Happy New Year from Age Cymru

Happy New Year from Age Cymru. Here's a New Year's message from Victoria Lloyd, our Director of Influencing and Programme Development: 

2011 has been a busy year for Age Cymru and 2012 promises to be equally interesting and eventful. 

We will be continuing to promote our Rule Out Abuse campaign for the better protection of adults from abuse, calling on the Welsh Government to prioritise safety, protect people from harm, respect their choices and to promote their rights to dignity and respect.

Age Cymru is delighted that the Welsh Government has committed to publish proposals for new social care legislation next year which will include arrangements for better safeguarding adults and we will be working to ensure that older people's views and voices are central to this work. 

May 2012 will bring the local government elections, we will be campaigning with our local Age Cymru partners to ensure that the issues affecting older people across Wales, both today and in the future, are high priorities in all local authority areas.

We need to create a Wales in which older people are valued, respected and cared for; have equal access to services; and are empowered to play a full and active part in society. Local authorities have a key role in achieving this. 

Age Cymru will also continue working to monitor how the squeeze on public spending is affecting older people across Wales so that we can act immediately to campaign against any disproportionate measures.

The agenda for older people in Wales is huge, we look forward to the challenge of 2012 and making a real difference to the lives of older people through the work that we do.

Happy New Year!

Victoria Lloyd, Director of Influencing and Programme Development, Age Cymru

1 January 2012