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CALL-ME Annual Report October 2010
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CALL - ME Community Action in Later Life – Manchester Engagement
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Promoting independence and social engagement
among older people in disadvantaged communities
ANNUAL REPORT
October 2010
Part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Research programme
(Grant Reference RES-352-25-0031)
Research Institute for Life Course Studies Claus Moser Research Centre
Keele University Keele
Staffordshire ST5 5BG
Tel. 01782 734596
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Keele University Research Team
Principal Investigator Michael Murray
Co-Investigators Sian Maslin-Prothero
Thomas Scharf
Roger Beech
Research Associate Friederike Ziegler
Research students Jan Bailey
Sharon Middling
Fieldworker Amanda Crummett
Administrator Kim Rawlinson
Manchester City Council Valuing Older People Team
Team Leader Paul McGarry
Team members Sally Chandler
Jane Morris
Rachel York
Tracey Annette
Patrick Hanfling
Rebecca Bromley
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Contents
Page
I. Introduction ………………………………………… 4
II. Neighbourhood reports
a) Ardwick ……………………… 6
b) Cheetham …………………. 15
c) Moss Side …………………… 20
d) Newton Heath …………… 28
III. Update on survey results …………………… 37
IV. Stakeholder involvement ………………………… 39
V. Policy Implications- a discussion paper…….. 45
VI. Dissemination .…………………………………………. 48
Appendix
1. PhD students ............................................... 53
2. Publicity........................................................ 54
3. Age-Friendly City ......................................... 59
4. Dissemination plan ................................... 64
5. Group Funding…………………………………………. 66
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I Introduction
The CALL-ME project is a three year collaborative and participatory research project that
aims to:
Describe the processes involved in developing local community-based strategies
for promoting enhanced social interaction among older residents of four
disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Manchester.
Evaluate the impact of these activities on improving opportunities for older people.
Develop policy and practice guidelines and procedures for entrenching and
broadening these activities.
This is the third report to the Advisory Board. In it we summarise the range of activities
that we have been involved in since November 2009. At this stage it is important to note
that the project formally ends in February 2011 – approximately 5 months from now. In
the report we hope that we can give an indication of where we have got to in terms of
a) our community activities,
b) our research learnings from the projects,
c) our engagement with stakeholders,
d) our development of policy discussion;
e) our dissemination and impact.
In addition, details on some related activities and impact are provided in the Appendix. This
includes
Details of the research being conducted by the postgraduate students involved in the
project (Appendix 1),
Sample media reports on the project (Appendix 2),
Details of the Public Forum on the Age-Friendly City organised by Manchester City
Council (Appendix 3),
Our dissemination plan (Appendix 4)
Funding accessed by the various community groups (Appendix 5).
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II Neighbourhood reports
Each neighbourhood report is divided into two sections: firstly a report on recent activities
of the groups that we have been working with; and secondly a more detailed account of a
particular aspect of doing participatory action research in order to promote social
engagement among older people.
In Ardwick the focus of the report is on neighbourhood perceptions, in Cheetham the
focus is on the factor influencing social interaction. In Moss Side researchers are reporting
on the importance of making links with professionals working in the communities for
enabling the groups to flourish and in Newton Heath the data analysis focuses on life
course influences on social engagement in later life.
Although the researchers operate as a single unit, in practice researchers work largely in one
of the four neighbourhoods:
Ardwick: Michael Murray and Amanda Crummett
Cheetham: Sian Maslin-Prothero and Jan Bailey
Moss Side: Thomas Scharf and Sharon Middling
Newton Heath: Roger Beech and Friederike Ziegler
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a) ARDWICK
Activities
Ardwick – Young at Heart
This group has now been meeting regularly for over two years. During this period the group
have been involved in a wide range of different activities centred on a series of arts projects
largely located in West Gorton Community Rooms but expanding to include trips outside the
community. Since the last advisory board report the main activities have been:
Recent activities
Wood Cutting/Block Printing - October 2009 The group participated in a two day
wood cutting/ printing workshop. The workshops were led by local artist Ian McKay and
supported by Gorton Visual arts – a neighbouring arts group. The sessions involved learning
the technique involved in wood block printing in order to create original prints depicting the
local neighbourhood. 8 residents participated in the workshop, each producing a unique
print which has been framed and is now on display for the public to view at West Gorton
Community Rooms. The project was funded by Learning Skills & Employment Network.
West Gorton Community Calendar October – Dec. 2009 Working with Gortonvilla
Computer Club, the Young at Heart group produced West Groton’s 1st Community Calendar.
Selecting photographs taken of the local area the residents designed and produced 100
calendars which went on sale at a neighbourhood launch hosted by the group. The sale of
hand made Christmas card produced by the group at the weekly sessions, a visit from Father
Christmas, mince pies and a ‘Grand Raffle’ made the event an exciting occasion and
attracted around 40 local residents. The project was funded through Manchester City
Councils Cash Grants Scheme
Christmas dinner - Dec. 2009 Funds generated through the sale of the community
calendar were used to subsidise a Christmas meal at a local public house for 16 older
residents. Christmas crackers, party hats and the exchange of Christmas cards enhanced the
festive mood and was thoroughly enjoyed by the residents. The group made use of
Community Transport to travel to the venue.
Annual General Meeting - March 2010 Celebrating 12 months as a constituted community
group the Young at Heart held their first AGM. Supported by the research team, Chairperson
Maddy Blakey opened the meeting with a report on the group’s activities and achievements
over the previous 12 months. This was followed by Secretary Audrey Hurley’s report
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highlighting planned activity for the coming year. A report on the group’s finances and
supporting statements from the Ward Coordinator and Housing Provider were read out
before members voted on the relection of a committee and the meeting was opened up to
group members. A full report of the AGM was produced and will be used by the group to
support future funding bids and outside support. The meeting was attended by 17 residents,
the Ward Coordinator and Nova Scarman Trust.
Trip to Llandudno - June 2010 Travelling by Community Transport, residents enjoyed
a community outing to the North Wales seaside resort. With 22 residents aged between 7
months and 85 years - and four generations from one family joining the group, the trip
proved to be a memorable occasion. Arriving at the resort the group made the most of the
good weather enjoying a stroll along the prom, ice cream on the pier, a browse of the shops,
and a ride on the ‘Tourist Train’ before enjoying a meal in a local pub. A sing song on the
return journey rounded off what the residents described a “day to remember” creating a
sense of anticipation for a repeat trip in the future. The cost of the trip (£241.00) was
subsided through group funds raised by the group at weekly raffle etc.
Silk-screen project: June – July 2010 The residents worked for two months with a
community artist on a silk screen project about their neighbourhood. This involved them
taking photographs of the area and developing silk screen prints from these. The group
selected the best of these prints and organised an exhibition of them in the community
rooms for which they had special t-shirts printed. The exhibition was a big success with over
40 participants. The group agreed they had found the project ‘exciting’ and very enjoyable’
and were very proud with the work they had produced and the fact that the project and
exhibition had received publicity in the wider community with an article published in the
Manchester Evening News, The advertiser and This is East Website – www.thisiseast.com
(see Appendix 1).
Grub & Gossip: October 2010 The group received funding through the VOP team
(£50.00) to host a community lunch as part of the Full of Life Festivals “Grub & Gossip”
event. Members of the group prepared home cooked dishes including Soup, Cheese &
Bacon pie, Chicken & Rice, Bakewell Tart, Apple Pie and Scones which was brought along to
the Community Rooms to share with members and residents. The residents described the
event as “an opportunity to relax”, “Get together for a chat” and, as one resident stated
“Eat like kings for a day”. 17 residents + 3 pre school children attended the afternoon.
Current Activities: The group are currently working independently on individual work i.e.
card making, knitting, and painting. 8-9 residents attend on a weekly basis with others
choosing to pop in and out of session or attend events and outings.
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Planned activities
Art Project: The group are beginning discussions regarding a new art project with local
artist Ian McKay. Continuing with the theme of ‘local life & community’ the group will create
a Mosaic art work illustrating their social & physical environment. The group aim to meet
with Ian mid/late October to discuss project i.e. time line – costs – logistics, including where
the art work will be displayed. Some ideas put forward include the current/new housing
office or the medical centre. The group would have to make an application for funding to
cover all costs of the project. It is expected the project will commence at the start of the
New Year.
Community Development Foundation: October 2010 A member of CDF team will visit
the group to discuss their last project (Silk Screen Printing) and (hopefully) possibilities for
further funding. It is expected that the groups art work & activities will be showcased in the
CDF reports, website etc.
Blackpool Trip: October 2010 After a brilliant day at the seaside resort last October,
16 older people will enjoy a return trip to Blackpool Illuminations. The group will use
community transport and fund the trip (£194) from funds raised through the sale of the
groups arts work i.e. silk screen prints and money raised at the weekly raffles.
Christmas Meal: The group would like to repeat last years outing to a pub/eatery to
enjoy a Christmas lunch together in Dec. The group are discussing venues and will confirm
plans in following weeks.
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Research Discussion I
Sense of community and participation in community arts
To develop an understanding of the character of older people’s social lives and the impact
of various social projects it is necessary to consider their social and physical location and
what older people themselves think of their surroundings and of the projects. We were
interested in what the older residents thought of their neighbourhoods, what opportunities
they had for social interaction, and what they thought of the project and of its contribution
to promoting opportunities for social interaction. The following information was collected
from discussions with the participants in the arts project.
Community representations: The older people talked about their community in terms of its
physical location, as a place of identity, as distinct from other areas and as a place in need of
resources. Physically, the community was considered in terms of a small number of streets
with which the older people clearly identified. The older people were able to define the
physical boundaries of their community within which they spent most days. As one woman
said:
“See, we’re a separate community. It’s a political thing that’s lumped us all together
as part of a ward but really we’re our own community and we have been since this
estate was built.” (Female, 64yrs)
The older people separated themselves from others who lived only a short distance away in
similar housing. This sense of distinction included their unwillingness to access services in
nearby districts and conversely drew attention to their own lack of resources. The same
woman continued:
“I know they have things going on in other centres further down but we don’t belong
to them, really those things are for them that live there.” (Female, 64yrs)
This community identity was expanded in the stories the participants told about
their neighbourhood. Most had lived in the area since it was built and recalled memories of
the district in those early days. The stories they told about their neighbourhood were ones
of decline. They recalled extensive local and wider social interaction when they first moved
into the area. People had jobs and income and the local shopkeepers were very proactive in
offering services. They also commented on the role of the local clergy who had previously
been central to organising a range of local social activities. There were several nearby
churches which have since been demolished or converted for other usage. Conversely, the
neighbourhood today was described in terms of limited social opportunities, little social
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interaction with newer residents and no local facilities for social engagement. They explicitly
referred to a loss of a ‘sense of community’. As one participant said:
“It’s all changed since we first came, we used to have all the shops leading down, dry
cleaners, butcher, grocery and clothes shop and the churches, they’ve all gone now.”
