The report of the Older People's Inquiry into 'That Bit of Help'

This report of the Older People’s Inquiry into ‘That Bit of Help’ documents the experiences of older people and professionals working together to identify gaps in service provision for older people living in their own homes.

The report focuses on how to involve older people alongside the professionals, as equals, in identifying what services they want and value. It notes that older people are able to take account of costs of service provision in an environment where resources are limited, and with this information they are able to prioritise the service provision which they require. A sound model is provided to ensure the central involvement of older people in prioritising valued services; the methods used would be easily transferred to local level. The chosen ‘baker’s dozen’ of small ways in which life can be made better for older people gives ideas of what services might be developed.

This report includes an overview of the Inquiry’s findings, the methodology used to select examples of good practice, and the methodology used for costing the examples chosen by Inquiry members, along with their unit costs. A second volume, Evidence submitted to the Older People's Inquiry into 'That Bit of Help', is also available.