A community based approach to promote active ageing in Staffordshire The Active in Age Programme Lynne Wealleans Positive Ageing Manager Beth Johnson Foundation

The Beth Johnson Foundation

The purpose of the Beth Johnson Foundation is to stimulate and facilitate change which enhances the quality of life for older people and the experience of the ageing process We want  a better quality of life for older people  older adults to be treated with respect and valued for their contribution  policies and services which ensure this happens One of our main aims is to encourage older people to exert more control over their lives and maximise their choices and opportunities

Positive Ageing Programme Positive ageing is complex – for the Foundation it is outcome focussed:  recognise ageing as an integral part of the life course  promote the roles and value of older people to their communities and wider society  maximise health and well-being across the life course  promote independence  reduce loneliness and isolation and their negative impacts on health and well-being  increase participation in activities that improve quality of life

Health Improvement Project The aim of the Health Improvement Project is to improve the health and wellbeing of people aged 50+ living in Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire. It does this through the development and delivery of health promotion and prevention activities based on consultation with older people and other key stakeholders One of the vehicles for delivering the Health Improvement Project is the Active in Age programme, training older people as volunteer peer health mentors

Active in Age Consultation with older people showed a reluctance to access the more traditional physical activity provision e.g. gyms To design a more accessible and attractive alternative To develop a community based programme which would be more accessible to people where they lived Train peer mentors to deliver the groups to avoid the participant/professional barrier and to ensure sustainability – a cascade approach Peer mentors are the volunteers of the groups where activity is delivered rather than Foundation volunteers

Main features Recruitment and training of volunteer peer mentors – over 350 trained in the last ten years, around 250 currently active in 86 groups Development of Open College Network accredited courses for volunteers – Active in Age and Training the Trainer Network support meetings include information on up to date key health messages for dissemination back through the groups Partnership working Falls prevention

Key findings Peer health mentors encourage participants to take a more proactive approach towards their own health People attend the groups long-term The groups are multi-functional – providing a social network, reducing loneliness and isolation (annual impact assessments) Improved physical and mental health and mobility “I used to walk with two sticks, now it’s one and my aim is none” Reaching target group – people at most disadvantage or risk of social exclusion e.g. Douglas MacMillan Hospice

Areas for development Although targeted at the 50+ age groups the majority of participants are aged 65 and over There is low attendance by older men at the groups, although those that do attend have a positive experience The project is open to all and some groups attract people from diverse communities but not in proportional numbers – targeted work has been recommended to Commissioners. A group meeting in a Sikh temple has been very successful

Lynne Wealleans Positive Ageing Manager Beth Johnson Foundation