Tag Archives: Age UK

Reaching out: tackling loneliness in older people

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As we’ve previously reported, loneliness is a growing epidemic with significant consequences for many groups in society. One of these groups is the elderly – loneliness has been seen to affect around 10-13% of older people, and has been found to increase the risk of premature death by 30%.

Making connections

Creating relationships and connections is an important way of tackling loneliness, and the Rural Services Network has highlighted some good examples of bringing people together

These include “Village Agent” schemes, which link people in rural areas with advice and support services for independent living. Another initiative –  the “Rural Coffee Caravan Information Project” – specifically targets rural areas of the country, where there may be fewer opportunities to meet through shopping, meeting for food or simply seeing other people. This project allows older people to meet at a caravan where they are given coffee, tea and homemade cakes, as well as providing information on helpful services.

Along these lines is also the “Talk Eat and Drink” (TED) project launched in 2015, which was initially funded by the Big Lottery’s “Fulfilling lives: ageing better” programme. This allowed older people to become involved in activities such as ‘Sing For Your Supper’, ‘Fish and Chips Friday’ and a Sunday pub lunch, which not only enabled people to bond with others, but also ensured that they were being fed properly, especially if they were struggling with cooking at home or getting food for themselves.

Artistic endeavours

Another way to tackle loneliness in older people is through the arts. A report from the Baring Foundation has found that it is important for older people to have a range of activities and opportunities to connect them to others; the arts can be effective not only in keeping people in touch with others, but also in helping with health-related issues like dementia.

The arts exemplifies the principles behind ‘five ways to wellbeing’: connecting, being active, learning, taking notice and giving. Being able to create things allows older people to use their minds and skills to express themselves. They can also have enhanced self-confidence from the feeling of doing something for themselves.

Organisations such as Arts4Dementia and Artz (Artists for Alzheimer’s) have been able to help people living with dementia, including help with their co-ordination and wellbeing. Other companies like Spare Tyre use theatre to create multi-sensory productions, while the Library Theatre Company in Manchester delivers sensory workshops for people living with dementia which provide fun with props and music.

One of the biggest issues with this form of help is that the arts tend to be overlooked by local authorities and therefore don’t have enough funding. However, Manchester City Council, has been working to make their city more ‘age friendly’ and in particular to provide cultural activities for older people.

There have also been examples of “arts by prescription” where GPs have referred patients to arts projects to improve their mental health. This is part of the wider ‘social prescribing’ approach which our blog has previously covered.

Everyday skills

Other forms of tackling loneliness in older people include helping them develop skills through, for example, volunteering. Projects such as Touchstone in Yorkshire allowed people to self-refer themselves, or be referred through GPs and Age UK, where they could learn practical skills with other older people. 91% of those taking part felt they were more involved or connected with their community, and 86% felt they had more confidence to meet people.

Another programme by the charity Open Age, in London, created opportunities for older people to keep up with the performing arts, physical activity, digital skills, lunch groups, and trips. While these did cost money, they were only £1 an hour and were pay-by-session and drop in, which made it slightly more accessible. However, even these small amounts may be out of reach for those already struggling to make ends meet.

Final thoughts

Overall, there seems to be a range of activities and opportunities for older people to not only meet others and form connections, but learn new skills they can utilise for themselves.

However, it’s important to remember that older people are not a homogenous group, and no single approach will work for everyone. But as long as careful thought goes into ensuring that the needs of older people are at the heart of initiatives to tackle loneliness, the chances of success will be all the greater.

Photo by leah hetteberg on Unsplash 

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If more than one in three homeowners are interested in downsizing, why aren’t they making the move?

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According to Savills estate agents, about 90,000 people over the age of 65 in the UK downsize to smaller homes each year. On the face of it, that’s a substantial number, but it still leaves more than three million houses under-occupied.

With an ageing population and a serious housing shortage, government at local and national levels is looking for ways to encourage older people to downsize their accommodation so that more family-sized housing is made available.

Benefits of downsizing

Everyone needs good housing, but as people grow older their homes become especially important as places where they can feel safe, independent and comfortable. Downsizing from larger properties can offer significant benefits to older people:

  • Smaller homes can be easier to heat and have lower utility bills.
  • People downsizing to sheltered housing can retain their independence, while having access to support when it’s needed.
  • Smaller homes are easier to manage and cheaper to maintain.
  • People moving into specialised retirement accommodation can experience improvements in their health and wellbeing.

