A new year message from Age Cymru

2025 has been quite a year.

There are very few people who have not been touched by some of the global challenges this year. All of these things we will have seen on the news across the world, ripple outwards and find themselves on our shores in one way or another, be it through higher food or energy bills, dangerous weather or changes in political focus.

There have been particular challenges for older people in Wales. The energy cap increase saw a further rise in the cost of heating our homes, meaning many older people on lower incomes were faced with having to choose between heating or eating.

Thankfully, the Winter Fuel Payments being reinstated for those with income under £35,000 was a step in the right direction, but given that the cost of just about everything  is rising, even those on modest incomes will still feel it.  

Loneliness and social isolation is something that we have particularly highlighted at Age Cymru, where research found that 36,000 older people in Wales spent Christmas Day without seeing or speaking to anyone.

Digital exclusion also remains a difficult challenge. More of our day-to-day services and interactions are now taking place online - often with no offline alternative. This is a huge challenge for Wales where digital exclusion is twice that of the UK average, with 31% of over 75’s having no internet access at home.

At Age Cymru, together with our Network Partners we do all we can to support older people in Wales, through telephone and in-person activities, advice and guidance. You can contact your local Age Cymru office, call us on 0300 303 44 98, or if you do have internet access, you can go to agecymru.wales.

As well as providing support, we champion the older people of Wales, and advocate for the rights and respect they deserve.

Sometimes the language used to describe older people, particularly in the media around topics such as the economy, can be quite negative, as if we are a passive community that contributes little.

This is far from the truth. Older people in Wales contribute an estimated £2bn a year to the economy, either directly or through support such as volunteering or childcare. An investment in the health and well-being of older people in Wales is a positive investment in the nation as a whole.

With that in mind, as Wales gears up for what might prove to be one of the most important Senedd elections in modern times, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some important considerations for those who will be canvassing for our votes across the country.

We will be calling for:

Easier access to health services, particularly GP appointments.

Timely, quality care for older people, making sure social care is funded so people can get the care they need, when they need it. 

Tackling pensioner poverty and providing targeted support to older people in financial crisis. 

Inclusive access to services and information for the digitally excluded, particularly reliable and available transport services. 

Keeping communities connected, so that older people can still access local shops and services. 

Keeping people warm at home by providing access to warm home schemes and guaranteeing access to emergency heating support when needed.

We will be sharing a much more detailed Manifesto over the coming weeks, but with a third of the population, an estimated 1.6 million people, expected to be aged 50 and over in Wales by 2030, we call on the next Welsh Government to address the crisis that people don’t see.

As we start the new year, we will continue to campaign for older people’s rights and challenge the inequalities we all face. We will continue to provide free, expert information, advice and support to older people across Wales. We will continue to make older people’s voices heard. 

Yours sincerely,

Victoria Lloyd,

Chief Executive, Age Cymru