‘Empowering Wellbeing and Vibrant Maturity’

Description

Clann Age Friendly Housing understands that our responsibility and commitment is much wider than ‘bricks and mortar’ and so we embed community engagement and wellbeing activities in our core service offering. Our Age Friendly Housing Management Service is guided by the following principles:- Inclusion, Choice, Independence, Participation, Self-fulfilment, Active ageing, and so we created and rolled out our national ‘Empowering Wellbeing and Vibrant Maturity’ in 2023 to all our 911 residents, after being developed and planned in 2022. Clann knows how well positioned within communities it is to promote the wellbeing of our residents. We have strong experience in delivering housing and co-ordinating support services to its tenants but did not have a framework to deliver and successfully roll out a coordinated programme of wellbeing activities for our residents across the country. We knew that by supporting residents to be healthier and happier, this would lead to more sustainable and happier communities. It also enables residents to live independently and to seize opportunities presented to them. In 2022 Clann decided to take a more active role in the good health and wellbeing to its residents and endeavoured to create initiatives and services to support this work. This meant not just delivering initiatives that will directly impact on health, but also considering how we can deliver other services and initiatives that will improve overall wellbeing and sense of place.
The aim of this project is to increase the health and wellbeing of Clann residents, to support them to age in place and lead fulfilling lives. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were identified:-

 Understand the health and wellbeing of our residents using inclusive and interactive methods that enable all residents, including those with support needs, to have the opportunity to engage with us.

 Work with local Health and Wellbeing Partnerships / community groups to understand priorities and deliver projects and services that support these.

 Support older and vulnerable tenants to remain in their own homes through the promotion of local social and wellbeing groups.

 Engage the wider communities in projects / campaigns which promote health and wellbeing.

 Reduce health inequalities by supporting our residents living in ‘hard to reach’ communities, through access to information and services related to health and wellbeing.

Clann designed campaigns which were linked to Mental Health Ireland’s steps to wellbeing – Give, Be Active, Connect, Keep Learning, Take Notice and an annual programme was developed and rolled out across all 33 Clann schemes across the country. These monthly campaigns are:-

 January – Resident Consultation / Hearing our Resident voices – Resident Consultation on 2023 Estate Development and Estate Improvement budgets.
 February – Get Fit for February – Physical activity to take place on all schemes to promote wellbeing.
 March – St Patrick’s Day – Local celebration of Ireland’s National holiday
 April – Let’s Talk about Mental Health – Our Mental Health Awareness month will include health agencies delivering talks on wellbeing.
 May – Bealtaine Arts Festival – Bealtaine events throughout the country.
 June – World Environment Awareness – Biodiversity or awareness events to highlight need to improve our local habitat.
 July – Get fit for Summer – Physical activity to take place on all schemes to promote wellbeing.
 August – Summer Resident Day Trip – Celebrate the Summer by dedicated day trip for Clann residents (preferably with two or more schemes meeting up).
 September – Health Awareness for Older Adults – Workshops delivered by health professionals / experts on heart disease, stroke, Alzheirmer’s Disease, Dementia, Social Inclusion.
 October – Positive Ageing Week – Events to promote positive ageing, including celebration of International Older Persons Day (1st Oct).
 November – Movember Prostate Cancer Awareness Campaign – Stand up to Cancer events and awareness sessions.
 December – Christmas Celebrations and Reflections – Christmas Celebrations and time to reflect on what has been achieved on the scheme in the last year.

Aim of Initiative

Through this annual Wellbeing Programme, Clann Housing wishes to empower and support tenants to celebrate and enjoy their physical and mental health and wellbeing to their full potential through the promotion and engagement of tenants in social, cultural, community and family life. Living in a Clann home with other Clann residents will be a community in which the equality, independence, participation, wellbeing and self-fulfillment is pursued at all times. The prioritization of this work is paramount since it directly impacts the quality and life expectancy of our older residents.

Who is it aimed at

Older residents living in Clann Age Friendly Housing and older people within local communities where age friendly housing scheme is located. It is a collaborative project, where we draw on local and national agencies who provide support to older people or are experts in their field who can support us in raising awareness on key issues impacting older people today.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Identified the national campaign objectives: Through resident and staff consultation we identified the specific goals of what we wanted to achieve with the wellbeing campaigns, i.e. promote physical activity, social connection, mental health, advocacy, happiness etc. We were determined not to ‘reinvent the wheel’ and draw on framework within other organisations which really work, i.e. MS Ireland, Mental Health Ireland, Age & Opportunity, Age Action, etc.
2. Developed key messages we wanted residents to hear and experience: We crafted clear, concise, and compelling messages that resonated with our older residents. We focused on promoting the benefits of wellbeing activities, addressing common concerns, and emphasizing the importance of self-care and healthy aging and worked in partnership with other organisations like Dementia Ireland, MS Ireland, Irish Heart Foundation.
3. Through staff and resident consultation we designed a programme of monthly engaging campaigns, planned for the entire year: We developed a programme of campaigns so that all Age Friendly schemes across the country could run events based on theme of the campaign. This promoted sharing of good practice, ideas and took the burden out of having to think of ideas etc. It gave staff a clear framework for the work and a greater focus of organising events with a key focus of benefiting residents, i.e. exercise classes, health screenings, educational workshops, art or music sessions, intergenerational events – sharing of knowledge and experience by both young and older people, social events.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Funding: Implementing a nationwide program requires significant financial resources, which are limited within Clann Housing. Allocating funds to support the program’s infrastructure and staffing resources was challenging since other areas of the service such as rents, filling empty homes, KPIs are seen within the service as a key priority.
2. Infrastructure and Resources: Establishing the necessary infrastructure to support a national wellbeing program for older people was demanding. It included development of a strategy, sourcing venues, transport, providing support for staff and promoting the wellbeing campaigns with residents, particularly those who were disengaged and needed it the most.
3. Disengagement – Getting buy-in by some staff, who were resistant to change and also residents who had a negative, pre-conceived idea of ‘wellbeing’.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. We have seen a huge decline in the mental health of our older residents and so we felt it was crucial we addressed this area, not just during the month of April, but throughout the programme. We focused on the need for us to ‘talk to each other’, reduce stigma, and provide resources and signposting to local mental health support services. Workshops also focused on how we can buddy up with other residents to increase social engagement, thus reducing loneliness and social isolation and improve residents’ sense of belonging and support systems. Research shows this can result in early detection and treatment of health issues, better management of chronic conditions, and overall improved health outcomes.
2. The campaigns raise awareness about the unique challenges faced by older individuals, including ageism, elder abuse, and financial insecurity. This led to improved societal attitudes, empowerment, and self-advocacy. The campaigns empowered older individuals to advocate for their needs and rights. By providing education and resources on topics such as elder rights, financial planning, and healthcare options, the national campaign started the conversation on supporting older people to make informed decisions and actively participate in society.
3. 22 campaigns took place to promote physical activity, encourage regular exercise, and raise awareness about healthy lifestyle choices. This led to greater awareness on how important our overall physical health, strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness needs to be as we age. There was a stress on how our residents can take control of their lives, make informed decisions, and pursue activities that bring them joy and fulfilment.