OLDER people in Somerset are being encouraged to get a free guide to healthy living.

National charity Age UK have produced the Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing in conjunction with NHS England.

It is packed with helpful tips and advice including looking after your health and keeping active, talking about medicines, getting flu jabs and other vaccinations, eating well and keeping warm.

Somerset County Council's public health director, Trudi Grant, said: "This winter we have seen more older people being admitted into our local hospitals as a result of illness or falls in the home.

"I thoroughly recommend this new guide to healthy ageing. It’s full of practical advice and information that we know will be of help to Somerset’s older citizens or their carers.”

Copies of the guide will soon be available in local GP surgeries and pharmacists, or you can download a copy from the NHS England web site at  www.england.nhs.uk .