EnvisAGE is a discussion journal edited by Age Cymru, which explores issues affecting older people. In this edition, we shine a spotlight on the preventative health care services for older people.  

Dr Samuel Young of Age Cymru provides an overview of preventative health care services for older people in Wales. The article provides a policy overview around the provision of services in Wales, and explores barriers that older people may experience in accessing such services.  

Dr Llinos Haf Spencer of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care Research and Wales School of Social Prescribing Research (WSSPR) and Professor Carolyn Wallace of WSSPR provide an insight into the benefits of social prescribing, linking individuals with local community assets which can lead to improvements in wellbeing. 

Caroline Davies at Age Cymru Dyfed highlights that preventative healthcare services are a proactive investment in the wellbeing of our communities. Working in partnership, Age Cymru Dyfed initiatives include providing mental health support, and reconnecting individuals through social activities. 

Dr Simon Read of Cardiff University, Professor Fiona Verity of Brunel University of London, Dr Gideon Calder of Swansea University, and Professor Mark Llewellyn and Professor Jonathan Richards of the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales, reflect on a Health and Care Research Wales funded study, ‘Determining Best Preventative Social Care Practice’ (DBPSCP). The study explored how prevention was being enacted for older people in Wales. 

Dr Natalie Elliott of the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board, provides an overview of brain health and dementia prevention. The article features the work of Allied Health Professionals from across Wales that support people with their brain health and dementia risk reduction, including brain health optimisation clinics.  

Ross Saunders of the Alzheimer’s Society Cymru emphasises the importance of dementia diagnosis.  A diagnosis enables people living with dementia, and their carers, to plan for the future and to access support which enables them to maintain their independence for longer.  

Rebecca Zerk and Elize Freeman at the Centre for Age, Gender and Social Justice, Aberystwyth University, describe the pioneering Dewis Choice Initiative, which offers a rights-based, client-centred model that puts older victim-survivors at its core.  

Amy Lloyd and Angharad Phillips showcase Age Cymru’s Healthy Ageing programme, promoting active lives and building resilience for older people. The programme focuses on two key areas: health promotion and physical activity.  

Richard Lee of St John Ambulance Cymru provides an insight into the work they do in assisting people who have fallen, highlighting their partnership with the Welsh Ambulance Service University NHS (WASUT) to develop a service to attend to fallers more quickly than could be managed by an ambulance response.  

Faye Patton of Care & Repair Cymru writes about better homes for better health, and provides an insight into the impact of poor quality housing on the health of older people. The article features Care & Repair’s Rapid Response Adaptations Programme which fits around 20,000 home adaptations across Wales each year to prevent accidents at home. 

In our final article we gain an international perspective as Arunima Himawan from the International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC-UK) provides an insight into the Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index. The Index ranks 153 countries against six indicators: life span, health span, work span, income, environmental performance, and happiness.