Resources
Ageing Better is collecting the learning happening locally from within the 14 partnerships.
Read a summary of our national learning
Covid-19 – Transition Phase
As we went into lockdown, we wrote a short paper with our ideas on the impact of Covid-19 based on 5 years learning from Ageing Better, the cessation of face-to-face methods of delivery and move to that of telephone and online and implications as we all experienced some form of “social isolation”. During the lockdown we began collecting in-time thematic learning resulting in our two reports on Telephone Befriending and Bridging the Digital Divide.
As restrictions lift nationally, we are experiencing an important transition point. We revisit that first briefing paper based on insights from Ageing Better teams shared over the last 2- 3 months, relevant to funders and the sector on the next phase of activity under the cloud of Covid-19.
Read the briefing
Covid 19 – Learning from Ageing Better
Covid-19 is an unprecedented situation affecting the lives of people across the globe, which is particularly impacting on older and more vulnerable people. We have learned a lot about the impact of and ways of reducing social isolation and loneliness in people aged over 50 during the five years of the Ageing Better Programme to date. There is much about the crisis that feels out of control but as more people are asked or decide to retreat behind physical doors, this short paper aims to share some insights and learning from Ageing Better.
Read the briefing
Bridging the Digital Divide – Learning from Ageing Better
Many Ageing Better programmes and delivery partners have worked hard to continue to deliver as many elements of their previous face-to-face offers as possible but in different ways. These include telephone support as well as digital offers. The impact of Covid-19 may be long lasting and considerable and for many people making the transition from being offline to being online would be enormously beneficial for a wide range of practical and social reasons.
Read the report
Learning snapshot - Key messages
Telephone Befriending – Learning from Ageing Better
The majority of delivery within Ageing Better to date has been via face-to-face activity but once the Covid-19 crisis happened, areas quickly reconfigured services so as to be able to deliver as much as possible via telephone.
The aim of this report is to quickly share what we are finding works and what pitfalls to try and avoid. We will aim to update the learning as we progress through the Covid-19 shut down and as new learning emerges.
Read the report
Learning snapshot - Key messages
Telephone Befriending – Update
We revisit learning from areas undertaking telephone befriending to provide an update in July 20.
Read the report update
Bereavement
This learning report focuses on our learning from Ageing Better on bereavement and its role as a risk factor for social isolation and loneliness.
Read the report
Learning snapshot - Key messages
Working and engaging with BAME communities
This report focuses on our learning from Ageing Better in relation to working and engaging with Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.
Read the report
Groups
Our learning from Ageing Better is that active participation in some form of shared social experience has a wide range of positive benefits to people’s levels of social isolation, loneliness and overall wellbeing. People who are part of a group(s) can be “buffered” against some of the risk factors for social isolation. Additionally groups are an important exit route and “connection” into other things for people. We have also heard that being a member of and feeling part of a group provides people with some resilience when they experience one or more further risk factors for social isolation such as bereavement, ill health etc.
Read the report
Learning snapshot – key messages
Use of Language
Throughout the Ageing Better programme we have learnt how important the use of language is and the impact that the “wrong” terms can have.
This report focuses on our learning around the use of language and terminology within the programme and provides some top tips based on what partnerships themselves have found does and doesn’t work.
Read the report
Intergenerational Working
This report focuses on our learning from Ageing Better on working in an intergenerational way with a focus on interventions which have involved or been delivered through a mixture of age groups
Read the report
Working with community assets
Ageing Better has an underpinning ethos of working in a strengths based way which necessarily involves working with and building on community assets and adopting community development principles. In this report we explore the learning from this approach.
Read the report
Working and engaging with carers
This report focuses on our learning from Ageing Better in relation to working and engaging with carers.
Read the report
Working and engaging with older men
This report focuses on our learning from Ageing Better on working and engaging with older men.
Read the report
Age Friendly
Across Ageing Better, Age Friendly has become an increasingly important area of work. Age Friendly has the potential to be a local vehicle for retaining the engagement of older people as well as for holding and sharing the knowledge and learning which Ageing Better has developed.
Read the report
Positive Mental Health
This report explores the role played by Positive Mental Health in relation to social isolation and loneliness in people aged 50+. It goes on to highlight the importance of and the impact that someone feeling part of a network and community plays in reducing social isolation and loneliness
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Reducing social isolation in LGBT+ communities aged over 50
This paper focuses on our learning on reducing social isolation in the LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community.
Creating a learning culture
This toolkit provides information on how you can create a learning culture in your organisation and tips and ideas from Ageing Better about how to do this. Ageing Better set out to be a Test and Learn programme - capturing not just what worked but also learning from what didn’t.
Read to the report
Programme Development – reflections
This report written in Feb 20 aims to identify key messages around the organisation and set up of the Ageing Better Programme reflecting on how Ageing Better has developed and evolved over the duration (to date) of its delivery.
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Economy and personal resources
This paper focuses on our learning from within Ageing Better on the role of the economy and people’s personal resources in relation to social isolation and loneliness in people aged 50+.
Role of food in building connections and relationships
This learning paper focuses on the role food plays in building connections and relationships.
Read the report
Social Prescribing Health Referrals
In this report we share learning and insight from across the programme about Social Prescribing where a health referral was involved.
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Learning from Community Connector projects
In March 2018, 8 Ageing Better programmes came together to share learning from their Community Connector projects. We defined a Community Connector as any mechanism that identifies isolated people over 50 and works with them to help them transition to less isolated through person-centred structured support.
Read the report
Learning around Community Connectors – Time Limited interventions
In August 2018 a group of Ageing Better programmes came together to share their learning around Community Connectors – Time Limited Interventions.
Read the report