The larger supermarkets which had more recently been built outside the area were
less inviting. The women referred to the way local shops used to welcome them and the
local clergy organised events:
“When we first moved we had cards from most of the shops welcoming us and we
had the minister up from the church to see us. He asked me and my husband if we
would help set up a club for the pensioners, brew up and help out like, so that’s what
we did. We used to go down and we would have raffles, potato pie supper. We
would go on outings to different places … See, everybody helped out. If you were
asked to help out and you could, well you did … not just us; lots of people helped each
other. They don’t seem to bother nowadays.” (Female, 83yrs).
The men referred to the loss of the local public house [bar] which was considered
the centre of their social world:
“I mean in the good old days you had the local pub, everybody had their own little
local - the pub was the hub of the community. That’s where all the socialising,
arguing, etc., was done. I mean, don’t forget there was a fire in every pub and when
the lads got in, the cards started. And then the televisions went in and I think that
changed it - the conversation, arguments, joking. And then we had the slum
clearance, that’s when communities were lost. And then we got the drugs, don’t get
me wrong we always had drugs but in my day hard drugs were a rich man’s habit,
the working class couldn’t afford drugs, now they’re on every street corner. Yes, it
was the loss of the local pub and the drugs that destroyed the traditional working
class communities.” (Male, 71yrs).
This perception of material disadvantage was heightened by the city plans to
demolish the houses and to rebuild them. One woman commented “The houses have only
been here for 40 years”, and continued:
“When we first moved here in 1969 they were still building this estate, and we got
plans for what they were going to build and it all looked smashing, green patches
with forms for old people to sit on, ten shops lower down … then they took them
plans and come back with some more and we were getting nothing. We never got
the green patch with the forms and we never got ten shops. That was the first time
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they did the work, 40 years ago now they’re at it again. It’s ridiculous really, because
they never give you what they promise and I don’t think we will be any better off
when they finish.” (Female, 64 yrs.).
This social representation of a distinct and under-resourced community was further
strengthened by the negative social representation they felt others had of their community.
While they accepted that there were a few anti-social individuals in their community the
older people felt that outsiders focused on these individuals to the detriment of the whole
community. One man said:
“There’s some good people on this estate, but you see over the years we’ve been
stigmatised – ‘them up there, they’re this and that’ - but it’s a minority that cause the
trouble and people seem to forget that.”
Thus, while the community might be materially disadvantaged the older people felt that it
still had lots of positive qualities which were often ignored by outsiders. This was also
evident in the rejection of the label ‘deprived’. For example, one woman recalled her
reaction to a regeneration worker who had been collecting information on housing quality
in the district. She said:
“They came here with one of these tick box sheets, and when he’d finished, I said
‘well what’s the verdict’ and do you know what he said, he said ‘I was deprived’.
Have you ever heard such rubbish, all of this [indicating garden] and he said I was
deprived.” (Female, 64 yrs.).
Combining this narrative of decline with a perceived negative social representation
led to a range of reactions. On the one hand there was a limited acceptance of the outside
stigmatisation. This was particularly applied to certain sub-groups within the community.
For example one woman said:
“It seems to me that people round here don’t really care anymore; they don’t seem
interested in getting together and making a shape. These young ones want
everything done for them.”
On the other hand there were various forms of rejection of this stigmatisation. One
form was frustration or repressed anger at being ignored by officialdom. One man said:
“We’re a forgotten area and always have been. When you get the newsletter it’s all
about that end, there’s never anything about us. I think it’s happened because they
give us nothing, well that how it seems to me…We have nothing as far as activities or
opportunities for older people on this estate …we’re very much a forgotten area,
what you might call *us+ the poor relation in comparison to other areas in this ward ”
(Male, 54yrs).
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Once again, the community was being contrasted with neighbouring communities who were
perceived as being unfairly advantaged. Another man added:
“Well you’ve been round, you’ve seen what we’ve got, bugger all (laughing). This
area, and it’s been the same since I moved in, has been forgotten by the powers that
be. Ask the others when you go round, they built this estate and then forgot about it
(Male, 67yrs)
Another form of rejection of the stigmatisation was evident in the hostility shown to local
officials and councillors. As one man said:
“You only see the councillors at election time - then they come banging on your door
wanting your vote, never see hide nor hair of them in between. Don’t ask me what
they do in between because they have done nothing on this estate from what I can
tell you.” (Male 67yrs).
Overall, the older people represented their community as having many positive
features and they strongly identified with it. However, when compared with neighbouring
communities they felt that they were lacking in services and they felt they were ignored by
officialdom.
Reasons for project participation: The primary reason given for participation in the
community arts group was the opportunity it provided for social interaction which it was felt
was generally lacking. Frequently, the participants referred to the limited opportunity for
social interaction. For example, one woman said:
“I just sit in this flat staring at the television or the walls. You get to a point where
you think I can’t cope; I mean, you think what’s the point being stuck in this flat day
in day out.” (Female, 51yrs).
Another who lived in the tower block said:
“They’re (flats) like prisons, you shut the door of that flat - you see no one. If it
weren’t for my carer I could go days without seeing a living soul.” (Female, 66yrs).
Among the participants a frequent complaint was that they had ’nothing to do’. For
example, one woman said:
“I would like to get out more and join in but there’s nothing going on. I couldn’t tell
of any club round here for the old people.” (Female 83yrs).
Another woman added:
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“I only go out for shopping, my son’s girlfriend comes round to see me, otherwise I
just sit in the house.” (Female, 51yrs).
In addition, a minority in the group of participants were particularly attracted by the
opportunity to participate in artwork. These people had some previous involvement in
artwork either recently or when they were younger. The group provided an opportunity to
share that interest with others. For example, one woman said;
“I’ve always liked anything arts and crafts. I like writing poems and making cards but
you don’t seem to see do it on your own…if we got some going, a group of us I’d
really enjoy it, a couple of hours each week to do something, something a bit
different from sitting, cleaning, cooking.” (Female, 53yrs)
Perceived impact of project: At the end of the project, the older people were very
enthusiastic and wanted to continue with the art class and to formally establish a
community arts group. Several benefits at an individual level were identified including sense
of achievement (e.g. “I have achieved something that I didn’t know I could do. Other people
would enjoy this as well; it should be for everybody every week. This sort of activity will go
far with people.” Female, 61yrs) and feeling of creativity (e.g. “I did things I didn’t think I
could do – produced a beautiful piece of art. Very pleased ... makes you use your
imagination.” Female, 57 years)
However, it was the social benefits of the art project to which they most frequently
referred. They talked about the increased opportunity for social interaction and forming
new friendships e.g. “Very pleased with everything that’s happened and everyone’s so
friendly ... seems to be getting people together.” Another added “Very much enjoy the social
interaction which does prove beneficial and gets people out of their homes and adds
lightness to life.” Some of them referred back to their early days in the area and felt that
the project was contributing to community building, e.g. “It seems to be getting people
together.” Another added “I’m very pleased with everything that’s happening for the
community.” The project created a sense of identity and belonging. As one woman said “I
really feel I belong to something and this is time for me”.
Several of the participants referred to the wider impact of the project on the
community. Their comments connected with their earlier narrative accounts of a
community in decline. As one man said:
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‘this social experiment is a success … We’re trying to rebuild our community. I’m
doubtful that we will ever get back what we used to have - that’s not going to
happen but we are trying…’.
Others felt that their project was a challenge to the outside negative social representations
of their community. This was evident in this comment by one of the women:
Everybody’s talking about what we’ve been doing. Even the councillors when they
came to the meetings. See I don’t think they knew we could do these sorts of things,
but then we’ve never had it before, people coming and showing us and giving us a
chance.
Conclusion
These comments were made by the older participants in the early stages of the arts project.
Since then several of the original participants have dropped out and others have joined. It
will be important to investigate these changes in the group. At this stage these comments
by the participants highlight the limited facilities in this particular neighbourhood and their
enthusiastic reaction to the arts project. In other more well-resourced communities with
different histories the experiences and perceptions of older residents would be expected to
be different. Further details of this work are detailed in our publication:
Murray, M., & Crummett, A. (2010). ‘I don’t think they knew we could do these sorts
of things’: Social representations of community and participation in community arts
by older people. Journal of Health Psychology, 15, 777-785.
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b) CHEETHAM
Activities Update
Four Seasons Garden Club
Gardening: The group has continues to work in the garden and as well as planting
hanging baskets and containers were given permission by the housing association to extend
the existing borders which enabled them widen their planting. However, due to the ill
health of members they now require external assistance and regular help from local
volunteers has recently been secured.
During the summer the club had a setback with their bank account and were unable to
access their funds for several weeks. This impacted both on what they could purchase and
on reimbursing members for goods bought. Consequently, they have moved their account
to another bank but now use cash only and the scheme managers keep a small float
available.
The club entered the Manchester In Bloom competition and are waiting to hear the
outcome.
ICT: The scheme has undergone a full refurbishment and now that this has finished the
computer is available to tenants. The scheme managers will be encouraging tenants to use
the equipment and IT training is planned for those who would like it.
Roses and Reels
Gardening: This group is now running autonomously and needs very little input from the
CALL-ME team. They have successfully applied for two grants; one from Greater Manchester
Public Transport Executive for a visit to Heaton Park and another from Manchester City
Council to continue their work in the garden. Their future plans include removing the shrubs
in the car park area and replacing them with flowering dwarf shrubs and installing raised
beds at the side of the scheme for soft fruit and fruit trees.
During the summer they hosted a garden open day which was well attended by tenants,
their friends and families, people from neighbouring houses and management from the
housing association. The deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester opened the event and was
clearly impressed by the work the club had done and spoke about the benefits of such
projects to the health of older people.
The club also entered the housing association and the Manchester In Bloom competitions
and having had some very positive feedback from the judges. The ‘Roses & Reels’
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gardening group have won the ‘Best beds and borders’ in the Johnnie Johnson gardening
competition; this is a great achievement as they only started work on the garden in March
2010.
Feedback from both members of the club and the scheme manager about the garden
project is very positive and they have said that they feel it has brought tenants who did not
know each other before together and has improved the atmosphere in the scheme as well
as the environment.
Cinema: The cinema club intends to start screening films within the next few weeks.
ICT: There have been issues with both the lap tops and the IT training with tenants
considering withdrawing from this project. A meeting is arranged for early October when
the issues and possible solutions will be discussed.
Cheetwood Caribbean Garden Project
Gardening: The group finally took delivery of the raised bed at the end of August and
although it was not as they envisaged have planted it with winter bedding. Unfortunately,
this has been vandalised by local children; this is the second time that this has happened to
the group. They have re-planted the bed and some additional containers but are reluctant
to undertake any further work until the area is more secure. The group are applying for a
grant to fence the area, and will plant more containers, purchase tables and chairs to enable
them to sit outside.
Garden Event
The garden network event took place in April 2010 and was successful; members from all
four garden groups (across the CALL-ME project) attending. Speakers included: Sara Wolfe
from Manchester City Council who spoke about financial and other support available to
community groups; Sarah Hawkins, also from Manchester City Council, who spoke about the
In Bloom competition and the help available to local garden groups; finally, Katherine
Moores from Hulme Community Garden Centre spoke about the garden centre and the
services they offer. Attendees said that they enjoyed the day and had benefited from it.
