Anglesey County Council is working towards securing membership to the World Health Organisation’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities. For several years the Island has hosted an Older People’s Council and Forum which has been an opportunity to work together to overcome any challenges facing people on the Island. During the lockdown periods, the meetings took place online, but now we have moved to hybrid meetings. The Older People’s Council felt that this was a positive step, and builds on the significant investment that has been made to technology resources within the Island’s community hubs.
We are proud to announce that the Leader of the Council, Councillor Llinos Medi, has supported the Older People’s Council’s request to change the title of our Champion to Age-Friendly Champion. The Champion, Councillor Gwilym Jones will work with the Council’s staff and a number of partners to promote our vision of an Age-Friendly Island.
The CYMUNED website is a Virtual Village Hall for Anglesey, where there are opportunities for people to take part in activities, or receive information online. The website is a useful resource to contribute towards reducing loneliness. We provide a digital tablet scheme through our partners in Age Cymru Gwynedd and Môn, and Medrwn Môn, in order to support people to participate online and learn new technology skills.
By working with Menter Iaith Môn, we have carried out intergenerational work, which has given children and young people opportunities to learn more about their areas. The Our History (Ein Hanes Ni) project creates opportunities for people of all ages to connect with each other, and discuss the past, present and future of their local areas.
A number of Council staff will be participating in a Dementia Friends course during July. The course is run by Alzheimers Cymru, and we believe it is very timely to introduce the course following the unprecedented times of the pandemic. Raising awareness and understanding of dementia is essential, and we will extend the training to our communities.
Chris Thomas, Anglesey Older Peoples Council
