Information Agenda Item 1

BOROUGH OF POOLE

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND EDUCATION SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

13 DECEMBER 2005

REPORT OF HEAD OF ADULT SOCIAL SERVICES PROVIDER

ON PROGRESS BETWEEN FAITHWORKS POOLE AND POOLE OLDER PEOPLE STRATEGY GROUP IN ADDRESSING

ISOLATION OF OLDER PEOPLE

1. / Purpose
To inform Members of the developments undertaken through the partnership arrangement between Adult Social Services and Faithworks Poole in addressing isolation of older people in Poole.
2. / Decisions Required
To note the developments to date.
3. / Background
3.1 / At the meeting of the 22 February 2005, Members received a report from the ‘Eating With Friends’ Working Group and resolved
“(iii) that further exploration of local solutions to isolation of older people be undertaken through partnership work between the Poole Older People Strategy Group and Faithworks”.
“(iv) that a follow-up report on this exploration work be submitted to Scrutiny Committee in nine months time”.
3.2 / Established in January 2004 Faithworks Poole is a registered charitable company created to promote social inclusion through utilising resources of the faith sector in partnership arrangements with the Council and other statutory agencies. The Council has seconded staff time and provided financial support to Faithworks.
3.3 / Faithworks Poole supports a number of projects and developments which include work with looked after children, carers, people with learning disabilities, older people, community regeneration and Fair Trade.
4. / Developments to date
4.1. /

Health Living Services – Alderney and Newtown Areas

Transfer of Stanfield Close Day Centre to the Church of the Good Shepherd and Faithworks Poole. This small day centre which is located within Stanfield Close sheltered housing scheme is currently managed by the Adult Social Services Provider Unit. Open two days per week and catering for between 10 and 15 people per day it provides a traditional maintenance function in supporting older people to live at home. Older people accessing this service must first be assessed by Social Services. Consequently, many local older people are unable to benefit from it. When transferred the centre will continue to provide for current users. It will also shift its focus to provide a healthy living service for a wider group of older people. The core functions of this service where it is envisaged people with attend for short periods of time will focus on the wider needs of isolated older people. Examples of the types of support offered include:
  • Medicines – ensuring these are reviewed in conjunction with GPs;
  • Diet – reviewing people’s eating habits and encouraging a healthy and balanced diet with support offered as appropriate;
  • Exercise – appropriate exercise programmes developed in conjunction with individual older people;
  • Benefits – maximising take-up;
  • Social networks – encouraged and supported, potentially through engagement in other local community activities.
The new management arrangements will, it is hoped, facilitate access to more local networks given the involvement of the long established locally based community group centred on the Church of the Good Shepherd.
The model of service has been designed in consultation with local older people, the primary care trust, community based health staff, Faithworks, Church of the Good Shepherd and Poole Housing Partnership.
The service will work to outcomes as defined in Appendix 1.
4.1.2 /

Poole Old Town Health Deprivation

Analysis of statistical data from the National Statistical Office has identified specific older people health deprivation issues associated with Poole Old Town. Utilising the links that Faithworks Poole has with the Old Town Churches, a series of community lunches have been established. These will be hosted in turn by the Poole Old Town Churches commencing at St James’ on 16 November 2005, drawing together key statutory sector professionals, General Practitioners, Senior Housing Officers, Police, Social Services etc, together with members of the voluntary sector organisations. Currently, there is an absence of any such forum which enables discussions and contacts across the various disciplines. It is hoped that these ‘informal’ lunches might contribute to a momentum being established and from this a more focussed consideration of tackling the isolation of older people in this locality.
4.1.3 / Tea dances for older people with dementia living in their own homes
This exciting initiative is designed to:
  • Provide exercise in a manner which potentially enables older people with dementia to recall past skills;
  • Attract those older people for whom formal day care is inappropriate.
This initiative will be further supported by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra who will be providing musicians to accompany the pre- Christmas tea dance.
4.1.4 /

Luncheon Clubs

The great majority of Luncheon Clubs in Poole are operated by the churches. Whilst this is an excellent and very popular form of support the standards, styles of operating, opening times, catchment areas etc have no coordination. Consequently some days of the week have several clubs operating and other days very few, some receive external support and others operate with none. Whilst not looking to exercise any control on this voluntary sector initiative, Adult Social Services and Faithworks Poole will undertake a review of this considerable resource in order to identify ways in which these important activities can be further supported and ensure that healthy eating is promoted, capacity increased and new activities offered.
4.1.5 / Isolated Older People
A further initiative which has commenced is of utilising Christmas and the emotions which classically accompany this time of the year to identify older people who may be alone on Christmas Day, and in effect using this as a measure of isolation. Last Christmas Faithworks Poole drew together resources from Poole NHS Hospital Trust, and members from three churches to support older people who would have otherwise been on their own throughout Christmas Day. These older people were then established with ongoing means of support. Faithworks Poole are currently encouraging churches in other areas of Poole to undertake similar initiatives.
5. / Summary
The causes of isolation are many and complicated and these developments reflect the range of interventions that are consequently needed. To date there is no evaluation on how these developments are impacting upon isolation, for whilst the numbers attending activities can be counted it is too early to indicate how such activities genuinely impact upon reducing isolation. Indeed, there is presently an absence of any national framework which measures aspects of wellbeing amongst older people. The developments do, however, support the Council’s building active communities agenda through seeking to engage with established community groups in addressing the isolation experienced by older people. Demographic information indicates that the numbers of older people living alone within Poole are set to exceed national averages. Consequently, initiatives such as those listed above will need to be added to if we are to ensure that older people are to live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Background Papers

Report on the provision of a meals service to isolated older people – 22/02/05

Contact Officer

Jeff Russell, Principal Officer

Adult Social Services Provider Unit

Tel: 261029

APPENDIX 1

Issue / Output / Outcome
Bereavement / i)Recently bereaved referred for counselling. (Gateway to Counselling).
ii)Bereaved persons linked with wider leisure and learning opportunities. / Numbers of older people aged 75+ referred for counselling.
Numbers of older people aged 75+ referred to Leisure and Culture and Learning beyond agreed baseline.
Depression / People referred to GP/Mental Health Services. / Numbers of older people 75+ referred to GP/Mental Health Services.
Income / Number of referred for pension credit take up / Increase in take-up beyond agreed baseline.
Transport / i)People referred for voluntary driver scheme.
ii)Promotion of voluntary driver scheme in Alderney/Newtown / Increase in use of voluntary driver scheme from agreed baseline.
Increase in number of volunteer drivers from agreed baseline.
Social Disengagement / i)Referrals to Culture and Learning.
ii)Referrals to Leisure. / i)Increase in availability of learning opportunities in Alderney/Newtown.
ii)Increase in Culture and Learning Opportunities from agreed baseline.
i)Increase in availability of Leisure opportunities in Alderney/Newtown.
ii)Increase in use of Leisure opportunities from agreed baseline.
Medicines Management / All referred persons have medicines check. / Referrals to PCT Community Pharmacist re medicines interventions.

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