Advocacy Counts 5

Wales needs more specialist advocacy services for older people - that's according to our new Advocacy Counts 5 report.

Advocacy services give older people control over their lives by giving them a voice on issues that affect them.

But Advocacy Counts 5 shows that across Wales, specialist advocacy services for older people are disappearing.

In 2013, when Age Cymru published Advocacy Counts 4 there were 23 advocacy services across Wales specifically for older people.

But by 2016 that number has dropped to 19.

Yet specialist advocacy services are becoming increasingly important as a result of Wales' ageing population and the complex range of needs that older people can experience.

According to Age Cymru's research:

• Since 2013, there has been a 17 per cent drop (from 23 to 19) in the number of advocacy services specifically for older people across Wales;

• Since 2013, there has been a 69 per cent rise (from 26 to 44) in advocacy services for all age groups across Wales;

• In 2013, there were specialised advocacy services for older people in 21 of Wales' local authority areas. By 2016, this number has dropped to 17, but there are advocacy services for all age groups in each of the 22 local authority areas.