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The socio-economic contribution of older people in the UK
- Author:
- COOK Julia
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 15(4), 2011, pp.141-146.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
In the UK, over 65s are often seen as a burden on society's resources. Older people make a huge contribution to the UK's society but their potential is not always realised. The aim of this paper is to give evidence of the contribution of older people, the difference they are making in their communities, and how the roles they take on can only become more important. It draws on research published by the Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) in March 2011 which highlights older people’s contributions to economic and social growth in the UK. The paper is set out in 6 sections: an overview of WRVS; challenges of an ageing society; the ‘grey pound’; provision of social care; volunteering; and non-financial and other contributions of older people. Case studies are used to provide more detail on the contribution of, and opportunities for, older volunteers.
English forums on ageing: a first step in good practice
- Author:
- UK ADVISORY FORUM ON AGEING
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 6p.
- Place of publication:
- London
- Edition:
- Rev. ed.
The UK Advisory Forum on Ageing offers older people a direct line to government to comment on new policy ideas, services, legislation and areas important to them. It aims to improve the well-being of older people and to respond to the opportunities and challenges of an ageing society. Government is encouraging the development of local and regional communication channels to identify common themes that need to be brought to the attention of national government, provide direction and leadership on local and regional issues affecting older people, and to help spread good practice locally. This document offers some ideas for discussion and development, which emerged from a DWP-facilitated workshop held in December 2009.
How different dance forms construct a sense of community amongst older people
- Authors:
- PAULSON Sue, WILLIG Carla
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 21(1), January 2011, Online only
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
This study was designed to compare and contrast the health benefits of two different dance forms for older people where a particular dancing partner was not required. The first author participated in two circle dance groups and two Scottish country dance groups, attended by older people over the course of a year. A ethnographic diary and narrative style interviews were analysed in three stages: line by line open coding, focused coding summarising the issues in each paragraph, and identification of the emerging narrative themes. This paper discusses to the role of circle dance and Scottish country dance in the development of a sense of community among participants in the dance groups. The authors argue that circle dance and Scottish country dance are very conducive to constructing a sense of community amongst older people. There are opportunities to participate actively in the particular ‘cultures of dance’ besides additional opportunities to socialise as a member of a dance group. It is concluded that, as such, circle and Scottish country dance can be an empowering activity for some older people.
Dutch large-scale dementia-care environments: a village within the community
- Authors:
- EERDEN William J. van der, JONES Gemma M. M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Care Services Management, 5(3), July 2011, pp.137-146.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Traditional Dutch, large-scale residential/nursing homes are unique in the world. They combine residential and nursing home care, as well as other types of specialist care, making it possible for each health and social care profession to specialise in dementia care as well as making genuine use of the multi-disciplinary care model. This article starts by summarising the development and some characteristics of Dutch large-scale residential/nursing care homes, and dementia care. These are considered from the perspective of the changing landscape of policy on housing, home-care services, and financial priorities, and the vogue towards smaller-scale group-living settings. The article then provides a short description of the largest care home in the Netherlands, the award-winning ‘De Drie Hoven’, which was built 35 years ago. It has 520 beds, and pioneered the ‘village within the community’ concept of care. The features of this care home setting are described as they relate to current thinking about good dementia care, and against the backdrop of concerns coming out of the new small-scale group living unit pilot projects. The article argues that the traditional large-scale accommodation can offer a safe and valuable home-like environment, and that there will always be a need for them, despite the modernisations and adaptations required.
The fun culture in seniors’ online communities
- Author:
- NIMROD Galit
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(2), April 2011, pp.226-237.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Online communities dedicated to older adults seem to be well accepted and thriving. Previous research has found that one of the main features characterising these communities is having a vibrant fun culture. This study aimed to further explore the fun culture in these communities and to discover its unique qualities. The study applied an online ethnography (frequently described as netnography) approach, examining a full year’s data from 6 leading seniors’ online communities. Four of the communities were from the United States, one from Britain, and one from Canada, but all attracted a global audience. The final database included about 50,000 posts. Analysis showed that the majority of posts were part of online social games, including cognitive, associative, and creative games. The main subjects in all contents were sex, gender differences, aging, grandparenting, politics, faith, and alcohol. The main participatory behaviours were selective timing, using expressive style, and personalisation of the online character. Although most participants were ‘lurkers’, the active participants nurtured community norms and relationships, as reflected in the written dialogues. The findings support the premise that seniors’ online communities provide a unique form of casual leisure. Participating in the fun culture in online communities can keep seniors socially engaged and contribute to their cognitive health. Therefore, it may have positive impact on seniors’ well-being and successful aging.
