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Making a difference through volunteering: the impact of volunteers who support and care for people at home
- Authors:
- BOWERS Helen, et al
- Publisher:
- CSV
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 140p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The research found that volunteers can break social isolation and improve independence and well-being among older people. Researchers found that 83 per cent of older people who receive volunteer support, report improvements in their quality of life. The report found that volunteers can boost people’s confidence and self-esteem, because someone who isn’t being paid thinks they are important enough to care about. The research noted the wide range of tasks carried out by volunteers, which are often not provided by any other sector, such as dog-walking, accompanying people to doctor appointments and helping with housework. Volunteers provide a service different from but complementary to the statutory sector. The report argues that this should be encouraged and developed and recommends that volunteers be treated as part of a very broad public services system.
Delivering for older people in rural areas: a good practice guide
- Author:
- AGE CONCERN
- Publisher:
- Age Concern
- Publication year:
- 2005
- Pagination:
- 11p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The proportion of older people in England’s rural areas is significantly higher than in urban areas. It is a trend that is likely to continue, as more people move to the countryside for quality of life reasons in their 40s and 50s and stay on into retirement. With an increasingly active older rural population many of whom continue to work beyond retirement age or contribute to the life of their community through voluntary work, there is a need to re-examine what it means to deliver for older people in rural areas. Policy makers needs to look beyond a focus on health and social services, to look at all rural services which impact on the lives of older people including leisure, transport, crime and housing. The report examines the rural context of delivering services and identifies good practice in delivering mainstream and targeted services for, or involving older people in, rural areas and in particular overcoming the problems of isolated communities from main service centres and the need to develop joint working across a range of public and private sector organisations. At the heart of this booklet is a collection of case studies which illustrate ten guiding principles for developing successful services. This is complemented by sections on understanding what older people want, demographic trends and the value of profiling rural communities. Consultation and the importance of listening to and involving older people in shaping future services are also discussed.
Home alone
- Author:
- THOMPSON Audrey
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 19.10.00, 2000, pp.22-23.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Some older people prefer to live alone. There are many, however, who feel isolated, fearful and desperate for company and support. The author examines the barriers in the path to social integration for older people.
Lifeline of support
- Author:
- BENJAMIN Alison
- Journal article citation:
- Roof, July 2000, pp.36-37.
- Publisher:
- Shelter
Low-intensity support schemes provide a lifeline for vulnerable people living alone. Reports on how the role they play in promoting independence, and preventing crisis, is finally being recognised.
Co‐creation of services to maintain independence and optimise well‐being: Learnings from Australia’s Older Women Living Alone (OWLA) project
- Authors:
- OGRIN Rajna, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, early cite 30 October 2019,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
For many populations at risk of social isolation, including Older Women Living Alone (OWLA), existing services to maintain independence and optimise well‐being are difficult to access, unsuitable or unavailable. Co‐creation is a strategy to develop ‘person‐centred’ services that meet the needs of individuals. This study adapted an existing framework for co‐creation and used participatory action research methods, supported by an evidence base comprising a systematic review, analysis of routinely collected data and interviews, to develop person‐centred services for OWLA. This approach achieved co‐creation through an iterative process of consultation and review, involving a series of facilitated discussions with women living alone and stakeholders. A total of 13 women living alone, aged ≥55 years, and 11 stakeholders representing service providers and advocacy groups, were recruited to participate in these discussions. Sessions with between three and five OWLA, were held across Melbourne. The information was compiled and presented to service stakeholders in a single facilitated forum, held in central Melbourne. Smaller facilitated sessions with OWLA followed, to review and discuss the collated service stakeholder input. The information from these OWLA sessions were again compiled and directed back to the service stakeholders for consideration and further discussion. The two groups came together for a final forum to prioritise the co‐created ten services that they believed would be feasible and would address unmet need to support OWLA maintain independence. The process of co‐creation was time‐consuming and required considerable preparation to facilitate input from the target population. Small groups, gathering at convenient local locations, with transport support were essential in removing barriers to participation. However, co‐creation was a viable method of eliciting the women's preferences and developing services more likely to meet their needs. (Edited publisher abstract)
Age UK Doncaster Circles project: evaluation report 17/18
- Authors:
- CLIFFORD Carol, BOWN Helen
- Publisher:
- National Development Team for Inclusion
- Publication year:
- 2018
- Pagination:
- 49
- Place of publication:
- Bath
An evaluation of the Circles for Independence in Later Life (CFILL) project in Doncaster, from the period April 2017 to July 2018. Based on the Community Circles model, the project focuses on increasing social engagement, independence and resilience of older people, particularly those at risk of hospitalisation or entry into a care home. The model has been adapted to support older people who have no family or friends or where they don’t want them to be part of the circle. The volunteers becoming part of an older person’s social network or ‘circle’ rather than facilitating others to create one. The evaluation draws on both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. The findings show that during the evaluation period 112 people have been involved in the initiative, 76 have had contact with a Circles Connector at Age UK Doncaster, and 40 people out of the 76 who are actively engaged have been matched with a volunteer. The evaluation shows that the project is having a positive impact for those involved towards the four project outcomes: increased confidence in managing long-term health conditions and staying independent; improvements in mental wellbeing; an increase in social connections and less isolation; and benefits for families and volunteers. (Edited publisher abstract)
