What have older people got to offer?

Today sees the publication of interim findings from a JRF research project – 'Not a one way street' – which examines support for older people based on a simple idea. Why not harness the talents and assets of older people who need support and create mutually beneficial relationships for those involved?

This is the principle guiding the work of The Elders, a group committed to promoting the universal human rights we all share. The ensemble of world leaders, whose collective age is in the region of 700 years, is an inspiring demonstration of the ongoing contributions that older people make to their own and wider communities across the world.

What have we found out so far?

One of the key issues is the huge amount of interest in alternative forms of support based on mutuality – yet the lack of opportunities for older people to make this happen is stark. Local commissioning decisions don’t appear to be leading to new forms of support to the extent envisaged by policies and transformation programmes. The research highlights that:

• While exciting alternative models and examples of mutual support exist, these are few and far between.
• For many older people these options are never considered due to the attitudes of professionals towards 'the frail elderly'.
• Older people with high support needs are viewed as passive recipients of care or, at worst, commodities in the industry. They are places and beds to be traded with funders and commissioners rather than active contributors and consumers with rights, roles and responsibilities.
• The only kinds of assets recognised are financial.

This is a far cry from the vision epitomised every day by the actions of The Elders. Although he no longer travels the world representing the group’s interests, Nelson Mandela (an older person with high support needs) is still involved and his experiences harnessed in a way which benefits others.

Mutual support that works

Our research points to the diverse types of mutual support models that could and do exist. These range from very informal arrangements that many of us probably recognise (e.g. shared school runs or helping a neighbour out with shopping in return for garden produce) to highly organised schemes (e.g. homeshares and other cooperative schemes).

What really matters is that older people at the heart of these exchanges are giving as much as they are receiving, and they are doing this in their own homes, neighbourhoods and familiar surroundings.

The project

The work is being carried out by NDTi and Community Catalysts to identify and learn from examples of personal experience and great practice that can be replicated across the UK. You can download the interim findings here.

The team is poised to start in-depth fieldwork in four different localities across England and Wales – a chance to meet more people and learn from their experiences of mutuality and reciprocity.

We would like to hear from people beyond these four areas about their experiences, views and opinions on what we need to do to ensure that older people with high support needs can be involved in mutual support. We want to ensure they’re not consigned to the scrap heap, not written off as needing to be looked after by strangers and not having to move just because their need for assistance changes or increases over time. Can we aspire to create a similar level of attitude change and hope for the future as The Elders? I’m signing up to that change, will you?