Rhian Bowen-Davies took up her current post as Older People’s Commissioner for Wales in 2024.
By 2030 1 in 4 people in Wales will be over 65 and this figure will include a growing number of older people ageing without children who may face particular challenges. In order to address the policy and practical implications issues of this demographic shift a literature review was commissioned from Miller Research consultancy. Their report was published in March 2025 and was followed this month by a webinar hosted by the Commissioner’s Office “Growing older without children: responding effectively to a changing landscape”.
We were delighted that AWOC was invited to participate and on behalf of the Board I gave a brief presentation (below) on our campaigning and activities in England over the past decade.
The 90 minute webinar on 4th September attracted 100 attendees and started with an excellent presentation from lead researcher Hannah Miller talking about her findings and recommendations. Some AWOC publications were referenced in the literature review and it’s great to see a new piece of research published on what we know is a significantly under-researched topic.
In between the two presentations three older people with lived experience, Andrew, Jean and Gilly talked about their lives and what they see as both the positive aspects and the challenges of ageing without children. All three value their independence and enjoy the freedom of living alone, travelling and their diverse social networks, but are also concerned about being able to access support tailored to their specific circumstances when health and care needs arise or change.
Some of the issues mentioned included knowing where to get support (better signposting of formal and informal help); the need for improved advocacy provision especially relating to care and later life planning; the challenges associated with being AWOC in a particular context, for example a rural environment (relying on “God and good neighbours”); the desire for more practical services to help maintain independence at home; and the need to raise more awareness among young people and promote intergenerational activities.
Listening to these stories certainly resonated with what we frequently hear from members of our local AWOC peer support groups and the national Facebook group reflecting the importance of the many different voices of people ageing without children being heard, understood and integrated into the design of new approaches and services which challenge ageism and assumptions about family support.
Giving a voice to all older people and addressing specific challenges in relation to ageing demonstrates the importance of having a national Commissioner who is empowered to champion older people and lead both policy and practical change. AWOC is a supporter of the call for the appointment of national commissioners in England and Scotland too.
We hope to stay in contact with the Commissioner and her team as they take forward a plan of action to improve services and support for people ageing without children in Wales.
Jenny Collieson, AWOC Co-Chair September 2025
Wales webinar AWOC presentation Sept 4 2025
GROWING OLDER WITHOUT CHILDREN WEBINAR – Taking action to improve policy and practice
