Project: Staying in the Loop. Keeping older people engaged and involved in their community

Description

The activities of the group over the last 18 months.
Over 90s in the community were presented with plaques and certificates acknowledging their contribution to the community. A leaflet with photographs and a short bio of the recipient was published.
The Group produces a Community Newsletter hard copies are distributed through 10 outlets for those who don’t go online as well as publication on the community website. A community podcast will be launched in the Autumn of this year. This has been preceded by a training night showing people how to access Podcasts.
The group itself is a vehicle for older people to make a significant contribution to the community
Its 8th publication A Century of Change, invited community members and others to recount their experience of the evolution of the State. Seventeen of the twenty-five articles were contributed by over 55s.
The group ran an entertainment night. Artists, musicians, singers and writers were volunteers and seven of the nine participants were over 55 as was most of the large audience
The group ran a series of information evenings, covering technology, health, wills, personal security, home security and retrofitting.

Aim of Initiative

• Recognise the contribution of older people to our community
• To ensure they have access to information about community activities
• To encourage participation by older people in the community
• To upskill and inform older people, particularly in the areas of Technology, health and well-being, wills, and personal and home security.
• Empower older people to be fully active members of the community

Who is it aimed at

The initiatives are aimed at a wide demographic but are structured to facilitate ease of engagement by older members of the community and grow an appreciation of all demographics and encourage intergenerational contributions to the community. Our group although largely supported by a peer group that mirrors our committee strives to avoid labelling and creating demographic silos.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Evaluation of the strengths and Weaknesses of similar earlier projects in the context of the culture and profile of the community. The group has been engaged in an extensive range of activities over its existence and has always carried out post-event and project evaluations. It is now comfortable with what works and what doesn’t with its target groups.
2. Engagement with participants prior to any action being taken, actively receiving feedback as to approach and structure of events or actions. We regularly invite feedback on our initiatives for example when we first ran information nights we issued questionnaires asking what topics would be desirable for future information events During the presentation to the over 90s we facilitated consultation with the recipients and their families and each recipient designed their own presentation format.
3. Pre-event publication and invitation for input. Our Newsletter has proven to be a great communication tool with older citizens. The same information is also available online. Telephone numbers as well as an email address and the names of our committee are included in all our communications and we are easily contacted for input or discussion

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Securing Intergenerational participationWhile our group is made up entirely of over 55s we have worked tirelessly to ensure our events are not seen as silos for older people.
   In all our initiatives we have sought the participation of younger people.
   Our recent publication includes contributions from younger people. Our entertainment nights had young musicians and dancers alongside the older generation. Our information events however are not attended by younger people as they source their information online. This has led us to accept that we must recognise areas of difference but not assume there are not common areas of interest.
2. Facilitating the housebound and ill.Our over 90s presentation and indeed our publication was intended to include people who could not come out to events. These two initiatives brought our members into homes and nursing homes, not just as an act of charity but as an opportunity to recognise the contribution still to be made by these people.
3. Finding ways to satisfy the desire for ongoing engagement with the group after an event was completed.Most people want us to stay in touch. Some of our members make a point of doing so on an informal basis. In response to this, the group is planning further socially focused and ongoing events in our community centre next winter.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Increased willingness to participate in future initiatives.Over our existence, we have increased participation in our initiatives and we see no reason for this not to continue. We allow all participants to have an input into the structure and nature of their participation. For example, contributors to our publications are allowed editorial input before anything goes to print.
2. Significant Appreciation was communicated by the families of the participants.We have had overwhelming appreciation expressed to us, particularly by the families of those we have facilitated contributing to our community. A very tangible example of this is when some of our former participants passed away our group has come in for positive mention at their funeral services
3. Further growth in the trust of the group that our events are a safe and welcoming space to engage.We have incrementally grown the circle of people who are regularly engaged with us. In fact, we have now had interest from people in neighbouring communities, which we have welcomed to become involved in our events. Other organisations have sought our collaboration, which we are more than happy to provide. We are currently working with a local heritage group, a community facilities group and two sports organisations. Our committee members are much sought after on other committees. Currently, members of our committee serve on five other committees in the community. We believe we have built the communities confidence in the value of the contribution of our demographic.