1. Citywide Connect Programme
Presentation to the LAT Chairs
12th July 2017

2. Tackling loneliness: it’s everybody’s business
Funded since 2014 by Public Health and the CCG
Connects and mobilises all sectors - community and voluntary, public, health, businesses and faith communities - to tackle social isolation and loneliness
Enables existing assets and resources to be used more effectively
Promotes partners’ activities and best practice
Encourages joint working, promotion and enterprise
Supports workforce development
1)Health and social care providers across sectors
2)Asset based activity – maximising use of resources which currently exist in communities – making the invisible visible. Working with partners to fill gaps in provision – N/C see eg later
3)Doing things differently & doing more with less
4) Raises awareness of what’s out there in communities to support older people who are or at risk of becoming socially isolated
5) Develops skills and knowledge of workforce attending eg care coaches attended as a training opportunity

3. Why tackle loneliness?
Being lonely has a significant and lasting effect on individuals’ health and wellbeing
lacking social connections is a comparable risk factor for early death as smoking 15 cigarettes a day
and is worse for us than obesity and physical inactivity
it is associated with higher blood pressure, depression and 64% increased risk of developing dementia
predictor of suicide in old age
Individuals who are lonely are between two and five times more likely than those who have strong social ties to die prematurely
“Loneliness is a more powerful predictor of whether you will be alive in ten years’ time, more than almost any other factor, certainly more than smoking”
One study concluded that lonely people have a 64% increased chance of developing dementia

4. Risk factors/triggers
Personal circumstances:
Living alone
Being single, divorced,
never married
Living on a low income
Living in residential care
Transitions:
Bereavement
Becoming a carer/giving up caring
Retirement
Geography ie living in an area:
With high levels of
material deprivation
In which crime is an issue
Health and disability:
Poor health
Immobility
Cognitive, sensory or dual
sensory impairment
These factors can be used to help to identify those likely to be at risk or experiencing loneliness in a community.
The onset of loneliness can be preceded by a specific life event, especially one associated with loss, such as retirement, or bereavement. The fact that these life transitions are more likely to happen at an older age is one reason that older people are at greater risk of loneliness and isolation.
A further factor is that social networks may diminish in size due or older people may be unable to take part in previously enjoyed activities due to their own ill
Other risk factors” in older age: hearing or sight loss; declining mobility; lower incomes which can all contribute to isolation and loneliness

5. Local Context
36,000 people in Brighton and Hove are aged 65+
Half are living with long-term health conditions/impairments
Around 20% also have mobility problems
41% live alone - 10% higher than the national average
Around 5,000 (14%) have depression
13% provide unpaid/informal care
Over half of our older residents live in the 40% most deprived wards in England
22 per cent (9,300) of our residents aged 60+ experience income deprivation.
45% of those aged 75+ in the more deprived areas don’t feel safe after dark
There are around 7,000 people over 65 in the city who are lonely most or all of the time
Although there is a comparatively small proportion of older people aged 65 or more in the city, we have a relatively high proportion of people aged 85 years or more.
It’s estimated 14 per cent of our population (35,900 residents) are aged 65 years or more, three per cent (6,500
residents) are aged 85 or more, and 2,400 are aged
90 or more
predicted to increase to 40,000 by 2021
and some in the 4% most deprived
43% amongst women aged 75 years +

6. Living alone: by ward predicted to increase to 40,000 by 2021
Although there is a comparatively small proportion of older people aged 65 or more in the city, we have a relatively high proportion of people aged 85 years or more.
It’s estimated 14 per cent of our population (35,900 residents) are aged 65 years or more, three per cent (6,500
residents) are aged 85 or more, and 2,400 are aged
90 or more
predicted to increase to 40,000 by 2021
and some in the 4% most deprived
43% amongst women aged 75 years +

7. How can you recognise loneliness and social isolation?
When thinking about whether older people around you might be feeling lonely or isolated, you might want to consider:
Whether they live alone
Whether they have recently lost a loved one
How mobile they are
Whether they have a long-term health condition, physical or sensory impairment
How regularly they leave the house
Whether close family lives nearby
Social isolation & loneliness has been shown to have a devastating impact on individuals’ health & wellbeing and quality of life. Putting a strain on of health & social care services
Eg comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day and greater negative impact than obesity & physically inactivity.
Although people of any age can feel lonely older people particularly at risk due to a loss of friends and family, mobility & income
Research by the campaign to end loneliness GPs see 1 in 10 people per day who attend surgeries because they are lonely

8. Locality Hub Events
Take place twice a year in the East, North/central and West localities
An average of 150 people attend
Provide a space to share experiences, network and take action to tackle challenges and develop solutions
1)Health and social care providers across sectors
2)Asset based activity – maximising use of resources which currently exist in communities – making the invisible visible. Working with partners to fill gaps in provision – N/C see eg later
3)Doing things differently & doing more with less
4) Raises awareness of what’s out there in communities to support older people who are or at risk of becoming socially isolated
5) Develops skills and knowledge of workforce attending eg care coaches attended as a training opportunity

9. Sharing assets: It’s Local Actually
Connects people to what’s happening locally
Out & About
The place for adults aged 18+ to find free and low cost activities
Searchable by postcode
Free to register
Support At Home
A place to find local in-home services and businesses
To help older and disabled people stay independent at home
“Having It’s Local Actually as a one stop shop is extremely valuable. It is great for people who run activities, for service providers and individuals.”

10. Sharing assets: Connect and Share
A place to find and share community resources
From community venues, training, joint promotional opportunities, events, open days/drop-ins to health and wellbeing resources
Free and easy to register
“A great way to get to know more about community organisations that you can link in with”

11. The good news…
There are practical steps we can all take to tackle the issue
Even at times of austerity it is possible to resource efforts to combat loneliness and improve individuals’ quality of life, through:
Pooling and better targeting of resources - galvanising and directing existing capacity
Increasing awareness of what support is available – residents and professionals
Working in partnership to learn from each other, avoid duplication, plug gaps and remove barriers

12. Our Impact

13. Reframing loneliness: preventing vulnerability
Recent research by the COOP and the Red Cross - important contribution to the available evidence on loneliness and how to prevent it from taking hold in the first place
Major life events, such as retirement, bereavement, becoming or giving up caring can significantly increase risk of loneliness
Not confined solely to older generations
75% of those within the at risk groups don’t know where to turn to for support
Potential for an inescapable slide from vulnerability to disconnection to chronic loneliness

14. Spotlight on the recently bereaved and carers
5,52 people aged 65+ were providing unpaid care in 2015
75% of carers contacting BHCC did so to access social support
Significantly more likely to have a limiting long-term illness, disability or health problem
Numbers providing unpaid care expected to double over the next 20 years
Identified gap around support for bereaved carers/those who have given up their caring role
Recently bereaved
The death of someone close will affect all of us at some point, with almost half of people (47%) reporting being bereaved in the last five years alone.
Three quarters of people who’ve been bereaved didn’t get the support they needed
In 2012, less than half who wanted to talk about their feelings with someone from heath, social care or a bereavement service were able to do so
Gaps in provision identified (esp informal support) and long waiting lists to access one-to-one support

15. Citywide Connect: keep moving
Extending and broadening the Programme’s network – “sub hubs”
To help us identify and reach those on the ‘cusp’ of loneliness
Enabling preventative and early reactive support to be developed
Building a plan of action, resilience and clear pathways to support – informal and formal

16. Citywide Connect: join us
Join us in tackling social isolation and loneliness by:
spreading the word about It’s Local Actually
registering on Connect and Share
coming along to the hub events
visiting our the Citywide Connect page on our website