Council chiefs in Bradford today scooped £1.4 million to help older people with mental illnesses live a normal life.

The Government money will be used to provide care and support for up to 12,000 pensioners, from those who are developing mental health to people with serious conditions such as dementia.

The project, called Moving Forward, will help older people avoid emergency visits to hospital and live at home for longer by addressing and tackling mental health problems.

Bradford Council estimates that up to 40 per cent of over-65s are admitted to hospital after suffering injuries in falls which are related to their

dementia.

Social services bosses will team up with local voluntary groups and the NHS to run the two-year scheme, unveiled by the Department of Health.

They will set up 12 mental health cafs - eight dealing with dementia and four focusing on illnesses such as depression and anxiety - to provide expert advice and information for sufferers.

Therapeutic sessions will take place for older people with milder mental health needs to combat loneliness and allow them to keep active by running activities including IT projects and exercise.

And elderly people can be part of a 'virtual caf' website, which will send text messages to remind them about booked sessions.

Up to 30 specialist mental health experts will educate 2,000 staff in Bradford on how to support elderly people with mental health problems.

And three teams will be set up to work with 350 patients who want to prefer at home, exploring how they and their families can use hi-tech solutions to plan their lives and respond to crisis.

A project spokesman said: "This signals our commitment to reach out to and enable the most vulnerable in our community by providing access to services, choice and convenience."

Bradford was one of 19 councils across England which won a share of £60 million to take part in the Partnership for Older People scheme (POPP),

which will begin next May.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt said today: "We know, because older people tell us, that they want to live independently for as long as possible.

"Too many older people are being admitted to hospital, often as an emergency, when this could be avoided if the right community services were in place at the right time."