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Research Discussion II
Working with older residents
This paper reports on our findings following individual and focus group interviews (n=26)
with the three groups we have been working with in the Cheetham Hill and Crumpsall area.
With the exception of one interview, all were digitally recorded and transcribed. The
transcripts were analysed using the constant comparative method. From this five main
themes have been identified: team working; participation; well-being; decision-making; and
discrimination.
Within each of these main themes, sub-themes were identified and these are:
Team working:
o group dynamics,
o motivation,
o leadership,
o collaboration,
o organisation/disorganisation,
o funding.
A participant in one of the focus groups stated: ‘You need a leader to organise - apart from
the staff. You would need someone to organise…’ Focus group 2 20.03.09.
Participation:
o non -participation,
o motivation,
o intergenerational,
o grievances,
o multicultural.
Whilst all those interviewed talked about the benefits of participation, it is not with out its
difficulties: ‘You see, you can’t really have erm a lot of people living in one place without
sometimes there’s something that goes wrong. You know what I mean?’ Peggy
Well-being:
o socialising,
o pleasure,
o benefit,
o environment,
o safety.
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As Virginia said: ‘It has given me something to do. I didn’t feel so lonely. You feel isolated so
if there is nothing going on in the lounge you can do gardening. I feel that it has improved
my health. Learning things. I didn’t know how to do a basket before. I really enjoyed that
day (a day spent as a group planting baskets and tubs). We had a laugh and I can’t wait ‘til
the weather gets nice, I am looking forward to it’.
Decision-making:
o communication,
o gatekeeping,
o subversion.
Some of the older people had developed specific strategies for overcoming gatekeeping by
organisations, as illustrated by Fred:
‘I mean if they ask for permission the answer is always ‘No’. It’s out of hand ‘No!’ So you
don’t ask. You do it first, and when they come and say ‘You shouldn’t have done this’ - like
they did with me… *I say+ ‘Oh, well nobody told me’…I’ve lived under the Corporation for 40
years or more, so I mean I know the only way [is] to do it first and then let them ask
questions *later+’.
Discrimination:
o age,
o race.
One man talked about the discontinuation of a computer course he had been attending:
‘And she give us the bad news, that she has to stop now because her donation that she gets
is for going to the schools [to] get the parents and the non-workers, see? We were
pensioners…so they stopped it. And I was just getting in to the knack of it really. I would
have liked a letter stating that I’m so sorry… because I was just getting in to it…and learning
a few things.’ Dexter
Summary
Social isolation and loneliness problematic for older people and can have an impact on
health (Grenade & Boldy 2008; Help the Aged 2008). Working in partnership with
Manchester City Council and the older people of the area, the data illustrates the successes
and failures experienced by both the groups and individuals. There are a number of key
inter-related issues to do with empowerment, which is paramount in the development,
running and maintenance of activities by older people. Older people want to choose what
activities they engage in, rather than having these imposed on them (McFarquhar & Bowling
2009, Ogg 2009). A key to motivation is ownership of initiatives, this helps to build
confidence and pride in what is achieved (Biggs et al 2007, Larkin 2008). Whilst recognition
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of success is important, there needs to be open discussion when things go wrong and how
this can be avoided in future.
This can be achieved by providing a safe, supportive environment where people can make
suggestions and try out activities without fear of ridicule or censorship. Key to success is a
facilitator who can encourage participation and facilitate engagement, without dominating
the group and creating dependency. To facilitate sustainability and encourage older people
to continue to run activities when the facilitator leaves the field requires a jointly planned
exit strategy between facilitator and group; this includes the skills and knowledge required
to set up, run and manage an activity. As one older woman said: ‘I should think they’d need
some training’ (Miriam).
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c) MOSS SIDE
Activity Update
Moss Side Community Garden Group
Since March 2010 the group have been undertaking a number of different activities to keep
the garden plans moving forward. Several events have been organised and taken place
during the summer months. These include a very successful launch event which was held
on the 24th July, attended by local residents. During the launch, group members raised
money towards developing the garden, decided on the materials to be used to form
pathways through the site, compiled a list of new people who are keen to be involved in the
garden project, and cleared rubbish from hedges on the site.
Additionally, Anne Goldrick who is the chair of the group, was brave enough to take part in a
radio interview with Katherine Moores from Hulme Community Garden Centre regarding
the development of the garden site and to advertise the launch event. Anne has also
become involved in the organising committee for the Marketplace Event which was held at
the West Indian Sports and Social Club; she attends Valuing Older People meetings, and also
takes part in the local residents’ forums. The group had stalls at the Marketplace event and
the Valuing Older People over-50s event.
Since the launch event the group have recruited several new core group members, two of
whom are keen to take forward preparing the history of the garden. The group have
secured further funding through cash grants and MossCare Housing. Members have
created an artwork and naming competition which they have asked a number of local
younger people’s groups, schools and colleges to take part in. The group have also entered
Manchester’s ‘In bloom’ competition.
The group have started to work with the CSV who are supporting the project in differing
ways. Volunteers cleared the rubble and dug the borders around the site through a
‘summer service’ project and they are going to work with the group on producing the
artwork. Young people from Holy Name Primary school are also working with the group and
Katherine Moores to plant spring-flowering bulbs in the bottom part of the garden.
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Women’s Support Group
The Somali women’s group continues to grow in numbers since March, and considerable
progress has been made in establishing the group as one that is open to people of all
generations. The older women continue to meet separately on Thursdays and have been
approached by a number of health agencies who wish talk to the group about a range of
health issues.
The group continue to apply for funding to sustain their activities, specifically for running
the lunch club and to rehearse and to put on a cultural Somali Show. The group have held a
few events during the course of the summer. This included a Somali Independence Day
event, an event linked to the election of a new president, and Eid. The sharing of
experiences and knowledge across generations remains the main focus of the group as well
as sharing dancing, singing and stories. The group had stalls at the Marketplace event and
the Valuing Older People over-50s events.
These events enabled the group to meet local stakeholders and people belonging to other
groups. They also provided the older women with the opportunity to socialise with other
older residents of Moss Side and Hulme. The group are now seeking a new venue that is
more appropriate to their needs, and that can accommodate the growing number of
women who are joining in the various activities supported by group members.
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Research Discussion III
Working with Professionals
A particular partnership approach has been taken by the research team in Moss Side
throughout the different stages of locating, creating, engaging and disengaging with older
residents who were willing to take part in the research project. In this context, Burke and
Dalrymple (2009, p. 261) suggest that “partnerships refer to a formal agreement between
two or more individuals, groups or organisations to work together to achieve shared goals”.
In recent times there has been a drive by policy makers for partnerships to exist between
the voluntary, private and public sector, with some of this work aiming at re-invigorating
community activity (Wilkinson and Craig, 2002).
Lindamer et al. (2009) report on a project where researchers collaborated with public
professionals with the aim of developing and implementing sustainable practices in mental
health services. They reported on the challenging and time-consuming nature of the
collaboration, but argued that the process was critical to improving services and service
users’ lives. Kilbourne et al. (2007), Madon et al. (2007) and Fixsen et al. (2005) also report
on collaborations between researchers, stakeholders, end-users and policymakers and
report that such collaborations support the sustainability of new practices and create more
effective practices which are evidence-based. Despite the apparent advantages of
partnership work, there is a clear need for those engaged in such work to be aware of the
different systems within which researchers and public or private partners may work,
alongside their different values, styles, limitations, goals and pressures (Santos et al., 1994).
Consequently, a critical perspective is needed when working with individuals who have
different interests, expectations and work cultures to reduce the misunderstandings that
can potentially arise (Balloch and Taylor, 2001).
In Moss Side, the research team’s approach involved becoming familiar with the area,
community stakeholders, older people’s groups, older people’s services, and younger
people’s groups with the aim of establishing community projects with older residents that
made the most of existing local resources. In a culturally and socially diverse area such as
Moss Side, with a long tradition of community action and well-documented social problems,
the research team was not surprised to identify an incredibly broad array of potential
partners and stakeholders. A major part of our initial work in Moss Side revolved around
working with a range of community-based stakeholders, such as local councillors,
regeneration officers, council officers, service professionals, and ward coordinators. The
value of bringing together different stakeholders to work towards a shared goal was that
everyone brought with them different ideas, skills, and pools of resources to assist the
emerging older people’s groups to establish themselves, and to develop the skills and
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capacities needed to sustain themselves in the future long after the research team had
withdrawn.
Our approach was integrated into the participatory action research method as we
developed and sought different types of support and partnerships at different stages in the
project’s development. The participatory action research cycle involves devising a plan,
undertaking action and reflecting on the process to devise the next plan and actions. Below
we provide a necessarily brief outline of the work which has been undertaken in Moss Side
over the course of the research project.
1. Initial work
Plan Our plan at this stage was to meet with as broad a range of professionals,
organisations, and groups of older people as possible in order to better understand what
services, amenities, groups, strategic focuses already existed within Moss Side. In addition,
we wanted to start gaining an insight into the issues that older people living in the area felt
were important, and to establish a sense of the other activities that older residents of Moss
Side were taking part in.
Action
We met with each of the Moss Side ward’s local councillors who offered us their
perspectives on the area and provided useful insights relating to the focus of
previous and current work in the area.
We met with council officers working in Moss Side (for example, ward coordination,
street environment, campaigns) to identify the nature of their roles, their own
perspectives on Moss Side, alongside current activities that exist and potential
groups/activities needed in the area for older people.
We met with housing association staff to find out what they did within the
community and to gain insights into the range of housing available to local older
people.
We met with local community-based professionals to find out about services
available to older residents of Moss Side. This encompassed such services as access
to welfare information, advice, and signposting. Additionally, we specifically set out
to gather information relating to the particular issues faced by the different
communities that reside in Moss Side.
Reflection Moss Side is a diverse community with substantial proportions of white, Black
Caribbean, and Somali residents. Over recent years the area as seen an increase in the
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number and proportion of Somali residents living within the area. Our conversations with
both professionals and local residents suggested that such population change was
associated with a range of challenges for Moss Side. In particular, it was evident that there
were concerns relating to how to best serve and engage with the Somali community and
how to support them to develop appropriate services for themselves. There was also a pre-
existing focus on intergenerational work in Moss Side and this was encouraged by some of
the council staff. Discussions highlighted issues relating to environmental decay as being a
key concern within the community. For example, there had been an unsuccessful attempt to
establish a community garden. Officials pointed out potential locations in Moss Side for
environmental improvement, and for community garden development. The need for more
lunch clubs for older people in the area was also highlighted. While a number of services
existed for older people, many of these appeared to overlap and they often appeared to be
provided in a disjointed way.
2. Establishing groups for projects
Plan Having spent time becoming familiar with the area, we needed to focus on identifying
and starting to establish particular projects with different groups of older people based on
their ideas and interests.
Action
We went on a tour of Moss Side with the street environment manager looking at potential
sites for a garden project, and reflected on the relative merits of potential locations in
different areas of the ward.
We arranged and attended a meeting between young people and professionals to
secure their involvement in an intergenerational project.
