A project to MOBILISE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES TO USE THEIR TALENTS TO SUPPORT THEIR COMMUNTY TO LIVE WELL INTO OLDER AGE
Working together to address the challenge of Loneliness
A new approach to address loneliness in the over 65s is coming to Cranleigh in June, focusing on relationship-building within the community linking people with shared interests and activities that will make a real difference in the life of someone who is lonely, using a team of helpers to support people in different ways to light a new spark in their lives.
Did you know?
· Half a million older people in the UK go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all
· Two-fifths of all older people (3.9 million) say the television is their main company
· Loneliness, living alone and poor social connections are as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day
Independent Age
New initiative
The exciting project championed by SMART Cranleigh (Shared mission active relationships working together to join up and connect the community) is being enabled by the CCG working with wider partners across the community and voluntary sector. The project is called Reconnections and is led by a national charity, Independent Age, whose mission is to enable older people to stay independent and live well with dignity, choice and control. This is something we all aspire to. They use similar grassroots, creative and collaborative approach working together with local community groups.
This service is starting in June to support those who feel socially disconnected around Guildford and Waverley. The evidence from other pilot projects have shown that even an hour or two a week is enough to help someone rediscover their spark and leave the armchair behind.
The facts
We have an epidemic of Loneliness nationally. We know the importance of human contact is fundamental to our health and wellbeing and is one of the social determinants of good health. In our area of Guildford and Waverley we have a slightly higher national average of over 65’s but a 25% higher proportion of over 85’s. The number of over 75’s and over is projected to increase by 21% over the next 5 years. We know that many people who have retired are moving here. We also have the highest ‘hotspot’ percentage of people living alone in the Alfold and Cranleigh Rural area at 28.1%. This is compared to the Surrey wide average of 12.6%, whereas Waverley is 14.2%. Our recent Community Needs Assessment, working with Public Health identified loneliness as a major concern to people living here.
A locality needs to plan on a number of fronts to help people live well and stay well and connected who live in the community and ensure we have the right short- and long-term care infrastructure to support this aim.
The ageing opportunity and dividend is huge here, as we have so many fit and community -minded people living and supporting community organisations, most of whom are retired but willing and generous to offer their support. We need more people of all ages to join in with this. Ageing well for us all is affected by our attitudes to older people. We have an ageist society that tends to Pidgeon-hole people because of their age, largely based on false notions and ideas. The older we get the more individual and different we become so we can’t stereotype what people might enjoy. This must be based on each individual and their personalities, preferences and abilities.
New approach to healthy living and prevention beyond the traditional medical ‘pill’.
Allied to this is the fact that it’s not only GP’s and Health Professionals who we share our problems with. We chat to each other, to shop staff, carers and friends. All of these people have an influence on us. We must not underestimate the ability to help people make changes through the power of motivational conversations.
‘Social prescribing’, a slightly medical term is perhaps better described as neighborhood connecting and is now with us in Cranleigh through the Medical Practice. We need more understanding about this. It is is about using non-medical community resources to address wider aspects of our health and social wellbeing in its widest sense. It runs along with better equipping and the co-ordination of the community activities, galvanizing individuals to join in, helping others to build confidence to try new things and meet different people thus making new connections, part of keeping well.
It is about presenting opportunities that people want to join in. Recruiting manpower, addressing transport challenges and building relationships between and among local groups and community organisations is an essential part of making this a success.
Reconnections is one of the innovative approaches to rethink and redesign the system of health and care. It works alongside the traditional medical approach. It is about supporting people living with frailty, is preventative and proactive, more community based and coordinated, bringing together the health, social, mental health, voluntary and community assets …..That’s all of us!
The SMART Cranleigh community calendar and directory of community activities is also there to help people know what is going on and make choices. This will help the ‘Link’ workers (neighborhood connectors) and other helpers to keep people well and interested in life, perhaps with a village buddy or Reconnections befriender to support them.
There are some great things happening already in Cranleigh and the surrounding areas bringing people together who have not traditionally worked together before. More is needed. Examples include supporting people living with dementia, negotiating respite support for carers, a bereavement support café, promoting intergenerational connectivity and high street accessibility. Alongside this is the building of greater capacity in our community hospital.
Age itself is no barrier to a good life. Some people just need to feel more confident and get a little bit of help to get them started and rekindle that spark so they can join in too. It’s not about ‘us and them’ but all of us. It’s not about ‘I’ anymore its about ‘We’- building community and friendship with circles of support we believe is the true path to fulfilling lives.
We are hoping to have a public engagement session later in April when some of these initiatives will be shared with opportunities to learn more and get involved
Rosemary Hurtley MSc (Gerontology) Dip COT FROT
Director, SMART Cranleigh
Reconnections is a volunteer-led service that supports over-65s in rediscovering their love of life in the communities where they live. They introduce friendly local volunteers to lonely older residents and invite them into local activities, gatherings and events ranging from regular chats over coffee to bucket-list experiences that provide meaningful social connections that help break the cycle of isolation and loneliness.
@ReconnectionsGW #LonelyArmchairClub
‘Last week the lady I’ve been supporting told me she feels ready to make the most of her life again and that I’ve helped her see that there is still lots she can do and enjoy’ Reconnections volunteer