The relationship of person-environment fit to perceptions of autonomy, competency and satisfaction among older adults with developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- HUTCHINGS B. Lynn, CHAPLIN Erica
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 14(3), 2017, pp.214-223.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The overlay of age-related cognitive and physical impairments onto existing intellectual and physical disabilities, a paucity of informal social relationships, a limited education and low income levels place the current generation of ageing adults with intellectual disabilities at risk of premature behavioural limitations and increased dependency. Person-environment fit and its relationship to perceptions of autonomy, competency, and satisfaction were explored through qualitative data collected from consumers. Face-to-face, in home interviews were conducted with 91 consumers who were asked to assess their own ability to carry out self-care and household tasks. Interviewers then observed consumers performing these tasks. A multi-stage data analysis process identified emergent themes that included issues related to autonomy versus dependence, belonging versus isolation, residential permanency versus transience, and social inclusion versus exclusion. The study also collected quantitative data, both from consumers and interviewers acting as observers. Consumer ratings of their own ability were consistently lower than observer ratings. Fostering home-based independence and autonomy among people ageing with developmental disabilities are discussed in relation to perspectives on the home environment. (Edited publisher abstract)
Harnessing social action to support older people: evaluating the Reducing Winter Pressures Fund
- Authors:
- GEORGHIOU Theo, et al
- Publisher:
- Nuffield Trust
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 131
- Place of publication:
- London
Presents the findings of an evaluation of seven social action projects funded by the Cabinet Office, NHS England, Monitor, NHS Trust Development Authority and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services. The aim of the Reducing Winter Pressures Fund was to scale up and test projects that used volunteers to support older people to stay well, manage health conditions or recover after illness, and thereby reduce pressure on hospitals. The organisations supported by the fund comprised a range of national and local charities. These projects fell into three broad categories: community-based support, supporting discharge from hospital wards, and supporting individuals in A&E department to avoid admissions. Between them, the projects offered a wide range of services to older people – both direct (for example help with shopping or providing transport) and indirect (linking with other services). The evaluation resulted in a mixed set of findings. From the interviews with staff, volunteers and local stakeholders, there was evidence of services that had made an impact by providing practical help, reassurance and connection with other services that could reduce isolation and enable independence. Those involved with the projects felt that volunteers and project staff could offer more time to users than pressurised statutory sector staff, which enabled a fuller understanding of a person’s needs while also freeing up staff time. However, the analysis of hospital activity data in the months that followed people's referral into the projects did not suggest that these schemes impacted on the use of NHS services in the way that was assumed, with no evidence of a reduction in emergency hospital admissions, or in costs of hospital care following referral to the social action projects. The one exception was the project based in an A&E department, which revealed a smaller number of admissions in the short term. The report questions whether these sorts of interventions can ever be fully captured solely using hospital-based data and conceptualising reduced or shortened admissions as a key marker of success. (Edited publisher abstract)
Village life: independence, loneliness, and quality of life in retirement villages with extra care
- Author:
- BEACH Brian
- Publisher:
- International Longevity Centre UK
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 37
- Place of publication:
- London
Reports on the findings of a survey of residents of seven retirement villages offering extra care support. The report explores whether extra care support can promote greater independence and provide greater choice in planning for later life; reduce social isolation and promote residents’ quality of life. Responses were received by 201 out of a total of 743 residents, representing a response rate of 27.1%. Response are discussed in the following areas: residents' motivations to move into housing with care, and how this reflected on the concepts of independence and control; residents’ experience of loneliness and social isolation; and an analysis of the quality of life in extra housing using the using CASP and OPQOL measures. The final section of the report compares the findings with a sample of older people living in private households in the community. The research found that the average person living in a retirement village experienced half the amount of loneliness (12.17%) than those in the community (22.83%). It also found that living in a retirement village can promote greater independence and provide greater choice in planning for later life and that the communal environment has the potential to reduce social isolation. The report calls on the government to identify ways of working with the private sector to stimulate the building of new good quality retirement housing and to encourage people in early older age to consider making such a move. (Edited publisher abstract)
Older people: independence and mental wellbeing: draft guideline
- Author:
- NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH AND CARE EXCELLENCE
- Publisher:
- National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 45
- Place of publication:
- London
This guideline makes recommendations on maintaining and improving the independence and mental wellbeing (including social and emotional wellbeing) of older people. It aims to: help older people maintain their mental wellbeing, including their ability to remain independent to avoid health conditions linked to social isolation, depression, and other conditions linked to poor mental wellbeing; help service commissioners and providers to plan, deliver and evaluate services that help older people maintain their independence and mental wellbeing; and reduce health inequalities among older people. The guideline includes recommendations on strategy, needs assessment, awareness raising, interventions, support for community organisations, service evaluation and training for health and social care practitioners. This consultation ends on 10 July 2015. (Edited publisher abstract)