Love Later Life with Age UK Mid Mersey

Love Later Life

...with Age UK Mid Mersey

Age UK Mid Mersey exists to promote the wellbeing of the over 50s and to make later life an enjoyable and fulfilling experience. We are an independent, registered charity working with and on behalf of people aged 50+ in Halton, Warrington, Knowsley and St Helens.

Later life can present a whole range of different decisions, options and challenges, and we have helped many older people to feel safe and secure, to mix with others through a variety of activities, and to feel supported, often through difficult times in their lives. The Covid-19 pandemic has not halted our work and, indeed, has seen an even greater demand on our services.

Focus on Wellbeing

Looking after older people’s mental health is just as important to us as offering practical support and we work hard to align our services to the five key ways to wellbeing – Stay Connected, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give to Others – promoted through our Think Good, Feel Good campaign. This means we offer an holistic range of health, wellbeing, care and practical services to support individuals to enjoy a positive lifestyle with more choice and control in their everyday lives. A good example of this is our new Digital Offer…Using the latest technology is a great way to stay connected and tackle isolation and loneliness, but getting to grips with the digital world can be a challenge for those not used to using technology such as smartphones, tablets and computers. So we’ve developed a range of digital activities to support the over 50s, encouraging them to stay connected and keep learning. We offer tablet loans to those in need and host regular virtual coffee mornings. Our ‘Digital Buddies’ provide one-to-one digital support too, taking you through the basics of getting started.

To encourage physical activity and social connection, we’re also busy developing an exciting new range of face-to-face activities and classes in local community venues. The first of these will be launched at the end of May so keep checking our social media channels for more news – they will include our new and improved Warrington Tea Dance at the Pyramid, facilitated by professional dance tutors.

Listening to your views

Age UK Mid Mersey facilitates a number of participation groups, consulting local older people about local

www.ageuk.org.uk/midmersey

issues, helping to improve services and making positive changes to the way older people are perceived in our society. This year, we will also be launching an inclusive research project, UtopiAge, asking those aged 50+ for their views on what makes a great community to live in. We want to work collaboratively with older people to get to the heart of the wants and needs of our communities and inform and influence the services we develop in the future.

If you would like to find out more about UtopiAge or add your voice to the project, email enquiries@aukmm.org.uk or telephone 0300 003 1992.

Whether fit and active and looking for social activities, or more frail and vulnerable and looking for companionship or support, Age UK Mid Mersey strives to ensure that older people are not forgotten and that their skills and experience are embraced, enhanced and valued within our communities.

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge effect on both our charity and the communities we serve. Age UK Mid Mersey is continuing to adapt to new ways of offering the support needed and raising the much needed funds to help us maintain our work.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the work we do, or are able to support our work through volunteering, donating or fundraising, visit: www.ageuk.org.uk/midmersey.