Lottery fund to share £82m to help reduce OAP isolation

By The Press Association8th September 2014News EnglandIsolation, Loneliness, News England, Older People

Fifteen areas in England are to share £82 million in a bid to reduce the social isolation of up to 200,000 older people, it was announced today.

The money is being distributed by the Big Lottery Fund, which is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery.

Partnerships made up of voluntary, statutory and private sector organisations will work with older people in rural, coastal and urban areas to ensure local services are better planned, co-ordinated and delivered.

Older people will be at the heart of all the projects, with a strong voice in the decisions and priorities within their local communities. Activities will include befriending services, training and awareness-raising for frontline staff, creating neighbourhood networks and volunteering.

There are 10.8 million people aged 65 or over in the UK and this is expected to rise to 16 million over the next 20 years. Of those 10.8 million, 3.8 million live alone, and one million say they are always, or often feel, lonely.

More people are now at risk of becoming isolated as the population of older people grows, lacking contact with family or friends, community involvement or access to services.

The fund aims to encourage changes and improvements so older people are happier, healthier and more active, contributing even more to their communities.

Partnerships in the 15 areas will test what methods work and what do not, so that evidence is available to influence services which help reduce isolation for older people in the future.

One of the partnerships being awarded funding is in Bristol, where Oscar-winning Aardman Animations, based in the city, will produce a Creature Comforts-style animation to help change public perceptions of social isolation to benefit 12,000 older people.

In Sheffield 1,000 frontline workers including community pharmacists and supermarket staff are to be trained to recognise isolation. These frontline workers are expected to train at least 10 others so that by 2021 Sheffield will have 10,000 people trained.

Older people in Thanet will campaign for age-friendly businesses, with a local ‘kitemark’ to be awarded to shops which recognise the value and needs of older customers.

One aspect of plans in Middlesbrough is to offer non-traditional social activities for older people including walking football, target shooting and ukulele playing.

Nat Sloane, Big Lottery Fund England chairman, said: “Just under four million older people told Age UK this year that television is their main company. Social isolation is bad for health with links to chronic conditions and increased mortality. With more people living well into their eighties, pressures on local services and budgets will continue to rise.

“There are concerns about a ticking timebomb facing adult social care, but older people have a wealth of experience and skills to offer their communities. We need to tap into this – to help them help themselves and others living alone. Our Ageing Better investment will put them at the heart of the way the projects are designed and delivered to ensure that future generations of older people not only live longer but also live well.”