SCHEMES to help older people live independently for longer have won £3m from the Department of Health.

The funding, which will be spread over the next two years, has been awarded under the department's Partnerships for Older People Projects (Popp).

North Yorkshire County Council is one of only 19 local authorities to be given money following bids from more than 140 social services departments across the country.

The funding will help the council to give more support to people to help them live independent lives, rather than be admitted to hospital or residential care, including working with older people as peer mentors.

New technology to try to prevent falls and help people suffering from dementia will also be on offer.

Plans will be developed for a person's overall life to be assessed, instead of focusing only on health and social care needs. Community matrons and other workers will also be used in the project.

Councillor Chris Metcalfe, executive member for adult social services, said: "Too many older people are admitted to hospital, often as an emergency, when this could be avoided if the right community services were in place at the right time.

"There is a growing momentum in the health and social care systems which is shifting the emphasis towards prevention.

"Popp projects are helping to make this a reality for older people. We need to make use of the expertise in social care services which can genuinely improve the quality of older people's lives."

Alex Bird, chief officer of Age Concern North Yorkshire, said: "We are now looking forward to helping to implement the various schemes which should make a big difference for many older people across the county."