Huge rise in number of Wiganers reaching their nineties

Data supplied by the Office for National Statistics has shown a massive increase in the number of men and women getting nearer to the three-figure landmark birthday.

The figures, which cover year on year from 2001 and project as far as 2041, have revealed that the number of households with nonagenarians has risen from 715 in 2008 to 1,058 in 2018, an increase of 48 per cent.

Elderly residents may have almost doubled from 2008 in another 10 years, with 1,455 estimated to be living in households across the borough by 2028.

Wigan Council has long been adapting to try to combat the pressures on the borough’s adult social care sector.

Town hall bosses have called the estimated projections into question, saying that they cannot always be relied upon for accuracy.

Prof Kate Ardern, director of public health at the authority, said: “There is growing uncertainty surrounding projections like this, especially in those that go past five years.

“However, we are aware of the projected increase in the number of older people in Wigan borough and we will continue to work in partnership with other organisations to ensure that people can live and age well.

“Upholding our part of The Deal and helping residents to receive the best support so they can be resilient and live long, healthy lives is a key priority for us.

“We value our older adults and are committed to helping them harness a range of skills, knowledge and experiences through a range of local programmes.”

The ONS data published recently, shows a continued disparity between men and woman, with 782 women over the age of 90 currently residing in Wigan, but only 276 men.

The elderly male population, however, is expected to boom by 2028 with a 71 per cent increase to 472. It has already seen a 90 per cent increase from 10 years ago.

Prof Ardern added: “We will continue to offer an excellent service borough-wide to our older people, specifically in ways that have already proven to be successful, including; investing in the community through The Deal for Communities Investment Fund, encouraging more of our local communities to become dementia friendly, integrating health and social care services to improve outcomes for residents and preventing people going into hospital by supporting them to live in their own homes.

“We do this in a variety of ways such as our AWARM project, assistive technology and more.

“We understand that there are still challenges to face, but working together with our partners and local people to further understand what is important to them will help us to make Wigan Borough an even better place to grow older.”

On top of the most recent figures, a study undertaken by the ONS highlighted the falling numbers of people starting families as well as a decrease in the number of children people are having.