Report predicts a third of Wiltshire population to be over 65 by 2040
The annual public health report has highlighted three key priority areas
It's predicted that by 2040, a third of Wiltshire's population will be aged over 65.
That's according to the latest annual public health report by the county's Director of Public Health.
In her report, Professor Kate Blackburn has identified three priority areas of needs: an ageing population, poor mental health and the impact the cost of living crisis is having.
The report, which aims to highlight the health of people in Wiltshire and raise awareness of any issues, also shines a light on the success stories from the past year in boosting people's health.
Additionally, it displays how the local authority and communities across the county are coming together to improve health.
Social inequity a major factor in impacting health
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Professor Blackburn told us that social inequality is having an 'enormous' impact on health across Wiltshire.
She said: "Things like education, employment, housing and that's what really impacts on our health and well-being and our ability to thrive and be well. It's not just about how we can access healthcare or what medicines may be available."
Professor Blackburn stated that public health is uniquely positioned to influence change across multiple departments of the local authority.
"We can work across all of those other departments with our partners and really try and understand where in Wilshire we need to look at those different areas of societal impacts upon health and make changes.
"But we are always working with our communities. It's no good us deciding what's wrong or what might need to change. It's all about conversations with our communities," she said.
Professor Blackburn told us that work is already well underway to address some of the health issues in the county, with an evidence base being used to inform and guide their approach to solutions.
She said: "We have an evidence base of working with the populations to understand actually what's that lived experience like, what could be changed to enable people to live a healthier life and what benefits that would bring to the wider system."
Handling an ageing population
One of the issues Wiltshire faces is an ageing population.
In the report, the current overall population of 510,400 is set to grow by 7%, reaching 547,864 by 2040.
A third of that would be over 65s, with it currently being around a fifth.
"I think at the scale of the ageing population probably represent the largest challenge to existing ways of working in health care housing," Professor Blackburn said, describing the growth of older people in Wiltshire as 'a really big increase'.
She added: "That brings a lot of opportunities with experience and knowledge across that generation, but unfortunately we do also know that at 65 and over, that's the age where we have a higher risk of having long term conditions that will require support from health and social care services.
"We may require adaptations to homes and see people at greater risk of not being as mobile and therefore as connected into social networks as we've seen before."
There's also the associated stigma of ageing, around mental health, financial pressures and that can sometimes present a significant barrier to people asking for and accessing help.
Attempts to support the current generation of older citizens are being made, with activities such as the Senior Games carried out in partnership with Wiltshire and Swindon Sport.
But the foundations for the current, working generation are being laid, with Professor Blackburn saying a healthy workforce is critical.
"In Wiltshire we have quite a low level of unemployment and lots of people in employment, but making sure people are healthy in employment is really essential," she said.
This helps avoid ill health as we age and hopes to prevent any stigma attached to getting older as it's part of the conversation on a more regular basis.
Helping people get healthier
One of the many success stories, alongside the Senior Games, that Professor Blackburn highlighted was the work being done to help people stop smoking.
"Smoking is still recognised as the leading cause of health inequality in the population," she said, adding: "Smoking is an addition, so we have a range of different support services across the county to really try and tailor that to best meet an individual's needs."
That includes understanding the situation a person is living or working in order to find the best possible solution.
They've even found ways to reach some of those hardest to contact.
"In one of our industrial sites within Wiltshire, we've put health coaches in to the industrial estates, they've gone into workplaces and we've seen a much higher rate of people signing up wanting to stop smoking because the support is directly with them in their workplace.
"The employers are really pleased because obviously healthy workforce, more productive and it's fantastic for us because traditionally it's been very difficult to try and reach into certain population groups."
The full report can be read here.