We worked with a community organisation to arrange focus groups with local Somali
men and women to find out what their particular issues were and the types of
activities or projects that they would like to become involved in.
We drew on our contacts with professionals who worked for local housing
associations to arrange a coffee morning to talk to older residents and find out their
interests and ideas for a project.
We engaged a warden to obtain access to residents of a sheltered housing scheme.
We attended local residents’ association meetings where local stakeholders went to
talk to residents and to find out more about local issues.
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Reflection Our conversations with a number of groups and individual older people
suggested the potential to draw together a group of people who might be interested in
developing an intergenerational garden project. Arising from the focus groups, it became
clear that the Somali women had some quite specific needs. They wanted somewhere to be
able to meet each week, and they expressed a desire to take part in different activities as
they didn’t have that opportunity currently. We were encouraged by the number of
professionals working in Moss Side who were keen to work with the research team, and had
offered to help in whatever way they could. Both the intergenerational garden project and
a project involving older Somali women were viewed favourably by local stakeholders and
we were able to draw on a lot initial support to develop the initiatives. This support needed
to balanced against the different agendas and obligations so that the older people’s groups
remained in control of the projects and everyone was able to work towards a common goal.
3. Working with groups
Plan Having reflected on our conversations with local residents and a range of community
stakeholders, and having considered a wide range of potential community projects we
opted to focus on a garden project and a lunch club/meeting for Somali women. To
succeed in this work we needed to work with the groups of older people in order to help
them to organise themselves, either formally and informally. To do this we would need to
facilitate meetings between the groups and local professionals who could offer a more
varied and knowledge support to the groups on grant applications, constitutions, places to
meet, and such like.
Action
We drew on some existing professionals such as the ward coordinators, campaigns
team, street environment team, and local councillors to help with funding and
different elements of work or needs for the garden.
We liaised with a local community garden trainer to work with the group and
develop their ideas, run sessions and project manage the development of the garden
site.
We facilitated meetings with the groups and a local community development worker
to help them initially apply for funding and prepare a constitution.
We negotiated between the groups and local stakeholders to keep the momentum
going and to get specific tasks completed and arrange meetings with the group and
solve and problems as they arose.
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Reflection Each group had different levels of need when it came to get the groups up
and running. However, the support and access to local resources proved to be a valuable
asset for both groups. Being familiar with the range of local resources available was
especially helpful when the groups faced a particular question or dilemma. On many
occasions, we were aware of people or organisations who might be able to help the groups
find solutions to emerging issues. There was a great amount of support for the projects
from local stakeholders. An example of this is the support from a local councillor for the
Somali women to develop a cultural show. Similarly, a local councillor and the ward
coordinator liaised with a local building contractor to do some work on the garden site for
free and to develop the garden designs through an architects’ drawing. As the groups
developed, the different opinions and perspectives from the stakeholders, especially in the
case of the garden group came to light. Seemingly straightforward matters proved on
occasion problematic, such as issues relating to the provision of lighting and benches for the
gardens – deemed by some professionals as potential magnets for anti-social behaviour.
Resolving such issues required careful thought and open discussion with the relevant
stakeholders. The different timescales and work commitments also became evident here as
work divided out to individuals needed to be chased and arranging to meet with people
became difficult.
4. Sustaining groups
Plan Our plan in Moss Side was to support the groups in a manner that would ultimately
help them to become self-sustaining. Throughout the period of activity, the research team
sought to ensure that the groups maintained regular contact with local professionals and
organisations who could provide them with ongoing support and guidance on a local level.
Such relationships were felt to be essential to establish sustainable initiatives.
Action
We attended meetings and events to support the groups and sought to link the
groups to individuals and organisations that would be of use to them in the future.
We facilitated community participation by making links with local schools and youth
groups.
We liaised between local councillors and the groups to keep people informed of
what the group was doing.
We maintained contact with the groups and supported them as and when they
needed advise from the research team.
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We linked both groups into the emerging Valuing Older People network in Hulme
and Moss Side.
Reflection Having a steering group which was made up of professionals meant that the
group already had access to support with funding, navigating council bureaucracy, backing
for events and the project. This steering group was enthusiastic about the project and
committed to seeing the project become a success. This was evidenced by the time and
contribution of the team for the garden launch event where many professionals came along
to help and others attended on the day. The local housing trusts were keen to support the
groups and have helped to fund the projects. It was crucial to make the links and get the
groups drawing on local resources early on as this enabled the groups’ ideas to be
developed much more successfully.
Conclusion
The initial stages of getting to know the area and individuals who live and work in the area
was time-consuming and challenging. However, as the project developed our time and
effort invested at the beginning paid dividends. As a result, when the groups were
establishing, developing and sustaining themselves we had access to a wide range of local
resources (organisations and professionals) that could be drawn on to help the groups. Such
help extended to creating a constitution, applying for funding, supporting and developing
ideas, finding suitable venues, and making links to other relevant professionals or
organisation.
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d) NEWTON HEATH
Activity
The chair-based exercise class continues to meet with an instructor Wednesdays in the
Catholic Workingmen’s Club. There are usually 6-10 ladies present who greatly enjoy the
exercise. All members get on very well together. Members have shown great commitment
to participate in the class and have increasingly become independent in running the group:
Members now liaise and communicate directly with the Public Health Development Agency
and NHS who are funding the class. Attendance sheets have to be kept for each session and
sent to the funders at the end of the month. Likewise, monthly invoices have to be sent to
the NHS to receive monies which are paid into a bank account. The instructor is then paid
out of this by cheque. Members put together annual accounts for the first time this
summer.
The group struggles to maintain viable numbers for the class and various recruitment
activities have been employed to attempt to boost participation: word-of-mouth,
announcements, and posters displayed in various public buildings across Newton Heath.
Two new members have been recruited. Nonetheless the future funding of the group is a
little uncertain.
Members of the class met in late September to prepare for presenting their group activity at
the CALL-ME showcasing event at Gorton Monastery on 14th October. The meeting was
chaired by one member. The group made a decision to present a powerpoint presentation
based on a picture story of the group’s development with a possibility of a demonstration of
some of the exercises depending on available space.
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Research Discussion IV
“You have to engage with your life, otherwise life will go away”-
Social engagement across the life course
Participants Seven interviews with 10 women of a white English and Irish background
aged between 68 and 89 years and living in North East Manchester have been carried out to
enquire into environmental, structural, personal and life course factors influencing social
engagement. In addition, two interviews with community volunteers were carried out, one
male and one female both aged in their seventies and have been included in this analysis.
These have been transcribed and are currently being analysed. Some preliminary results
have been summarised below.
What is social engagement? Social engagement is defined as “a small informal social
gathering”, with a “commitment to appear at a certain time and place”
(www.thefreedictionary.com). In addition social engagement usually involves a commitment
to an activity over a longer period of time. In this commitment it differs from informal social
interaction which occurs unplanned and haphazardly. Social engagement has been linked by
researchers and policy makers to enhanced well-being among older people and is generally
associated with ‘active ageing’ or ‘successful ageing’. Social engagement is in this analysis
considered in the context of social relationships in general. I consider social engagement as
part of our enactment of social relationships.
But some of the assumptions we make in relation to older people’s social engagement may
lead to services and opportunities for social engagement being offered in an inappropriate
manner. What are those assumptions?
1. We assume that older people have time and can give a long-term commitment to
a group or activity and to regular meetings.
2. We assume that older people are able and feel comfortable to contribute in a
group situation.
3. We assume that communities can provide welcoming and secure places to meet.
4. We assume that certain activities are appropriate to certain age groups.
5. We assume that any group of older people will find a common activity or shared
interest.
6. We assume that all older people should want to socialise because it is ‘good’ for
them.
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Some of these assumptions are here investigated in relation to participants’ statements.
The question is… In this analysis I investigate forms and patterns of social engagement
developed by participants over the life course and ask to what extent service providers
respond adequately to the skills and resources that older people bring to their social
activities.
The theoretical framework used to analyse the interviews draws on the life course approach
to environmental gerontology (Rowles and Watkins 2003). This approach emphasises the
importance of the development of skills and resources throughout the life course in
enabling individuals to cope with challenges in later life. Some examples from this research
project are given below. (Please note: all names have been changed.)
The life course Speaking about their lives the women described how during the years
when they started a family they had no wish, opportunity, time or money to socialise.
Friederike: Did you used to be involved in any activities when you were younger?
Donna: No, not really….Well, I was married very young, so I always had children.
Pauline: There wasn’t a great deal of social activities going about then, was there?
You know what I mean, ‘cos you still had picture houses that you could go
to. But like I said…if you didn’t have any money …to spend on that, our
activities, we had no money. …Not as bad as you had no money for food,
that sounds like real poverty, but what money you had was saved
nuggets….You see, the kids had activities but they didn’t cater for adult
activities….
Frieda: It was just looking after your children. You hadn’t much time to be socialising.
You didn’t want to be anyway when you first got married.
Elisabeth: And then when *the children+ got quite a bit older…I used to go to the club
for a couple of hours. …I really enjoy going to clubs.
Some of the women had been involved in social activities over a number of years,
particularly since the children had grown up or since their retirement from paid
employment. Their engagement with those groups was often intermittent for various
reasons, either because of continued family responsibilities or because the group activity
collapsed for lack of funding, lack of participants or other changes.
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Pauline: Yeah, but like, I’ve always belonged to the history *group+ for donkey’s
years…It was *in the+ library first on Monday nights, and I used to be able to
finish work and go there then, and then it was in the morning at you know,
you know the lighthouse here …It was there, then that stopped. It went in
the afternoons, which I had to give up because [I was] picking up my [grand]
children…And then that stopped, *so I said+: right I’m going back to the
history [group] now.
Social relationships As mentioned above I consider social engagement as part of enacting
social relationships more generally. I am therefore interested in how patterns of social
relationships develop over the life course and influence social engagement in later life. The
following examples from the interviews illustrate this.
As has already become apparent in some of the quotes above is the importance of the
women’s social roles and circumstances in shaping their opportunities for social interaction
in their earlier lives. Their roles as mothers and housewives shaped the way in which social
relationships were developed around childcare and household tasks within a
neighbourhood.
Elisabeth: Well you used to come to my house didn’t you?
Frieda: With all my 4 children.
Elisabeth: You used to come to our house once a week and your children used to
come didn’t they.
Frieda: Then we used to go to Eden Park, I mean that’s near me, it’s just at the
bottom of the avenue, mostly parks that we used to do.
…
Pauline: [We had] the house, a big field, then there was a big canal, then there was
another big field and then there was Oldham Road. Now the neighbours
that I had, they all had kids. …The kids could play out because it was a cul-
de-sac, but one of [the mothers] would sit, sit down for an hour and
watching the kids. That’s when you got on with your housework. Then it
was your turn to go out and watch them.
Social relationships were also based on meeting others informally in the street. As women
used to walk everywhere this provided ample opportunity for a chat or exchange which
supported and renewed social relationships based on casual encounters.
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Frieda: I think years ago people was more friendly, wasn’t they? I mean in the
streets everybody knew everybody else and…Well they’d stop and talk to
you….In those days, I mean you were stood talking on corners for an evening
wouldn’t you and things like that.
