Reshaping Care for Older People Community Capacity Building / Coproduction Case Study

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1 Reshaping Care for Older People Community Capacity Building / Coproduction Case Study Community Links Project Roisin Fitzsimons & Faye Allen, Local Area Coordinators (LACs) Roisin@volunteermidlothian.org.uk Faye@volunteermidlothian.org.uk The Community Links Project began in November 2011 and is a pilot project which has received funding for two years from Midlothian s Reshaping Care for Older People Change Fund. Funding has recently been extended to March The project is operated by Volunteer Centre Midlothian (VCM) and operates from the VCM offices in Dalkeith. It is delivered by two Local Area Coordinators who work on a job share basis, each working 20 hours per week. A separate service for clients with dementia is also run by VCM. This service is funded as part of the Midlothian demonstrator site for implementation of the Scottish Dementia Strategy. Both services are publicised through a variety of media including leaflets, posters, VCM website and e-bulletins, Twitter, volunteer recruitment events, local newspapers, radio and word of mouth (including volunteers who act as project ambassadors ). The aim of the Community Links Project is to provide support for isolated elderly people, aged over 65 years, living in the Midlothian area. It uses one-to-one befriending, group work and/or community connecting to connect older people to social activities and enable them to: maximise the natural support they receive from their local community and stay connected to that community maintain and build on their existing social networks reduce their isolation and any feelings of loneliness increase a sense of confidence and self-worth maintain or improve their well-being and quality of life increase their motivation to be active It is also able to signpost to other services when it comes to health and well-being and other issues which fall outwith the agreed volunteer role. The project currently supports around fifty clients. These clients are matched or are in the process of being matched with forty Community Links volunteer befrienders, community connectors and/or groups. In line with best practice, volunteers all go through a detailed induction process where current skills are discussed and skills gaps / areas for further training are identified. Following this a volunteer profile is undertaken to assist in the best possible match for the client. Clients receive several visits at home to allow a detailed assessment and profile to be developed. In the case of oneto-one befriending a chaperoned visit is arranged which includes the volunteer, client and LAC. This may happen on more than one occasion depending on the client s needs). The nature of subsequent activities is entirely settled between the client and the person or people supporting him/her. In this sense the service has a significant co-productive element. Client activities, undertaken with the assistance of volunteers, include:

2 Reawakening skills (including knitting, crochet, art, writing, baking, playing an instrument) Skills sharing (both client and befriender) Talking/reminiscing Reconnecting with groups/organisations Connecting with other projects e.g. Connect Online, Transform Participating in new pilot groups/organisations Light physical activity: walking short distance on a good day Visiting local cafes, visitor attractions, local shops Visiting city venues e.g. multiplex cinema (new experience), shopping complex Through the Community Links Dementia project there was an opportunity to pilot a new older people s group, Stories to be Heard, in Dalkeith Library. The bulk of participants had dementia although the group, which is supported by volunteers, was inclusive of all. It was such a successful and positive experience for everyone involved that VCM agreed to house it indefinitely. The experience so far has shown that a key factor in developing future groups will be to recruit community connectors who can assist by travelling with clients to the group to reduce risk and increase the confidence of older people to get involved in their communities. A similar group is about to be piloted in Penicuik at the Penicuik Centre library. The LACs also support local groups and individuals to expand their activities and assist in developing new community activities for older people based on their social needs and interests. Their support has helped to develop new projects. These include the Travelling Coffee Pot, which is a pilot for a volunteer led social enterprise initiative consisting of a travelling café that will set up in various community premises and be run by volunteers with experience of mental health problems. The café will support volunteers to develop skills and confidence, as well as benefiting the wider Midlothian community by setting up in areas that are isolated and/or lacking facilities. This initiative is being developed in cooperation with The Orchard Centre, who sit on the steering group the Mayfield and Easthouses Development Trust (MAEDT) lunch club and walking group the Danderhall Lunch Club the Kabin Tea Dance at Loanhead Community Learning Centre. Over the last 15 months the project has been developed and shaped through LAC activity in the following key areas: Sourcing, sifting and managing appropriate referrals (including house visits with client and family member(s), developing client profile and sourcing appropriate community activities/groups/befrienders) Mapping: raising awareness and project profile across Midlothian Research: updating database regarding relevant activities/groups/organisations in key areas Developing policies, procedures and systems in line with best practice Recruiting, training and matching appropriate volunteers Capacity building/partnership working The LACs have been involved in partnership working with 27 different organisations throughout Midlothian. Outputs from these partnerships include: Appropriate referrals into the project Case management advice and assistance, where appropriate Development of new groups/projects

