Residents getting older and less healthy

Almost one in every five people in Rochdale will be aged 65 or over by 2021 and older people in the town can expect to live shorter and less healthy lives than older people across Greater Manchester and the country as a whole, according to a joint report from Rochdale Council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale.

The report, 'The Health and Wellbeing of Older People in Rochdale Borough', acknowledges that Rochdale suffers from serious local health deprivation and hopes to tackle the problem through a number of recommendations.

It is part of the the Council and Primary Care Trust's duty under recent legislation to carry out a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) in partnership with local people and groups.

The number of people aged over 65 will have increased by 30% on figures released in 2001, from 29,450 to 38,400.

The borough had an average of 12% of its 60+ year-olds claiming Disability Living Allowance in 2006, higher than the national average of 8%. Men who reach the age of 65 in the borough have the 7th lowest remaining life expectancy of the 46 local authorities in the North West; for women, it is the 11th lowest in the region.

The document shows the connection between poor health and deprivation and between 2004 and 2007, the gap between the healthiest and the least healthy areas has widened with 2,444 more older people now living in income deprived households.

The report identifies 29 recommendations for change across Social Care, Housing, Employment & Income, Lifelong Learning, Information & Advice as well as Equity & Equality.

Commenting on the report a spokesperson for Rochdale Federation of Tenants and Residents Associations said: "RoFTRA is grateful to its authors and looks forward to collaborating with them in implementing the recommendations in the borough's social housing communities."