It was those casual encounters which built ‘friendly’ communities where people felt
comfortable and safe. Where those relationships have continued to be part of an older
person’s life they are a resource and provide opportunities for social engagement in later
life. ‘Clubs’ (i.e. workingmen’s clubs and pubs) were an extension of these informal social
encounters as they provided a space for people to meet and share in a chat and relax with
some entertainment provided for their enjoyment.
Nancy: There was a club, it was called the Broadville Club, and me and Jenny used to
go there on a Monday night… There was entertainment, you know, all big
stars. I got dressed to go but, we used to get tickets, complimentary tickets,
you know, to go in, and you’d go off in your long dress. Anyhow we could go
and we knew [everybody].
What characterises these opportunities for socialising is that they do not require any long-
term commitment. They can therefore not be considered ‘social engagement’ as defined
above. Although some women like Nancy and Jenny used to go out every week there was no
expectation from others that they had to be there. It is also important to note that clubs and
pubs provide entertainment which means that customers are involved in an organised
activity without carrying any responsibility for the continued existence of the organisation.
On the other hand where individuals had opportunities to develop their experience of being
part of or leading organised group activities this also gave them the confidence to get
involved in new activities or groups in later life. It is also important to note that even when
people have moved away from their communities they will maintain links in these
communities. Social relationships may then encourage engagement in later life even when
this involves overcoming distances and crossing boundaries laid down by councils and other
agencies.
John: I used to run the squash and the swimming clubs for Ferantes…It was only
when we decided what we were going to do when we retired ‘cos Tessa was
into family history at that time and we decided, well, we’ll do family history.
And we were still tied up in [the neighbourhood we grew up in], a lot of our
friends are still down there, and ex-neighbours.
Two long-term friends have joined an activity and reflect on their motivations:
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Frieda: And you talked me into joining.
Elisabeth: Yes.
Frieda: I wasn’t going to *join+. Truthfully. It’s not my cup of tea really.
Elisabeth: No, I’m not really into much exercise.
Frieda: I don’t mind doing it but I wouldn’t have joined only she [Laughs] kept
mithering me!
Elisabeth: I mean well!
Like Frieda many older people will become socially engaged at the instigation of friends or
relatives. Nonetheless enjoyment of the activity is vital in maintaining commitment and
interest.
Current opportunities for and barriers to social engagement
In this section I present other factors which influence social engagement in later life. These
factors relate to the current opportunities and barriers in communities which either
promote or discourage older people’s social engagement.
Community based activities may be run by volunteers and depend on the commitment of a
small number of individuals for their organisation. The individual’s motivation is often borne
out of a personal interest or hobby. Their engagement is appreciated by others in the group.
Elisabeth: It’s a lovely club and these new people now that have taken over *the
committee+, they’re lovely! They can’t do enough for you…. They’re
really nice people. They don’t get paid for it. It’s really good of them
to do it. They’ve got to be good people to put themselves out for
other people.
Its organisational independence gives the group a large amount of freedom to engage with
its members and potential audiences and to be creative in their activities.
Julia: There is something in a [voluntary] organisation like that which leaves
spaces for things to happen. And leaves…it’s not so tightly controlled
that everything has to go in a set of steps or programmes. It’s about
how you respond [to external events].
Many participants commented that they had never had so many opportunities to be active
before in their lives.
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Elisabeth: I think if older people want [activities] they can find them.
But personality plays a role in whether individuals will become socially engaged and
personal interests will influence the activity they may become engaged with.
Frieda: I’m pretty quiet, you know what I mean. I’m not like a chatty person. I’ve got
to get to know people before I speak to them.
Activities which are run by volunteers often rely on outside financial support. But unless
participants have had experience in managing money and writing funding applications the
process of applying for even small amounts of money can seem impossibly daunting.
John: As a group we decided to apply for some funds because when you listen to
these *community workers+ there’s always money there…but to apply for
that…you don’t know how to go about it. And I’ve been on a course to sit
down and fill in *the forms+…But when you start filling forms in you think it’s
not worth the hassle…so *we+ have given up.
Small community groups may feel that they need to align themselves with more influential
or ‘powerful’ representatives of the community in order to get funding or to get things
done. These collaborations can be very effective, but they can also be exploitative, leaving
group members unable to influence their own activity.
John: The councillors don’t work together. …We invited them to *our group+ but they
wouldn’t attend. And then when we got the *community project+ going… the
MP got involved, it was then that the councillor jumped on board for the
glory… He took it over. *He felt the project+ wasn’t moving fast *enough+. He’d
promised someone that he was going to have [the project] ready for the 11th
of November and he ended up building it himself, … he had a building firm, he
put it up and then he took control of the *opening ceremony+. …Anyway he
took that over as well. … In fact when he put the piece in the paper, the
Councillor, he didn’t even give *the community group+ a mention.
The councillor had exploited an opportunity for some positive publicity for himself but in the
process created resentment and disillusionment among the group members who had
initiated the project. The injustice was felt by the whole group but they did not challenge
the councillor. Instead of using this project to further participants’ skills and knowledge in
developing a project at their own pace, the councillor essentially used the group’s initiative
but then disempowered the group from any further engagement.
One participant voiced her concern regarding the potentially patronising attitude by service
providers towards older people. Often they continue to be regarded as ‘needy’.
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Julia: I think we have to get out of the model of engaging with older people as if we
are to give them answers, you know. Older active people are not looking for
answers. I don’t think we are always looking for people to tell us what’s
available by the Council or what they can do. We are actually also looking for
how external organisations can facilitate us doing what we want.
Community relations
In spite of the commitment of some members community groups may have difficulty in
recruiting sufficient numbers or get others interested in its activities.
John: You can’t get people out to *activities+. It’s sad really… You don’t get many
people there. I don’t know why, it seems that either a) it’s difficult to get out
or b) they’re just not interested.
Even trying to talk to people personally to get them involved can backfire when it is being
interpreted as nosey interference as John recounts:
I said: ‘Can’t the community wardens go and knock on doors?’, but …then Jean, the
lady that was doing it…, she said then the old folks thought you were spying
on them.
What has changed in communities since participants were younger relates to the close-knit
intimacy or connections that people had. These do no longer exist in many neighbourhoods.
Frieda: Well, you know young ones, you’re not on the same wave length are you? I
mean they’ll talk to you but more or less just for the sake of it, if you know
what I mean.
The informal supportive relationships that women had in earlier times may no longer exist
in the close neighbourhood leaving the older person feeling mistrustful, angry and
vulnerable:
Jenny: *I said to my friends: I have + a good house and look, I’ve got a nice garden
and I love it and I have brilliant neighbours. So this was in 1974. [Now] the
older ones have died off, then they’re movin’ rubbish in from all over the show
that doesn’t clean, they don’t pay rent. And like I said: I’ve got nobody, I
haven’t got anybody that I could turn to in an emergency, I mean I’ve got me
husband but if anything happened to him or me, to him, you know what I
mean, I don’t know who we’d turn to in an emergency.
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Conclusion
Among the participants of this study the women in particular had been used to engaging in
informal social relationships. Few of them had had opportunities to acquire skills,
knowledge and experience in being part of a committed group. This was due to their social
role, but also to the lack of opportunity for social activities earlier in their lives and their lack
of financial resources whilst bringing up children. Personality and disposition also play a role
in whether an individual will seek out social engagement opportunities.
Opportunities for social engagement may be provided but the continued enjoyment of the
activity as well as of positive social relationships are vital in maintaining interest. Barriers to
social engagement have to be sought in the changing social relations within and between
communities. In addition institutional practices and even local politics can influence older
people’s engagement.
Participants’ motivations for social engagement were primarily to derive pleasure and
enjoyment from it. In later life when work and family responsibilities are no longer the
primary activity people become to an extent free to choose a) whether and to what degree
they what to be engaged, and b) the activity which gives them most pleasure and
satisfaction. Catering for such a diverse and “fickle” audience is not an easy task for those
whose job it is to provide activities for older people. Evidence from this research suggests
that facilitating older people in their own chosen activity may be more successful in
promoting social engagement among older people.
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III. Update on survey analysis and results
An aim of the CALL-ME study is to promote the social engagement and quality of life of
older people living in disadvantaged communities. To explore the extent to which the
project is achieving this aim, a questionnaire has been developed for completion by the
individuals who are participating in the range of activities that the project has initiated.
Exploring the impact of the project on the social engagement of older people: the role of
quantitative methods
The data captured by the questionnaire cover the demographic characteristics of
respondents (age, sex, marital status, living circumstances) and, through the use of validated
research instruments, their: access to social support networks ( based upon their level of
contact with children, friends, neighbours); desire and ability to participate in social
activities; levels of loneliness (based upon their access to close friends and confidents) ;
health related quality of life (based upon them experiencing problems with mobility, self
care, usual activities, pain/ discomfort, anxiety/ depression). To date, the feedback obtained
in 55 questionnaires has been analysed.
Individuals completing the questionnaire were aged between 55 and 88 years (mean age
69.7 years) with 74.5% being women and 69.8% living alone. Although all those responding
indicated that they had either high (32.5%) or medium (67.5%) levels of access to social
support networks, 43.1% thought they were unable to participate in social activities as much
as they would like whilst a high proportion suffered from moderate (50.0%) or severe
(12.5%) feelings on loneliness.
On average, the health related quality of life of those completing the questionnaires was
lower than the UK average for a population of similar age. In the instrument used in the
questionnaire, 1.00 is the maximum rating that a person can give themselves in terms of
their perceived health related quality of life. Whilst some individuals did give themselves a
quality of life score of 1.00, the mean score across all respondents was only 0.63 (the UK
mean is 0.78).
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Comments
These preliminary findings indicate that the CALL-ME study is successfully reaching
individuals who are experiencing challenges in terms of their levels of social engagement
and quality of life. On-going work will assess whether these findings are confirmed as the
number of individuals completing the questionnaire increases. Findings will also be
compared with those obtained by similar research studies undertaken elsewhere.
However, although the questionnaire survey is generating important information to
demonstrate the value of the project, the difficulties of using survey techniques within a
participatory action research design cannot be ignored. Some individuals have problems in
completing the questionnaires (although the research team have offered help as required)
whilst others may not see the relevance of the questionnaires. For these reasons
completion rates have been lower than desired. In addition, it has not been possible (so far)
to encourage individuals to complete the questionnaire more than once as a means of
assessing how, for example, how their levels of social engagement change as a result of
their participation in the CALL-ME project. Such issues will be explored by the qualitative
aspects of the study, thus demonstrating the complementary value of quantitative and
qualitative techniques within an interdisciplinary research project.
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IV. Stakeholder involvement
An important part of the design of the project is regular discussion with a range of
stakeholders about the learnings from the field. We have addressed this issue in two
ways:
a) individual interviews with a range of stakeholders about how they see the
opportunities and challenges working with older people in community settings;
b) meetings with representatives of stakeholder agencies to provide an opportunity
for them to share with us their perspectives on the CALL-ME project.
Details of both of these is given below.
