older?
If you find yourself making audible noises every time you exert yourself, you’re not alone! But why on Earth do we do it? Liz Lee of AAA members AMAC fitness trainers, has been doing some research!