Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Kate Jopling Hardeep Aiden Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow

About this review Commissioned by the London Borough of Hounslow – to feed into work around the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment Focussed on both social isolation and loneliness Focussed on people aged 65+ – though loneliness and isolation is of broader interest Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 2

Overview Risk factors for loneliness and the profile of LB Hounslow Provision for people at risk of, or experiencing loneliness and social isolation Assessing provision against the Promising Approaches framework Evidence for impact of current provision Gaps and recommendations for action Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 3

Methods Rapid review of the evidence Assessment of data from local and national sources Interviews with 9 key local stakeholders – bolstered by review of written information / informal discussions NB – the picture cannot be comprehensive – there may be gaps Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 4

About loneliness Loneliness and isolation are related but distinct concepts Isolation is objective (though definitions vary), loneliness is subjective Around 10% of older people are often or always lonely Around 3000 older people in LB Hounslow would be expected to be experiencing chronic loneliness Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 5

About loneliness Loneliness and social isolation have clear impacts on health Weak social connection is a similar risk factor for early mortality as smoking 15 cigarettes a day Loneliness directly impacts health – links to depression, stroke, dementia etc. Loneliness makes people less likely to pursue healthy behaviours – e.g. Physical activity Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 6

About loneliness Evidence around the cost implications of loneliness is weaker – but impact is thought to be significant Reconnections programme in Hereford and Worcestershire is testing assumption that being lonely costs around £12,000 per person across their older lifetime Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 7

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Other factors of interest to LB Hounslow Belonging to a faith community / having a faith Transience of the community Geographical challenges Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 9

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Age UK heat map Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 11

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Evidence for loneliness interventions: Direct Interventions These approaches are most often studied There is strong evidence of the impact of psychological approaches The evidence around one-to-one interventions – i.e. Befriending – is mixed, but services are highly valued Emerging evidence from Reconnections suggests befriending is crucial for the most lonely individuals We know the criteria for an effective group-based intervention: – Targeted towards a specific group – Focussed on a shared interest / enabling learning – Involve older people in running the group Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 15

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Conclusions and recommendations Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 23

Key findings Older people in LB Hounslow may be at higher risk of loneliness and social isolation than UK average Likely to be more than 3000 chronically lonely older adults in LB Hounslow Good reason to believe current approaches are not effectively reaching and meeting the needs of lonely people (see ASCOF / PHOF data) Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 24

Key findings The Borough has a range of provision – but there is a high degree of flux in the system LB Hounslow has many of the features of an effective response to loneliness as per Promising Approaches The lack of an overarching strategy for tackling loneliness means there is no sense of how components fit together and there are gaps There is no clear pathway through which a lonely individual should be guided to support There are gaps through which lonely individuals can fall Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 25

Addressing gaps in provision: Foundation services The development of LIFE is significant – it could be a core Foundation Service To be most effective, services need to build in insight around loneliness Identifying lonely people and targeting support on the most lonely remains a gap The best way to fill this gap will depend on the wider structural approach adopted Need clarity around who will support lonely individuals to access community provision – signposting is not enough Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 26

Addressing gaps in provision: Direct interventions The risk to Age UK Hounslow’s befriending service is significant There is some risk that current users will lose support and significant risk that the 300+ people on the waiting list, and further potential beneficiaries will go unsupported There is likely to be unmet need among adult social care users There is emerging evidence that the most chronically lonely need befriending support Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 27

Addressing gaps in provision: Direct interventions Difficult to gain and overview of provision and assess underserved groups Many of the Foundation Services aspire to refer people to appropriate provision – but are they making use of the full range? We don’t know: – Who is using services – What impact services are having – Whether current provision meets people’s needs Carers and adult social care users clearly need more support Other groups which may need attention: LGBT older people, older people from smaller minority ethnic communities Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 28

Improving targeting of support Restricting access to social activities using eligibility criteria would not be appropriate in most cases Legitimate to consider how groups receiving public funds can meet the needs of most lonely – e.g. By locating based on loneliness risk / drawing on information around risk factors Outreach and referral mechanisms should be a consideration in providing funding to social groups Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 29

Assessing impact of provision The approach to monitoring who is using services and their impact is patchy This is, in part, a result of disparate funding streams and programmes under which provision is funded LB Hounslow should consider how to encourage more consistent impact measurement around loneliness LB Hounslow could contribute to the emerging evidence-base on loneliness by using recognised tools to assess impact Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 30

Addressing gaps in provision: Gateway services Transport is a cause of concern and a driver of costs Taking a different structural approach to loneliness could help reduce this challenge – e.g. Taking a neighbourhood approach / introducing a volunteer driving scheme The potential of technology to support connection and reduce costs of provision seems under-explored Older people are likely to need tailored support to use technology to its full potential The potential of non-user-friendly technology to exclude and isolate older people should be a core consideration in service development Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 31

Addressing gaps in provision: Towards a more strategic approach Widespread recognition of the need for a more strategic approach Potential to reduce costs of provision – b reducing duplication, and supporting communities to draw on existing assets Early priority to determine LB Hounslow’s strategic approach – which structural enablers can support the work here? There are green shoots around several structural enablers – but the core approach needs to be articulated Is the focus on neighbourhoods / non-geographical communities / community development / targeted provision etc? Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 32

Thank you for listening Contact us Kate Jopling katejopling@hotmail.com Hardeep Aiden hardeep.aiden@bristol.ac.uk Loneliness and social isolation in the London Borough of Hounslow 33