Talking with Community Agency workers
The themes outlined below have arisen out of the thematic analysis of interviews with 3
professionals. To data a total of 11 interviews have been carried out and will be analysed in
due course. The following therefore has to be regarded as a ‘work-in-progress’:
1. Having the ‘right’ personality
- taking individual responsibility for action/ making things happen/ initiative
- people-oriented
- listening to others
- being able to influence other (doing the “big sell”)
- being able to prioritize activities
- being creative/ doing things differently
- dealing/ coping with conflict/ negotiation of relationships
- confidence
2. Attitude & motivation are important for doing a good job
- giving 100% to the job/ passion
- doing more than the basics/ hard work
- showing/ communicating empathy and respect
- reaching out to others
- learning from others to enhance own skills/ practice
- wanting to help people/ making things better (e.g. delivering a better service)
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- ‘give a little of yourself’
- Emotional involvement vs professionalism- a precarious balance
- Respect difference
3. The structural, historical and organisational context
- engagement is on the political agenda (e.g. in regeneration)- done solely for the sake
of fulfilling funding criteria?
- Dealing with the history of engagement (communities may have prior –negative or
positive- experiences of engaging with statutory agencies)
- Communities change over time
- Communities vary greatly in their make-up and consequently in their ‘issues’/ needs
- Managerial understanding and support for engagement and its benefits are lacking
- Ensuring accountability versus creative freedom
- Develop qualitative planning and evaluation practices to prove value of engagement
to management
- Setting aspirational but realistic targets
- Working in a like-minded team
- Local facilities and spaces for fostering engagement need to be: free, available to
everyone, accessible, local, welcoming, independent, convenient
4. Learning, training and development
- ‘on the job’ training- skills, knowledge and experience developed over time
- Learning from others’ experiences/ through networking
- Develop local area knowledge
- Getting a feel for a place/ neighbourhood/ community
- Develop strong and personal links, relationships and trust with local people
- The ‘bigger picture’ of engagement practice (i.e. city-wide and nationally)
- Reflecting on mistakes
- Who else is working out there…? Making connections with other organisations to
benefit own practice and communities
- Lack of formal qualifications
- Taking responsibility for own professional development
- Personal and professional learning are closely linked
5. The role of the professional
- ‘hands-on’ involvement with people
- fingers ‘in so many pies’ (=job variety)
- bridging a gap between communities and other professionals/ liaison
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- changing negative attitudes of some professionals towards members of the
community
- balance obligations and expectations of the organisation, its management and
communities
- issues of representation (who are you working for/ whose side are you on?)
- finding solutions for communities
- talking to people: gather and distribute information
- understanding and ‘meeting needs’ of individuals and communities
- ‘selling an idea’
- group support: capacity building & advice, create group identity, define aims and
objectives, provide training opportunities (“people do better with our support”)
- provide continuity of relationships and support
- facilitate positive changes: give people control and independence, but support if
they need it (flexibility)
- communication through media, e.g. websites, newsletters
- ability to differentiate between individuals through listening: people have different
needs
- provide opportunities for further engagement
- ‘service delivery’
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Report on Stakeholder meeting held on 15th May 2010
“Activities can become infectious – success breeds success”
The Call-Me team met for the second time with a group of stakeholders in Manchester to
discuss the research project’s outcomes and their applicability for professionals providing
services for or working with older people across Manchester. Participants of the meeting
are listed below. The meeting took place at historic Gorton Monastery and aimed to provide
an opportunity to exchange thoughts on issues around community engagement with older
people for instance professional practice and sustainability, as well as professionals’ training
and resource requirements. These are discussed in turn below.
1. Professional practice:
a) Engagement with diverse populations needs an awareness and understanding of
cultural difference. More effort needs to be made to engage with older people from
ethnic minority groups.
b) A bottom-up facilitative approach to engagement with older people is preferable to
a top-down (“we know what’s best for you”) approach.
c) Engaging with men in community work is proving challenging. Women tend to
respond better to opportunities provided for social engagement. One exception is
activities around gardening which seem to attract men as well.
d) How can we move from small-scale projects to engaging larger numbers of the
community? Small groups tend to work well for a time but are often not sustainable.
e) There is a need for continuous evaluation of project and activities. This evaluation
can involve participants. Assessments regarding the impact of the activity on the
individual and on the community should be documented to provide reflective
learnings and evidence for future activities. The assessment needs to be made in
terms of process as well as outcome evaluations. The evaluation needs to include
evidence of skills, knowledge and social networks developed by participants, not just
number of participants attending activities.
f) Promoting opportunities for personal and social development are important aspects
of social engagement and will make the groups more sustainable. By networking
with other groups individuals and groups can learn from each other. Other training
opportunities need to be provided to improve individuals’ confidence and skills.
g) Facilitation of community groups by professionals is time consuming. This is often
not appreciated by managers. There is already evidence that funding cuts are
affecting community workers ability to nurture and support groups for older people
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2. Professional training and resources:
a) Opportunities to exchange experiences with other community professionals would
be helpful in learning about best practice examples.
b) Up-to-date information on available funding for community groups can be passed
on.
c) Training on how to evaluate community engagement to provide evidence to
managers for further funding.
d) Learning how to manage expectations by community groups and individuals.
e) Clarify different agendas/ expectations of stakeholders working with older people,
for example professionals working in regeneration, Adult Social Care, housing
provision, health professions, libraries, and City Council.
f) Professionals need opportunities and time to reflect on their own practice in order
to be more effective. Project targets do not provide opportunities to reflect on the
processes involved in community engagement.
g) Funding cuts will be the main challenge for providing opportunities for social
engagement for older people in the foreseeable future.
Attendees:
Michael Murray, Roger Beech, Friederike Ziegler, Amanda Crummett, Jan Bailey, CALL-ME
Project, Keele University;
Paul McGarry, Sally Chandler, Tracey Annette, Jane Morris, VOP, Manchester City Council;
Dave Thorley, VOP, New East Manchester;
Christine Popoola, Heathfield Centre;
Liz Woods, Adult Social Care;
Kath Constable, South Manchester Regeneration Team;
Tracey Swann , New East Manchester;
Jim Harding, Dr Savita Katbamna, Older People’s Reference group; NDA;
Richard Wright, Johnnie Johnson Housing Trust;
Nick Carr-Brown, Healthy Ardwick;
Sara Wolfe, North Manchester Regeneration Team;
David Andrassy, Andrassy Design;
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Mike Williams, Adult Social Care;
Sharon Lewis, Guinness Northern Counties;
Maxine Goulding, Libraries & Information Services
Comments
It was apparent during this event that many of the community stakeholders were interested
in the project but would welcome more detail on what we have learned from our work and
also on how they could enhance their skills to work in communities with older residents. It
is the intention of the research team to explore with the MCC Valuing Older People Team
the opportunity to take action to address these issues. In a particular, it is planned to
convene a meeting with some of the stakeholders to develop a learning plan for community
workers.
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V. Policy Implications
The learnings from the CALL-ME Project are designed to inform discussion about policy
designed to promote social interaction and enhanced social opportunities for older
residents of disadvantaged neighbourhoods. As part of this discussion paper the project
team have circulated a discussion paper. It is intended to use this as the basis for further
discussion.
In addition, members of the team have been involved in the planning of a public forum
organised by Manchester City Council on Facing the Future: Creating the Age-Friendly City.
Full details are provided in Appendix 3.
Policy Issues- Discussion Paper 1
This discussion paper introduces some policy issues that have evolved from the CALL-ME
project which has been working with older residents of several neighbourhoods in
Manchester since 2008. It is intended as an initial paper to promote further discussion. The
CALL-ME project, funded by the national New Dynamics of Ageing (NDA) initiative, had
certain specific aims and planned outputs. These were:
Project aims
1) Clarify the issues older people resident in disadvantaged communities
themselves identify as important regarding social engagement and
independence;
2) Describe the impact of different community initiatives on active ageing;
3) Identify the particular social and psychological processes involved in promoting
active ageing through such community initiatives; and
4) Develop policy recommendations for promoting active ageing in disadvantaged
communities.
Planned ‘User’ outputs:
The research programme is designed to promote the development and sustainability of
community interventions with diverse groups of older people. From the outset the
community residents and partners will be involved in discussion about future
opportunities and potential research outputs. It is planned to convene forums in each
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46
of the communities to discuss the findings and to consider plans for extending the
projects.
In terms of policy, the team will work closely with a range of partners in Manchester
City Council, and elsewhere, to encourage the design of policies and practices that can
improve the quality of older people’s lives. A wider audience of policy makers will be
targeted through organising workshops. From these it is planned to develop a series of
detailed policy guidelines.
Policy discussion points
1. Many older people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods report limited social contact
and express a desire for more opportunities for social interaction. There is a need for
a range of facilities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in which older people can
engage in various social activities.
Identify and develop facilities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods that are
accessible to older residents, e.g. community rooms, health centres, libraries,
etc.
Negotiate with developers on the importance of shared social facilities.
2. Community-based group activities such as those concerned with arts & culture,
gardening, exercise and computing are very attractive opportunities for social
interaction for older people.
Provide opportunities for arts, gardening and other group activities.
Develop resources in arts, gardening and other group activities targeted at older
people.
3. There are certain groups of older that report more social isolation, e.g., people from
ethnic minority groups and men, but who are reluctant to participate in some group
activities.
Identify and target those sub-groups of older people who are most isolated.
Develop varied activities most suited to different groups.
4. Opportunities for personal and social development for older people are important
aspects of social engagement and help groups become more sustainable.
Provide training opportunities for older people in developing and supporting
local initiatives.
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Provide specific opportunities for training in financial management and group
skills.
5. Older people are often anxious about new social interaction, especially outside their
community and age group.
Identify ways of linking older residents across communities and across
generations
Provide opportunities for shared events.
6. Facilitators are needed to work with older residents to promote greater social
opportunities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Identify and train facilitators to work with older residents in a collaborative
manner.
Provide support and resources for facilitators.
7. Community professionals need opportunities and time to reflect on their own
practice in working with older residents
Provide opportunities for community professionals to reflect upon their practice
Provide opportunities for community professionals to exchange experiences with
others about best practice examples.
8. Funding is needed to support local social initiatives for older residents of
disadvantaged neighbourhoods
Identify range of funding sources for community projects
Provide up-to-date information on available funding for community groups.
9. Shortage of resources is affecting community workers’ ability to nurture and support
social activities for older people.
Draw attention to the impact of shortages in funding.
Train residents and facilitators on how to evaluate community engagement to
provide evidence to managers for further funding.
10. There are different agendas and expectations of stakeholders working with older
people, for example professionals working in regeneration, Adult Social Care,
housing provision, health professions, libraries, and City Council.
Provide opportunities to discuss these different agendas.
Involve older people in discussions with different professionals
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VI. Dissemination Activities
An essential part f the project is an extensive dissemination and impact strategy. Details
of our plan are given in Appendix 4. In addition, some recent examples of dissemination
are given below.