Enabling people to remain in their own homes may also alleviate the pressures on the country’s social care system – pressures that are likely to intensify as the population age rises.

Downsizing barriers

While there are attractions to downsizing, important factors are putting off large numbers of people from moving to a smaller home. Some may feel too confined in a smaller space, experience problems storing their possessions, or miss having a large garden. Others may feel that they’ve taken a long time to climb the property ladder, and want to enjoy the home they have spent a lifetime working to achieve.

But for those who do want to move, downsizing can be expensive.  It may release equity, but some households find the costs of moving – notably stamp duty – may cancel out the financial benefits. And although lower maintenance costs can be a major reason for downsizing, older people moving into apartments may find that costs for maintenance and factoring, may be higher than in a standard family home.

Downsizing: the real story

A 2016 report by the International Longevity Centre (ILC) explored the experiences and expectations of people downsizing from under-occupied housing later in life. The report found that one in three homeowners over 55 are considering or expect to consider downsizing. However, while demand for downsizing is substantial, the reality is a different story:

“In many ways, the older generation is stuck in its current housing, which has resulted in the UK having one of the lowest moving rates amongst its older population compared to other developed countries.”

The study echoed the findings from a 2014 Age UK report which showed that the scarcity of suitable and affordable retirement housing was a barrier to downsizing:

“At the moment, retirement housing makes up just 5-6% of all older people’s housing. Research indicates that many more older people might consider downsizing if alternatives were available, although not just retirement housing schemes.”

The Age UK report noted that, based on demographic trends, specialist retirement housing would need to increase by between 35 and 75% just to keep pace with demand. The report also pointed to poor access standards and cramped accommodation in some sheltered housing schemes as downsizing deterrents.

Alternative approaches

The Scottish Government’s strategy for housing for older people, published in 2011, supports downsizing, and highlights Highland Council’s scheme as an example of good practice. In association with local housing associations, the council has provided financial and practical incentives to support older people wishing to move because their homes are too large for their needs.

Another approach, popular in Scandinavia and the Netherlands, is co-housing, which offers older residents a balance between independence and community life. Co-housing schemes are run totally by the residents, offering support when needed to those who live there, while respecting their dignity and independence.

In the Netherlands, there are now more than 200 co-housing communities. Successive governments there have supported co-housing because it has had such positive impacts on demand for health and social care services.

In April, the UK’s first co-housing project for older women opened in Barnet, north London. One of the scheme’s proponents, Maria Brenton, believes that it will be a model for similar projects:

“One of our purposes is to promote the idea of senior co-housing. Now we have shown the way, we are a living, breathing example, it will encourage people enormously.”

Final thoughts

As the ILC report notes, the policy debate on housing in the UK has focused almost completely on first-time buyers. However, with more than three million homeowners aged 55 or over open to the idea of downsizing, the impact of freeing up large numbers of family homes could be significant. Before that happens, the under-supply of affordable homes meeting the particular needs of older residents needs to be addressed:

“Fundamentally, the notion of downsizing in later life should be about choice rather than obligation. It therefore becomes clear that if we were to develop the right policy environment, we can enhance the choices available to people in later life, encouraging downsizing and creating a more dynamic housing market.”

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Shedding light on a serious issue: how Men’s Sheds are tackling social exclusion

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by Stacey Dingwall

Promoting awareness of health and social issues among men, and particularly older men, has always been a tricky challenge. According to research, the longstanding stereotype of men who actively avoid visiting the doctor is true: significant numbers of older men may be experiencing loneliness and isolation due to their reluctance to join clubs for older people, a fact which may explain why suicide rates are higher among middle-aged and older (white) men.

One initiative that has tried to tackle this issue is the Men’s Sheds movement, which originated in Australia in the 1990s after concerns were raised over the lack of opportunities for older men to socialise and discuss any issues they were having with their peers. This led to the emergence of numerous Men’s Sheds across the country, in the form of workshops where men could come together to engage in traditional shed-orientated activities such as woodwork, as well as form new social connections and access health information.

