What is Partnership with Older People (POP)?
Partnership with Older People is a thriving movement working to
change attitudes and services in order to achieve an improved
society for older people in Suffolk. It is a network with older
people at its heart in every sense. It brings together older people
with others to look how they can be helped to remain independent
and have an enhanced quality of life. By using the resources of
local organisations and older people themselves, POP spreads
information on different aspects of life that helps to promote a
culture of independence and self sufficiency.
Read the Partnership with Older People leaflet (PDF 805Kb)
POP's agenda for 2009-10
- promoting positive ageing and healthy living;
- developing ways to help people stay independent, and in
their own homes;
- challenging perceptions of what older people want and what they
can and can’t do;
- promoting better access to information across Suffolk,
particularly in rural areas;
- empowering older people to continue to participate in community
life;
- supporting the work of Suffolk Older People Strategic
Partnership Board;
- championing the contributions people make to the arts, music
and culture;
- developing more integrated approach amongst organisations and
service providers, in response to an ageing society.
Charter for Older People
Read the Charter for Older People (PDF, 565Kb)
The Charter for Older People in Suffolk is a document that
Suffolk’s Older People’s Strategic Partnership Board (OPSPB) has
been responsible for putting together. The board, formed in 2006
acts as a formal voice for all older people in Suffolk and is made
up of various organisations, groups and individuals.
The content of the charter originated from discussions involving
older people held at Partnership with Older People’s (POP) Forums
about everyday issues and concerns. Further work was carried out by
the OPSPB on how to move forward with what older people were saying
about life in general in Suffolk including access to services,
information and advice, health and social care, safety in the home
and community, housing, culture, art and leisure etc. All these
different views on every day life were taken into account when
drawing up the charter.
The Charter for Older People outlines:
- the rights that older people in Suffolk should be entitled to
enjoy;
- the opportunities they should expect; and
- the responsibilities and aspirations of those who provide their
activities, services and support.
Taking the Charter forward
The Charter recognises that rights and responsibilities go hand
in hand and the new vision requires that we all:
- Stop thinking about narrowly defined care services and start
thinking about the provision of more enabling services that provide
people with the right to live independently.
- Share responsibility for changing attitudes and approaches to
ageing between individuals, families, the community, local
authorities and the government.
- Provide more flexible services and systems that respond in a
variety of ways to overcome barriers and enable people to access
solutions that works best for them.
We hope that with the signing of the Charter it will mark the
starting point for many significant initiatives that will enhance
the lives and experiences of older people right across the county.
The next task will be to identify and proclaim examples of how
those who have committed to these ideals have succeeded in putting
them into practice.
Supporting documents