Popular dissemination
Newsletters: Two newsletters were produced and circulated to project participants
and other interested parties
Events: A number of community events were organised in the different
neighbourhoods. These are described in the project reports
Website: An outside consultant has been hired to assist with the development
of an extensive website
Stakeholders: A meeting was held with interested stakeholders.
Popular press The project has attracted media attention and there have been a
series of reports in the popular press. Examples are provided in
Appendix 2.
Research dissemination
Publications
Murray, M., & Crummett, A. (2010). ‘I don’t think they knew we could do these sorts of
things’: Social representations of community and participation in
community arts by older people. Journal of Health Psychology, 15,
777-785.
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49
Conference presentations
Bailey, J. What is Quality of Life: a case study with older Chinese People living in
Northern England; ERA Conference, Bristol, April 2010.
Bailey, J. Encouraging Older People to Participate in & Take Ownership of
Community Activities: Barriers & Enablers; British Society of Gerontology, Annual
Conference, Brunel University, London, July 2010.
Beech, R, Murray, M, Maslin-Prothero, S, Scharf, T, Ziegler, F, Bailey, J, Crummett,
C, Middling, C. Evaluating an action research project for promoting social
engagement among older people: the role of quantitative methods British Society of
Gerontology, Annual Conference, London, 6-8 July 2010..
Maslin-Prothero, S., & Bailey, J. Encouraging older people to participate in and take
ownership of community activities: barriers and enablers. British Society of
Gerontology, Annual Conference, London, 6-8 July 2010.
Maslin-Prothero, S., & Bailey, J. Social Inclusion and Older People: a case study.
10th Global Conference on Ageing, Melbourne, Australia, 3-6 May 2010.
Murray, M., & Crummett, A. Community arts, community well-being and community
action: A case study of the 'Young at Heart' group; Third International Conference on
Community Psychology, Puebla, Mexico, June 2010.
Scharf, TS, Ziegler, F, Beech, R, Maslin-Prothero, S, Murray, M, Bailey, J, Crummett,
A, Middling, A . Community-based participatory action research: opportunities and
challenges for critical gerontology British Society of Gerontology, Annual
Conference, London, 6-8 July, 2010.
Scharf, TS, Ziegler, F, Beech, R, Maslin-Prothero, S, Murray, M, Bailey, J, Crummett,
A, Middling, A. From exclusion to inclusion? Critical reflections on participatory
action research with older people. Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans,
2010.
Ziegler, F. Exploring Intersections for understanding social engagement in later
life; RGS-IBG, London, September 2010.
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Research seminars
Michael Murray Participatory Action Research with Older People, Sheffield Hallam
University, April 2010.
Sian Maslin-Prothero The benefits of social interaction for older people; School of Nursing
and Midwifery, Keele University, June 2010.
Sian Maslin Prothero Social engagement in disadvantaged communities; Centre for Social
gerontology, Keele University, June 2010.
Research workshops
Michael Murray Community based participatory health research; Social Sciences
Research Centre, Berlin, Germany, June 2010.
Michael Murray Approaches to action research in gerontology - theory & methods;
Interdisciplinary Graduate Programme, University of Medicine, Berlin,
Germany, June 2010.
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Planned dissemination
The research team members are currently engaged in a variety of activities in expand the
dissemination and impact of our work. This includes:
Popular dissemination:
The development of an extended website containing information on the project but
also advice on how comparable projects can be developed;
A popular report on the activities in each of the neighbourhoods for the participants
is planned.
Policy documents:
The team will be working with members of the VOP team to develop more detailed
policy recommendations. It is hoped that a publication or publications will result
from these discussions.
Research papers:
The team are planning a series of research papers. These papers will build upon the
research commentary in this report. Below are some tentative titles of research
papers that team members are currently working on. At least two people from the
research team are working on each publication.
Beech, R., & Murray, M. Participation in community projects with older people.
Maslin-Prothero, S., & Bailey, J. Gatekeeping in community projects. Health & Social
care in the Community.
Maslin-Prothero, S., & Bailey, J. Degrees of success in working with community
groups. Health & Social care in the Community.
Maslin-Prothero, S., Bailey, J., Scharf, T.S., & Middling, S. Gardening and social
engagement. Health & Social care in the Community.
Murray, M., & Crummett, A. Older people’s visual representations of community.
Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.
Murray, M., & Crummett, A. Keeping going with community arts. Arts & Health.
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Scharf, T.S., & Middling, S. Neighbourhood-based approach to low-level support for
older residents of a disadvantaged urban community. Practice OR Health & Social
Care in the Community
Scharf, T.S., & Middling, S. Working across boundaries to support community
projects for older people. Health & Social Care in the Community OR Working with
Older People.
Ziegler, F., & Beech, R. Social engagement.
Ziegler, F., & Murray, M. Community professionals views of community work with
older people.
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Appendix 1: PhD students
Two PhD students are attached to the study. Besides being involved in the project in one
of the neighbourhoods they are also working on their PhD thesis. Brief details of their
theses are given below.
Jan Bailey
What is quality of life? A case study with older Chinese people living in northern England.
Supervisors: Professor Sian Maslin-Prothero and Dr. Roger Beech.
Abstract: This study explores what factors older Chinese people feel are important in
them having a good quality of life and why. The participants are Chinese migrants, living in
the UK, who are aged 50+. A qualitative approach, using constructivist grounded theory
methodology, has been taken with data collection and analysis proceeding in parallel. Data
will be collected via interviews with the assistance of an interpreter where necessary. The
interviews will progress from being open to focusing on emergent categories and will
continue until no new data emerges and categories reach saturation. The resulting
categories will be compared to the domains of existing quality of life instruments and
knowledge about older people’s quality of life.
Sharon Middling
Personalising the care and support of older people: A qualitative study in a disadvantaged
community in Manchester
Supervisors – Dr. Pat Chamber and Dr. Mo Ray
Abstract: In light of the recent changes in the delivery of adult social care services with
the government focus clearly on the agenda of ‘personalisation’, together with the push
towards service user participation in developing such services, it seems as though there is
both potential and opportunity for positive changes to be made to the practice of social
work and the ways in which older people receive social care and support. This research
plans to focus on providing older people who live in a disadvantaged community in
Manchester, with the opportunity to express their views and experiences of the adult social
care they receive, whether it is homecare, direct payments or individual budgets.
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Appendix 2: Publicity
The following details some of the press publicity that the project has attracted. The
project has also been described in other publications including the last Novas Scarman
Newsletter, November/December 2009.
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EAST
– an on-line newspaper about East Manchester
http://www.thisiseast.com/category/art-sport-and-leisure/
Young at Art
Street signs, silhouettes of tower blocks, ornate church windows, paving stones, railings and
even pub signs have all inspired a West Gorton art group to produce striking silk screen
prints depicting their local area.
Field Worker Amanda Crummett, centre, with the Young at Heart Group and their art mentors
The Young at Heart Group – set up more than two years ago and ‘adopted’ by Keele University’s CALL-ME research programme – flung open the doors of their community rooms on Gortonvilla Walk this week to show off their creativity.
Matty Wade: "It's my design on the T-shirt!"
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Each member displayed a finished print mounted and framed on the walls with other limited editions on sale to raise funds for future projects.
The silk screening techniques were taught by artist Ian McKay and his son Andrew as part of the M12-11 arts project, set up in 2005 of offer creative opportunities to east Manchester groups and residents.
“I’ve enjoyed every part of this project,” says Matty Wade, who accompanies his partially-sighted grandmother to the group and whose design features on the group’s T-shirts. “We all took a vote on which image should go on the shirts and the group chose mine. That made me very happy.”
Eighty-five year-old Maggie Wade was, at first, reluctant to join in the group’s activities: “When they came to ask me if I’d like to join I told them I could only see light and shape and I’d never to able to manage. We started with pottery and I thought I’d never to able to do it but, with the help of these people, I’ve managed. I felt as if I was past it at my age, so it just goes to show.
“They’re starting keep fit classes on Wednesday so I’ll come down to that too!”
“Some older people hardly go out at all,” says club secretary, Audrey Hurley. “So this group has given them a chance to have a cuppa and a chat as well as make some fantastic art. We all enjoy the laughs when we get together.”
“CALL-ME is part of a longer research project aimed at improving the quality of life for older people,” explains Keele University’s Professor Michael Murray. “With our partners, we’re providing opportunities for older people in disadvantaged areas of Manchester to socialise. Here the Young at Heart group have produced some amazing artwork but mainly it’s been about people coming together.”
“Our field worker, Amanda Crummett, has been able to support the group to apply for funding, recruit a community artist and develop this project. We’re really pleased with the results.”
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Manchester Evening News
July 16, 2010
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/
Painting a picture of Shameless estate
Plans to pull down the West Gorton estate and replace it with 171 new homes were approved by Manchester council last December.
People who live on the housing estate made famous by TV show Shameless are preserving it in art before it is demolished.
Plans to pull down the West Gorton estate and replace it with 171 new homes were approved by Manchester council last December.
To remember their estate, a group of 10 residents have created a series of silk screen prints depicting the street signs, shops and houses where they live. Audrey Hurley, 66, who took part in the project and has lived on the estate for 36 years, has mixed emotions about leaving the place where her family grew up.
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She said: “At first I was very upset – I didn’t want to leave my house after all these years. But now I’ve been shown designs for the new houses I’m quite happy about it. “I remember places like the working men’s club. Years ago there were concerts every Saturday and Sunday night and you had to queue to get in. Now there’s only one or two go there. “Then there’s the two big tower blocks. They’re like a barrier between two halves of the estate. I’ll miss the row of shops on my street where people meet up for a chat.” Audrey chose a photo of the meeting hall, formerly the Aces pub, for the project. The silk screening techniques were taught by artist Ian McKay. He said the idea had been to produce ‘a visual documentation of the estate which makes for a wonderful story’. He added: “We looked at different buildings like the climbing centre and the Fujitsu building as well as street signs and little bits of architecture. Everyone loved it. They really embraced and enjoyed it.”
An exhibition of their work at the West Gorton community centre earlier this month was extremely successful with many of the group selling copies of their prints. Suzanne Price, from regeneration company New East Manchester, said building work was expected to start by the end of the year, with completion in March 2012. She added: “We are talking to residents who have been able to influence some of the design features for their new homes.
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Appendix 3: Public Forum
Our colleagues in Manchester City Council have initiated a Public Forum on Creating the
Age-Friendly City. This will include workshops on issues raised by various projects
including the CALL-ME project. Full details of the forum are provided below.
Facing the Future:
Creating the Age-Friendly City
10am- 4pm, 1st November 2010
Manchester Town Hall
Organised by Manchester City Council, the Beth Johnson Foundation
and the Centre for Social Gerontology, University of Keele
Invitation
The seminar offers policy makers, researchers and practitioners the opportunity to establish practical collaborations designed to reshape urban neighbourhoods and services in line with World Health Organisation’s age-friendly approaches and principles. The seminar will build on national and international experience and evidence and expert lead pre-seminar workshops. It will identify priorities for a series of Manchester-focused partner collaborations and explore opportunities for joint learning opportunities.