The benefits of Men’s Sheds

Evaluations of Men’s Sheds have identified a range of benefits for the men who participate in them, as well as for the wider community. Older men and social activity: a scoping review of Men’s Sheds and other gendered interventions published in Ageing and Society in April 2015 identified a range of positive effects of the initiative on older men, particularly in terms of improvements in their mental health and wellbeing status. While limited evidence was found of a positive impact on the men’s physical health, the review did find that belonging to a Men’s Shed provided participants with both a personal and social sense of accomplishment – through learning and sharing skills and contributing to their local community – as well as a sense of purpose, through social engagement with their peers which enabled opportunities for fun and camaraderie.

Men’s Sheds in the UK

Between 2010 and 2012, Age UK ran a ‘Men in Sheds’ pilot project, initially limited to Kendal, Bildworth and South London. The popularity of the pilot saw it covered in the national press and other ‘Men in Sheds’ projects soon opened in other areas, with one participant expressing his regret that the initiative had not been established in his area years ago.

In 2013, the UK Men’s Sheds Association was launched. They provide information on how to start a new Men’s Shed, or develop an existing organisation, and have helped form regional networks of Sheds.

One of these networks is in Glasgow, which is now home to the Glasgow Area Men’s Sheds (GAMS) group. We spoke to current GAMS secretary Charlie, who became involved in Men’s Sheds after illness led to him experiencing unemployment and social isolation. After coming across the UK Men’s Sheds Association website, he met up with six other men who were also interested in starting a Shed in Glasgow. Fast forward a year, and there are now at least six separate Sheds in the Glasgow area, at which Charlie estimates there are around 80 regular attendees. For Charlie personally, involvement with Men’s Sheds has allowed him to “build a portfolio of work experience, gain possible references, meet new people, go to new places and do new things”.

Charlie also pointed to research published by the Joint Improvement Team (JIT) in February 2015 which highlights the rapid spread of Men’s Sheds throughout Scotland over the last two years, with Sheds now in 18 of the country’s 32 local authority areas. The report also looks at the development paths of Men’s Sheds, as well as drawing out lessons for other community capacity building initiatives and outlining the local and community support needed to develop a Shed.

What about the women!

According to GAMS, the question of why the Sheds are men-only affairs is a common one. Their response is that “Men’s Sheds address specifically male issues involving male social isolation, men’s health both physical and psychological, re-defining of masculinity in modern society […] women have much more and highly developed socialising group opportunities”.

As well as highlighting a tendency towards loneliness among older men, research has also indicated another trend – the decline of men’s social networks as they age, particularly after the death of a partner. Thus, the importance of Men’s Sheds in “promoting social engagement and healthy, active ageing among older men” is perfectly demonstrated.

The Idox Information Service can give you access to a wealth of further information on active and healthy ageing. To find out more on how to become a member, contact us.

Further reading:

The experiences of older male adults throughout their involvement in a community programme for men, IN Ageing and Society, Vol 35 No 3 Mar 2015, pp531-551

Tackling men’s health: implementation of a male health service in a rugby stadium setting, IN Community Practitioner, Vol 84 No 4 Apr 2011, pp29-32

One hundred not out: resilience and active ageing

Active ageing: live longer and prosper – realising the benefits of extended healthy life expectancy and ‘disability compression’ in Europe

Ageing, health and innovation: policy reforms to facilitate health and active ageing in OECD countries

How should we address loneliness and social isolation among older people?

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For elderly men sitting on a bench

Image courtesy of http://goo.gl/A8ykMA using a Creative Commons licence.

By Steven McGinty

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted, is the most terrible poverty“– Mother Teresa

Yet, for many older people, loneliness and social isolation are the normal state of affairs. A recent study by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 34% of people aged 52 and over felt lonely often or sometimes, with this figure reaching 46% for people aged 80 or over. Rather worryingly, a report by Age UK also suggested that over half of older people consider the television as their main source of company.

In many respects, these figures may not be too surprising, with some arguing that this is simply the by-product of changing societal attitudes. Conversely, it could also be said that these changes are a response to the demands of busy modern life. For example, a report published by the Royal Voluntary Service highlights that, because of uncertainty in the job market, many children have to move away from their parents for work reasons. The impact of this is that many older people are seeing their families less and less, with 48% of parents only seeing their children once every two to six months. Continue reading →