The current levels of investment in older people’s mental health and wellbeing in Wales are not meeting needs says Age Cymru in its response to the Welsh Government’s 10-year Draft Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategy and Draft Suicide and Self-harm Prevention Strategy 2024-34 consultations.

The charity is calling for a clearer focus on older people’s mental health backed by adequate and sustainable funding not only for specific statutory and third sector mental health support but also for services that underpin a good quality of life for older people such as the availability of public transport, access to social care, and support for older carers.

Age Cymru’s head of policy Heather Ferguson said: “We need to understand why older people aren’t accessing the help they need when they need it.

“We very much welcome the identification of older people as a group requiring specific support to protect their mental health and wellbeing in these consultations and we hope it will shine an overdue spotlight on older people’s mental health needs in Wales.

“Older adult mental health support has been overlooked for many years, and we know that older people can face multiple barriers to gaining the support they might need.”