3 Liaising/keeping each other up-to-date with relevant new developments and opportunities for project involvement Assistance with making sure project systems and activities adhere to best practice guidelines and relevant codes of conduct. Increasing the profile of the project in Midlothian Being part of the Midlothian network for services for older people Utilising and being involved in strengthening natural resources within our community The outcomes for the Community Links Project link directly to the Midlothian Change Plan. Each outcome has associated targets based on the percentage of people reporting a positive personal outcome. The Midlothian health and social care partners have judged such qualitative outcomes to be equally as important as any quantitative ones and have charged different services with ascertaining progress using whichever type is most appropriate. The outcomes for the Community Links project are as follows: 1. Older people in Midlothian over 65 years and involved in the Community Links project will become less socially isolated as they engage in activities of their choice at home or out in the local community, with the support of volunteers. 2. Older people over 65 years involved with the project will have improved health and wellbeing as a result of becoming less isolated and feeling more included in their local community. 3. Volunteers will have a positive experience of volunteering and an increase in skills and confidence when working with older people. 4. The project will support local groups and individuals to expand their activities and develop new community activities for older people based on their social needs and interests. A formal evaluation of the project is planned to begin shortly. This will involve individual and group face-to-face meetings and telephone interviews, as appropriate. It will gather feedback from clients based on the key questions they were asked in the client profile form at the outset of involvement with the project. Those questions asked how people thought the project could support them, as follows: In what ways do you feel that involvement in the Community Links Project will help you? Help me to get out more Help me to increase my confidence Help me meet people/make friends Help me to try out new hobbies or volunteering Help me to attend a recreational class/learn new skills Other To date anecdotal feedback from clients currently involved in the project highlights the following positive outcomes: An increase in motivation and confidence: several clients have taken the responsibility to arrange the day s activity for themselves and their befriender, including transport arrangements. An exchange of skills: several clients are teaching befrienders new skills including playing the guitar and computer/it skills. A client who requires bed rest for around 22 hours each day engages with a befriender for 2 hours each week in baking activities.

4 A reduction in isolation due to the company and conversation associated with the befriender s visits i.e. simply having someone to talk to. An increase in feeling more included in the local community through involvement in existing groups e.g. Mayfield Lunch Club (held weekly each Friday) and in new groups initiated by the Community Links Dementia Project e.g. Stories to be Heard, noted above. Providing respite for isolated carers Providing reassurance for extended family network (reliability/familiarity of volunteer presence) that their relative is enjoying a good quality of life. Added benefits include the positive experience of the volunteers involved in the project who feel they often get more out of it than the client. A formal evaluation of the volunteer s experience (online via survey monkey) is planned for April Word of mouth feedback to date from volunteers indicates the following positive outcomes: Develop new friendships/ extended social network. Increase in confidence. Experience of working in the community (particularly for younger student volunteers). Remaining actively involved in the community (older volunteers). Increase in awareness of dementia. Experience in building strong one-to-one relationships. Experience in helping link their befriendee with community activities. Broadening their experience base (those currently between jobs). Volunteers also become ambassadors for the project, helping to increase its profile in the Midlothian area. Kevin is one such volunteer. He signed up for the project after attending a local volunteer recruitment day and being impressed with the enthusiasm of the LACs. He was matched with George as a result of their many shared interests, including music, cinema and writing. They meet up once every two weeks or so for a couple of hours, usually in the evening as Kevin is in full time employment. George and his wife have both experienced periods of ill health but with Kevin s support George is now participating more fully in the life of his community. They have been for meals, to museums and art galleries and for days out (for example, to Roslyn Chapel and North Berwick). In fact, through the support provided by the relationship, George has capitalised on his interest in writing to become involved with helping to run a writing group for people with dementia. This is a clear example of how the service has a many-faceted role in building the capacity of communities. Obviously the project taps into the willingness of people to volunteer to help others in their locality. It also has an explicit role to support the emergence and establishment of new and supportive community groups. Both these things are very important. Crucially however it can also enable people to become far more self-supportive than before, to the extent that they can connect and engage with others without further support. In fact, some people who started out being supported by the project have now become volunteers with the project. These are clear indicators of community capacity having been increased. Says Kevin, I ve got even more out of it than I thought I would. I thought I d do it for maybe six months to a year but I ve no intention of stopping now. It s about enjoyment and it s about friendship. And it works both ways: George is teaching me guitar! And George is equally positive about the service. I d be lost without somebody to talk to and I always look forward to seeing Kevin. This support brings new experiences. It gets you out and about,

5 out of the house; it builds your confidence back up. We went up to Edinburgh recently to the multiplex cinema at Fountainbridge. I haven t been up there - or to the pictures - for years. I was amazed at how it s all changed, with the brewery completely gone! It s simple really: getting involved like this makes you feel that you re not alone and it helps keep you happy. Kevin and George are pictured below.