social Isolation and

loneliness

Siobhan Sweeney

Health and Social well being

Manager (PHA)

6th December 2016

‘You go in and maybe don’t see anyone for

24 hours…. Like I do have a family and all

that, they are in touch, but talking to people,

you miss that’

(Not so cut off) Arts Council NI 2015

•

Strategic Context

Programme For Government

Active Ageing Strategy

Making Life Better

Age Friendly

Community Planning

Later Years Thematic Plan 16/17

Key Objectives-

• Developing the Priority and Focus on Health and Social wellbeing

improvement for older people

• Consolidate agreed regional approach to improve the delivery of

evidence based falls prevention approaches within all 5 PHA

Localities

• Ensure older people with dementia have access to services, help

and support that will help maintain and improve their health and

wellbeing

• Develop opportunities for older people to maintain and improve

their physical activity levels

• Support the development of approaches within all 5 PHA localities

to reduce the risk of older people becoming socially isolated.

Social Isolation

• Arts and Older Peoples Programme

• Arts and Health Festival

• Developing Shared Interagency Model

Art and Older People Programme

• In partnership with Arts Council and the Baring

Foundation

• Small to medium grant funding, Artists training and

Development and training for support staff and

carers.

• Focus on Social isolation, most vulnerable and

Dementia

AOPP Geographical Spread

Area Projects

are taking place

Province Wide and involves all 5 HSCTs

Community Based Health Projects

Creative Skill building of HSC/Community staff

Number workshops to date 1,135

Number participants to date 15,116

Arts and Age ‘Here and Now’

Impact on participants

• Enhanced Life Long learning

• Reduced Isolation

• Enhanced relationships

• Increased levels physical activity

• Enhanced sense of Happiness and

belonging

If your mood is good and you are moving well

that keeps you well. But really to mix with

people, to feel you belong; if you don’t belong

to something you are isolated.

Woman aged 66 years

Not so cut off Arts Council 2015

5 Ways To Well Being

• Connect

• Be Active

• Take Notice

• Give

• Keep Learning

Developing a shared model

Loneliness

Mapping

Community

Navigator

AGE

FRIENDLY

GOOD

NEIGHBOURHOODS

For Aging Well

HEALTH &

WELL-BEING

PLANS

Models Of Developing Practice

Isolation/loneliness – What works

Systematic reviews (Cattan et al 2005; Social Care

Institute for Excellence 2011, Institute of Public Health

2016)

Campaign to End Loneliness

& Age UK, 2015

http://www.campaigntoendloneliness.org/blog/promising-approaches/

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng32

Promising Approaches

1. Reaching lonely individuals

2. Understanding the nature of an individuals

loneliness and developing a personalised response

3. Supporting lonely individuals to access

appropriate services

You come in here and the camaraderie and

you feel insulted unless you are insulted at

least twice a day

Member of Men’s Shed

Thank you