More than ever before, older people are facing some of the hardest challenges imaginable. Some live in poverty or can’t get the basic care they need to live with dignity. Sadly, older people often have to face these issues with no-one to help or support them – loneliness is a daily struggle when you only have the TV or radio to keep you company.
That’s why Age Cymru is here. Our vision is a society which offers all people in Wales the best experience of later life. Older people are valued, included and able to shape decisions affecting their lives.
Our mission is to improve the lives of older people by delivering trusted advice, support and services. We use our knowledge, insight and experience to influence policies and decisions affecting older people.
We are here for older people when they need us.
Together with our local partners
- We provide information and advice
- We deliver wellbeing programmes
- We provide independent advocacy
- We support carers
- We campaign and research
We provide information and advice
Age Cymru Advice provides confidential, impartial and expert information and advice to older people, their families, friends, carers and professionals.
If you'd like to talk to someone in Welsh or in English, you can call us on 0300 303 44 98, charged at local rate and open between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday. You can also email us at advice@agecymru.org.uk
People with hearing loss can contact the service via the Next Generation Text service or Text Relay service. We also work in partnership with Languageline Solutions to provide access to interpreters covering more than 240 languages.
Alternatively, you may be able to find the information you need in our factsheets and information guides
We deliver wellbeing programmes
Through our healthy ageing programme, we provide information to help you make informed choices about your health and to play an active role in managing your health and wellbeing. We deliver a programme of physical activities and arts and creativity to support positive mental health.
Low Impact Functional Training (LIFT) - A series of activities and games designed to get older people taking part in physical activity in your local community.
Nordic Walking - one of Europe’s fastest growing forms of physical activity and is a great way of staying healthy.
Tai Chi - found to improve health and wellbeing and a discipline that involves the mind, breath and movement to create a calm, natural balance of energy. Helps to loosen and strengthens joints and muscles, rejuvenates body, mind and spirit, improves concentration as well as helping with blood pressure problems and improving balance.
Wellbeing is not just about physical health. Gwanwyn is our national Spring festival that celebrates older age as a time of opportunity for renewal, growth and creativity. The programme offers opportunities for greater participation by older people in the arts, providing grants for local organisations across Wales.
We provide independent advocacy
HOPE (Helping others participate and engage) - a partnership project between Age Cymru, local Age Cymru partners and Age Connects Wales partners across the country. HOPE delivers independent advocacy for people over 50 and carers across Wales.
The project supports people to engage, participate, gain information, have their voices heard, understand their rights, make choices, be involved, share experiences, raise awareness of advocacy, and develop skills and knowledge.
Dementia advocacy - our independent dementia advocacy project enables people living with dementia to access the services and support they need and to have a voice in decisions that are made about them.
The advocacy we offer is independent of any other service people living with dementia use. This means that the person living with dementia is at the heart of the decision-making process, and we can support and represent them without any conflict of interest.
We support carers
Across Wales, hundreds of thousands of people are providing help or support to family members, friends, neighbours or others because of long-term physical or mental ill-health, disability or issues related to growing old. More than half of the unpaid carers are over the age of 50. Many providing care do not see themselves as unpaid carers, are not aware of their rights, don’t know what support is available or how to access it.
Our carers project supports the early identification of older carers to provide timely and person-centred information and advice. It enables older carers to influence policy, service design and delivery, and decision-making by ensuring their voices are heard.
The project aims to provide support and resources, to ensure more professionals can identify and support carers of people living with dementia, to provide information and insight to develop services that better meet the needs of older carers and to help residential or nursing home staff to support carers.
We campaign and research
Our policy team works in many different ways to make Wales an age-friendly country. We research the issues that are of key importance to older people informed by our Consultative Forum.
We produce public policy statements, evidence, reports and statistics about major issues affecting older people in Wales. We use these resources to campaign for positive change for older people.
We work with our colleagues in Age Alliance Wales to ensure older people’s voices are heard.
Supporting older people’s campaigning
Our Engagement team works with a number of national older people’s organisations, providing secretariat, campaigning and policy support.
- Active Wales
- Cymru Older People’s Alliance (COPA)
- National Pensioners Convention Wales
- Wales Seniors Forum
We work with local Age Cymru partners
The Age Cymru network comprises independent local partners across Wales.
Your local Age Cymru helps with things like befriending, shopping, transport, filling in forms, advocacy, social activities, exercise classes and much more.
Each local Age Cymru partner is an independent charity. We work together to promote the well-being of older people through national and local campaigns, through our policy influencing, our healthy ageing work, by fundraising and through our range of products and services.
Age Cymru Dyfed
03333 447 874
Age Cymru Gwent
01633 763330
Age Cymru Gwynedd a Môn
01286 677711
Age Cymru Powys
South Powys 01597 825908
North Powys 01686 623707
Age Cymru West Glamorgan
01792 648866
