Facilities For The Older Generation

A small part of the questionnaire asked specifically what facilities should be provided for the older generation in the village. Fig. 12 shows that there is demand for a day centre, a luncheon club and an advice and information centre.

fig. 12 – Demand for facilities for the older
generation

The existing day centre is currently only available if a person is referred there on medical grounds and is based in part of the school. Based on feedback from the meetings with the senior population, it would be preferable if the day centre could be used socially as well as by those that have been referred there. This may require finding a larger space for the centre and equally, if the village continues to expand, the school may require to use the building that currently houses the centre.

The existing luncheon club is running very successfully but hasn’t seen an increase in membership recently, so it is debatable whether the results above indicate that the current set-up is working well or there is a perceived need for expansion. This will need to be explored further.

In terms of providing an advice and information centre, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau do provide an outreach service that could visit the village, on a regular basis, to provide assistance and advice. The issue of finding a location, that could provide the privacy that may be required, needs to be addressed though.

The Butcher’s Arms, Parson Drove – hosts of the
Luncheon Club

Since the questions in the survey were answered by all, some additional analysis was done to check that the results above were in fact representative of the older generation, or merely the perceptions of the younger population. In fact, the results were not too dissimilar, but the demand for the day-care centre, luncheon club and advice centre was slightly lower amongst those over 60. Even so, the results shown above are still a valid representation of demand within the parish.

Parts of other sections of the survey also apply to the older generation. For example, in terms of sports and recreational facilities within the parish, there was a high demand for more public seats around the village. Similarly disabled access to village shops and buildings, while not exclusive to those more senior citizens, is of concern to a number of them.

For those that have difficulty reaching the surgery, the central repeat prescription service covered in the health services section could be a boon. Factors, such as public transport and pedestrian safety, may also apply more closely to the older community.

Points To Take Forward

• Provision of a day-care centre that is open to all
• Possible expansion of the luncheon club, if there is sufficient demand
• CAB out-reach program in the village
• More seats around the village
• Central repeat prescription service