While Bristol has relatively low unemployment and a thriving tourist and leisure industry it has areas of severe deprivation with high unemployment, low incomes, poor services and substantial inequalities in health. Older people are excluded by poor transport provision, lack of local services and inadequate and inappropriate housing.

Numbers of older people supported in residential and nursing home care has reduced and increasing numbers are now receiving intensive home care as part of a policy to promote independent living.

National trends:

• Average life expectancy has increased and continues to rise 75.9% years for men, 80.5% years for women.
• Older people are living longer on their own.
• Those living independently may require additional, emotional & practical support.
• Up to 1.8 billion of income related benefits go unclaimed by older people.
• Older pensioner households (over 75) have lower incomes than those under 75 years.
• People over the age of 65 occupy almost two thirds of acute hospital beds.
• Older people constitute 62% of Social Services clients.

 

Local trends:

• Estimated population of Bristol 391,500
• Percentage of black or minority ethnic residents living in Bristol is 8.2%
• Bristol has almost 30,000 people over the age of 75, two thirds of these are women and half of them live on their own.
• 30% of people over 75years in Bristol live in council, socially rented or rent free accommodation.
• In the last ten years the number of people living over the age of 85 years has increased by 12% whereas the overall population of Bristol has decreased by 2.9% in the last decade.

Source: Census 2001/1991