Seminar themes include:
Age-inclusive design and the built environment
Positive ageing - A lifecourse approach
Communities for all ages
Loneliness and ageing in the city
Developing a ‘Culture Offer for older people’ Manchester-based policy makers and practitioners, government departments, other
local authorities, age-sector organisations and agencies, and academic partners will
all be attending.
For more information about participation in the seminar or expert workshops please
contact Paul McGarry on 0161 234 3503 or email [email protected]
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Seminar overview
Speakers include
o Professor Chris Phillipson, University of Keele o Councillor Sue Murphy, Deputy Leader, Manchester City Council o Professor Thomas Scharf, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology o David Cutler, Chief Executive, the Baring Foundation o Francois Matarasso, Arts Council England o Jim Soulsby, Association for Education and Ageing
Workshop themes
There will be two sets of workshops based around the seminar themes:
o Age-inclusive design and the built environment o Positive ageing: a lifecourse approach o Communities for all ages o Loneliness and ageing in the city o Developing a ‘Culture Offer for older people’ o Others to be confirmed
Plenary session
The plenary session will consider:
o Reports from the workshops setting out research proposals, projects and areas for further exploration and collaboration.
o A paper is being prepared by the conference organisers, outlining options for working together over the next two years.
o A post-seminar publication.
A final agenda will be available on the 1st October from the Valuing Older
People website www.manchester.gov.uk/vop
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Expert workshops
A number of workshops are taking place in September and October bringing
together partners to produce proposals for discussion at the seminar.
Age-Inclusive Design and the Built Environment
Pre-seminar workshop takes place on 29th September in Manchester
Convened by Paul McGarry, Patrick Hanfling, Manchester Joint Health Unit/Beth
Johnson Foundation and Stefan White, Manchester School of Architecture
This workshop will explore how we can design or adapt our places and spaces to
make Manchester more age friendly and identify the cross over between social
policy and urban design. We will identify how this can help address social
challenges and develop a set of partnership initiatives to take this work forward in
Manchester and beyond. Workshop participants include the Department for Work
and Pensions, York, Lancaster, Salford and Keele Universities, and the Centre for
Construction Innovation.
Developing a cultural offer for older people
Pre-seminar workshop takes place on 7th October in Manchester
Convened by Sally Chandler, Manchester Joint Health Unit
This workshop builds on the launch of the Manchester Cultural Offer for Older
People in July 2009 and the successful bid to the Baring Foundation to improve
access to culture and creativity for older people in the city. Participants include: the
Manchester Cultural Offer Working Group, Keele University and the Baring
Foundation.
Positive Ageing - A lifecourse approach
Pre-seminar workshop takes place on 19th October in Stoke-on Trent
Convened by Lynne Wealleans, Beth Johnson Foundation (BJF)
Participants include Association for Education and Ageing, The Age and
Employment Network, AgeWell – Sandwell & Dudley PCT, Equality and Human
Rights Commission. There is increasing evidence of the benefits of applying a life
course approach to interventions targeted at key transition points in an individual’s
life. The mid-life generation has a pivotal role in society but this is often overlooked in
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the provision of services; mid-life is a time of considerable change and positive
ageing requires successfully managing these changes.
Evidence collected by BJF through pilot projects and partnership working shows that
individuals in mid-life would benefit from more targeted approaches in relation to a
number of specific issues and barriers.
This workshop will examine the case for targeting approaches at people in mid-life
and will do so within the context of:
The key elements involved in promoting the social inclusion of people in mid-life
The government’s ‘New approach to public health’ placing responsibility with local authorities
Communities for all ages
Pre-seminar workshop takes place on 5th October
Convened by Alan Hatton-Yeo and Louise Middleton, Beth Johnson Foundation
This workshop is an opportunity to meet and listen to leaders in the field of
Intergenerational working including Professor Nancy Henkin, Centre for
Intergenerational Learning at Temple University, USA and Alan Hatton-Yeo, CEO of
the BJF. It will illustrate international, national and local approaches to
Intergenerational working, explore the place of Intergenerational working within an
Age Friendly City and develop action plans to deliver approaches locally.
Loneliness and ageing in the city
Convened by Paul McGarry, Manchester Joint Health Unit and Professor Thomas
Scharf, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology.
Research shows that older people living in urban environments are at increased risk
of experiencing loneliness. A new Manchester guide to tackling loneliness is due for
publication in late 2010. Agencies will have the opportunity to join a ‘virtual
workshop’ about taking forward the findings of the new publication.
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Supported by
o Manchester Interdisciplinary Collaboration for Research on Ageing o Working with Older People journal
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Facing the Future:
Creating the Age-Friendly City
10am- 4pm, 1st November 2010
Manchester Town Hall
Developing the ‘cultural offer’ for older people
Following the launch of the Cultural Offer for older people in July 2009 and the recent
successful bid to the Baring Foundation, we are on the brink of really being able to put a
spotlight on improving access to culture and creativity for older people in the city.
The culture and creativity work stream will run in two distinct sections:
11:30am – 12:45pm Session one: the bigger picture:
Introduced by David Cutler, Chief Executive of the Baring Foundation, who will talk about the
findings from their recent study and subsequent report ‘Ageing Artfully: Older People and
Professional Participatory Arts in the UK’. The report sets out the vision of an ageing
population able to participate in the riches and pleasures of an abundant cultural life and
explores some of the physical, psychological and social benefits from this participation. The
session will also hear about projects that can demonstrate some of these benefits.
Discussion will focus on sharing learning and networking with other UK cities interested in
this agenda.
1:30pm – 2:45pm Session two: challenging the Manchester plan:
An opportunity to inspire and challenge plans, the workshop will focus on the local
challenges and the development of creative collaborations to deliver improved access for
older residents to culture and creative expression within the city of Manchester. It will hear
from local older people and their involvement in the rich opportunities the city has to offer.
The seminar offers policy makers, researchers and practitioners the opportunity to establish
practical collaborations, challenge their plans and develop clear next steps for this
programme of work.
Both workshops will be chaired by Kate Organ, the Arts Advisor to the Baring Foundation.
Kate has been closely involved in the national study undertaken by Baring and as an
assessor on the grants programme. She also works freelance widely across the cultural and
heritage sector.
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Appendix 4: Dissemination plan
ORIGINAL DISSEMINATION PLAN (2007)
Practice and research outcome Building on successful strategies adopted in the applicants’ earlier studies (including as part of the ESRC’s Growing Older Programme), this research programme is designed to have community, policy and theoretical implications. Outputs will be aimed at both academic and a range of ‘user’ audiences. Scientific outputs
In terms of theory, the research programme will make a significant contribution to both disciplinary and interdisciplinary knowledge. New knowledge will relate both to the substantive issues addressed by the research, and to the innovative methods employed. To that end papers will be submitted for publication in high quality disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals spanning the social, behavioural and health sciences.
Papers will be presented at a wide range of national and international conferences, raising scientific awareness of the study and the wider NDA programme. The applicants will seek to submit joint symposia with other NDA investigators to such events as the IAGG World Congress of Gerontology (Paris, 2009).
Postgraduate students will be trained in interdisciplinary and collaborative ageing research.
Where appropriate, original datasets arising from the research will be submitted to national data archives.
‘User’ outputs:
The research programme is designed to promote the development and sustainability of community initiatives with diverse groups of older people. From the outset the community residents and partners will be involved in discussion about future opportunities and potential research outputs. It is planned to convene forums in each of the communities to discuss the findings and to consider plans for extending the initiatives.
Innovative forms of reportage will be developed to engage broader levels of the community. This might include, for example, DVDs, drama and other artistic performances.
In terms of policy, the research team will work closely with partners in Manchester, and elsewhere, to encourage the design of policies and practices that can improve the quality of older people’s lives. A wider audience of policy makers will be targeted through workshops. From these it is planned to develop a series of detailed policy guidelines.
A major contribution of the research will be to inform the ongoing development of Manchester City Council’s ageing strategy. In addition, the research will produce outputs aimed at Influencing regeneration activities currently under way in East Manchester. The research team will contribute, as appropriate, to the regular conferences organised as part of the city’s pathbreaking Valuing Older People programme.
While Manchester will act as the principal location for the research programme, other localities will be granted early access to key research outputs. The intention would be to encourage and monitor innovation in other types of location.
A wider audience of policy and service-users will be targeted through presentations at relevant workshops and conferences.
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The research team will seek to build on existing contacts in relevant central government departments to ensure that findings are reflected in national policy-making.
Authorship guidelines
1. The overall aim is to maximise the impact of the project in academic, policy and
community contexts
2. We should aim to publish and present findings in high impact journals and
conferences
3. Bearing in mind the REF, we should ensure journal articles are positioned to have
maximum impact within the various disciplines
4. As a team project it is expected that all members of the team have the
opportunity of contributing to publications
5. Membership of the research team does not guarantee authorship on any
publication.
6. Authorship is determined by the contribution of individual team members to the
particular publication
7. Authorship is generally expected to be joint or multiple
8. There is a distinction between publications about the whole project and those
about particular aspects of the project or about sub-projects.
9. These guidelines apply to all forms of dissemination
10. The grant holders are formally responsible for all aspects of dissemination
NDA CALL-ME Project Team
April 2010
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Appendix 5: Group Funding
The groups in each neighbourhood have accessed support from a variety of agencies.
A summary of these is provided below.
Name of Community Group Body Applied to Amount Received
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Valuing Older People £150
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Granada Foundation
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Manchester City Council (Change Grant) £600
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Learning Skills Employment Network £117
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Manchester City Council (Cash Grant) £630
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Community Development Foundation (Seed Fund) £1,000
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Sports Relief/Community Development Foundation £1,000
Ardwick-Young at Hearts Valuing Older People - Grub and Gossip £50
Ardwick Sub-total £3,547
Newton Heath-Exercise Class Valuing Older People (for Intructor costs) £300
Newton Heath-Exercise Class Gate 65+, Manchester Public Health Development Service (for Instructor costs) £2880
Newton Heath-Exercise Class Valuing Older People £150
Newton Heath Sub-total £3,330
Moss Side-Community Garden Group Manchester City Council - Change Grant £880
Moss Side-Community Garden Group Moss Care £1,000
Moss Side-Community Garden Group Manchester City Council - Cash Grant £3,000
Moss Side-Community Garden Group Manchester City Council - Cash Grant £500
Moss Side-Women's Support Group Manchester City Council - Change Grant £440
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Moss Side-Women's Support Group VOP Small Grant £150
Moss Side-Women's Support Group MossCare Housing £400
Moss Side Sub-total £6,370
Cheetham-Four Seasons Valuing Older People £85
Cheetham-Four Seasons Manchester City Council (Cash Grant) £1,583
Cheetham-Roses and Reels Manchester City Council (Cash Grant) £1,976
Cheetham-Roses and Reels Manchester City Council (Cash Grant) £480
Cheetham-Roses and Reels Greater Manchester Public Transport Executive £40
Cheetham-Roses and Reels Manchester City Council Cash Grants £1,590
Cheetham-Roses and Reels Age UK (via VOP) £100
Cheetwood Afro-Caribbean Garden Project Manchester City Council (Cash Grant) £845
Cheetham Sub-total £6,698
Grant total £12,945