Gardening and the social engagement of older people
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 15(3), 2011, pp.112-122.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The Community Action in Later Life - Manchester Engagement (CALL_ME) project promotes independence and social engagement among older people in disadvantaged communities. This paper identifies ways in which community action can enhance the quality of life of older residents and reports specifically on four community gardening initiatives in Manchester. The paper, drawing on qualitative data from the four projects, presents evidence of how older people can be actively engaged in community projects. It explores the benefits of involvement including enhanced well-being, increased socialisation, learning and empowerment. The challenges faced by the initiative include maintaining interest, recruiting new members and needing external support. The paper discusses how gardening initiatives can involve and benefit older people and the wider community and the value of an action oriented approach in disadvantaged communities. Recommendations regarding the sustainability of such projects are made by providing education and training to enhance participants' skills.
Pulling back from the edge: an asset-based approach to ageing well
- Author:
- RUSSELL Cormac
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 15(3), 2011, pp.96-105.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article describes how the desire to age well is linked to both human constructs and professional services. It reflects on proven qualities of asset-based community development as a process by which communities can build from the inside out; and promote and implement an ageing agenda according to their capacities. The article suggests that citizens and communities co-producing health outcomes will out-perform individuals reliant on professional medical services only. In conclusion, the article challenges the medicalised sickness model of healthcare and encourages the adoption of a model of healthcare in which citizens, older or otherwise, co-produce healthy lifestyles and health outcomes in their communities with the assistance of professionals.
Are we there yet?: a planning tool and checklist for building community connections
- Author:
- THINK LOCAL, ACT PERSONAL PARTNERSHIP
- Publisher:
- Think Local, Act Personal Partnership
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 30p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This checklist and planning tool sets out a vision of what the ‘gold standard’ in building community connection and networks might look like, and also helps to identify the stepping stones towards achieving it. It is aimed at local people, community organisations, commissioners, and service providers, and aims to help them work out how to mobilise and extend capacity to support disabled and older people and enable them to contribute as full citizens at a time of severe budget pressure. The checklist helps to determine the questions to ask and shows how to make the important links between social capital, Think Local Act Personal and the health and wellbeing agenda as a whole. It is designed to be used alongside ‘Does it Work?, a guide to evaluating the impact of services and projects on social capital, developed as part of the same project.
Neighbourhood social environment and depressive symptoms in mid-life and beyond
- Authors:
- STAFFORD Mai, McMUNN Anne, VOGLI Roberto de
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 31(6), August 2011, pp.893-910.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) is a general population sample of people aged 50 and older living in England. Using data from ELSA, the study reported in this article examined the relationship between 2 aspects of the neighbourhood social environment - social cohesion and perceived safety - and subsequent depressive symptoms in over 7,500 participants. Neighbourhood social cohesion refers to norms of trust, solidarity and reciprocity. The study found that neighbourhood social cohesion was associated with reporting fewer depressive symptoms. The researchers noted that negative aspects of friendships, lower personal sense of control, and more depressive symptoms were more commonly experienced by people who perceived their neighbourhood to be low in social cohesion. They conclude that the study findings indicate that the perceived neighbourhood social environment may influence the quality of older residents' friendships, and that greater personal sense of control, higher quality friendships and fewer depressive symptoms are found in neighbourhoods seen to be characterised by higher social cohesion.
Addressing elder abuse: the Waterloo restorative justice approach to elder abuse project
- Authors:
- GROH Arlene, LINDEN Rick
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 23(2), April 2011, pp.127-146.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article describes the development and implementation of a restorative justice approach to older adults who have been abused by an individual in a position of trust. Led by the Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) of Waterloo Region, in partnership with a number of other social service agencies, the project aimed to develop a community wide coordinated approach to elder abuse. Restorative justice is intended to restore social relationships rather than just to punish offenders. The project was very successful in building partnerships, as many community agencies came together to deal with the problem of elder abuse. The programme also raised the profile of elder abuse in the community. However, despite intensive efforts, referrals to the restorative justice program were quite low. Because of this, the programme moved to a new organisational model, the Elder Abuse Response Team (EART). The EART has retained the guiding philosophy of restorative justice but has evolved into a conflict management system that has multiple points of entry for cases and multiple options for dealing with elder abuse. It has developed a broad range of community partners who can facilitate referrals and also can help to provide an individualised response to each case. The transition to the EART has been successful, and the number of referrals has increased significantly.