Are You Lonesome Tonight? Tackling Older People's Loneliness and Isolation - Margy Washbrook IPH, Open, Conference, Belfast, Northern, Ireland, Dublin, Titanic, October, 2014, Public, Health

1. Are you lonesome
tonight?
Engage With Age Big Lottery Funded Project
HOPE
Hubs for Older People’s Engagement
IPH Conference
14 October 2014
Margy Washbrook

2. ENGAGE WITH AGE
community development partnership
improving the health and wellbeing of older people
“Giving a voice, providing a choice”

3. Engage With Age Strategic themes
O Reducing isolation and loneliness and its
impact on health and well being
O Connecting and supporting older people
and communities
O Influencing decisions and contributing to
everyday life
OWorking in partnership to achieve more
O Developing a strong and sustainable
organisation.

4. Definitions
O Loneliness – the undesirable, subjective
unwelcome feeling of lack or loss of
companionship / meaningful relationships
O Social isolation – an objective,
measurable state of having minimal
contact with other people, e.g. family,
friends & wider community

5. Types of loneliness
O Transient loneliness
O Situational loneliness, following a major
life event
O Chronic loneliness; an ongoing,
enduring experience
O NB Loneliness is not static – it is a fluid
experience even for the severely lonely

6. The evidence (Cattan 2005; Dickens 2011)
• Effective interventions:
– Groups that provide educational / problem solving or targeted support
activities for specific groups
– Older people as active participants
– Are theoretically grounded
– Enhance self-esteem and personal control
• Evidence less clear for:
– One to one interventions, e.g. befriending services, volunteering or
telephone advice
• Lack of research on the impact of:
– Policy
– The environment
– Internet / technology

7. HOPE Aims
The aims of the Hubs for Older People’s Engagement (HOPE)
project are to:
O increase the confidence of older isolated people through
involvement in group and community activities which
facilitate social networks and relationships;
O improve older people’s quality of life and sense of well-being
through involvement in meaningful and fulfilling
activities;
O foster positive and sustainable community relationships
between existing housing associations, residents and staff
and isolated older people living in local communities;
O develop the use of a sustainable volunteer programme
which promotes intergenerational and one-to-one support
of more isolated older people in the community.

8. The Hub Model
Hub
Establish a
relationship with
the housing
association and
local community
Assess community
capacity and older
people's needs
Reach out and
provide
opportunities for
social contact

9. Evaluation in Action
O Descriptive information - profile
participants, activities, participation
O Focus groups – experiences, views on
what works
O The Outcomes Star for Older People –
measure progress
O Questionnaires - participant and volunteer
satisfaction

10. Hub activities across Belfast
Summer barbeque at
Inverary Fold
‘Time Travellers’ Men’s
Group Visit to Crumlin
Road Gaol
Furniture restoration
class at Brookvale Fold
Musical entertainment and
Singalong at Elmgrove
Manor
Men’s introduction to
Sailing with Ocean Youth
Trust

11. Case Study
Eileen was a referral from her family. She had become extremely isolated and only left the
house with family members, due to lack of confidence, depression and bereavement.
Eileen was introduced to the ‘hub’ at Elmgrove Manor (‘Likely Lads & Crafty Ladies’) where
she started to make new friends and participated in a wide range of activities and outings
that she would not otherwise have had the opportunity to try.
The Elmgrove hub had a big impact on her well being, enabling her to have the confidence
to get out and about and mix with other people again giving her something to look forward to
each week as well as having good fun and enjoying a laugh! She was also able to share a
taxi with friends to get to the group reducing the cost which was an issue for her.
Eileen has since moved on from the ‘hub’ and has joined a local lunch club closer to her
home. This suits her as she now gets picked up from home by minibus which helps since
she has poor mobility.
Eileen is an example of where the HOPE project can really make a diiference in
someone’s life bringing them out of isolation, building their self confidence and
giving them a new lease of life.

12. Ongoing evaluation
The Older Person’s Outcomes STAR

13. Lessons to be shared
Measuring impact
O Participants reported increased confidence and enjoyment from
involvement in regular group activities and outings that they
themselves have chosen or initiated.
O The Older Persons Outcome Star is a useful tool for measuring the
impact of the project on individual participant’s general wellbeing
and engaging older people in self-assessment. It provides an
effective basis for person centred planning with individual
participants.
O Increased cross community and neighbourhood interaction has
been evidenced.
O However more refined measurements for social isolation, social
engagements and networks may provide additional evidence as to
the impact of the project.

14. Profile – Who Benefits?
O Older people living alone in their own home - benefited most. Participation
from older people living in a sheltered housing scheme is less than what was
expected.
O Participants referred from mental health services have also demonstrated
benefits from involvement in the project. However their involvement have
created new challenges for the programme and maintaining their
engagement.
O The demand from men, particularly younger older men, for different forms
of social engagement challenges the gendered nature of social support -
resulted in innovative and creative approaches to combating social isolation.
O Project participants are keen to meet and network with other older people
from other neighbourhoods. Cross community activities have become a
regular feature.
O Families, housing associations and referral agencies benefitting from
programme
O Older volunteers - positive experiences as the result of participation.

15. Interventions –Why it Works?
O Putting older people at the centre of the programme
O The project appears to be proactive in the prevention of social isolation
with participants stating that it has ‘given me a new lease of life’ or ‘made
me feel a different person’.
O Participants report increased confidence and enjoyment from
involvement in regular group activities and outings that they themselves
have chosen or initiated.
O Social capital existing within communities and neighbourhoods can be
effectively harnessed to provide sustainable opportunities for social
engagement for older residents within a locality. Further evaluation on the
impact of the hubs on both the housing association folds and the local
community is required.
O The involvement of older people and younger people (students) through
the volunteer training and one to one programme promotes
intergenerational involvement and offers future sustainability the project.

16. Challenges for the next phase
O What are the needs of diverse groups in our
neighbourhoods that we have not yet identified?
O How can we more accurately measure changes in
participant’s confidence, quality of life and general
well-being as the result of social contact and
interaction?
O What activities are more effective and for whom?
O What roles can volunteers play in extending our
programme and ensuring its sustainability?
O Involvement of project partnership in planning for
sustainability