Editorial

Citation

Klee, D. (2014), "Editorial", Working with Older People, Vol. 18 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-06-2014-0016

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Working with Older People, Volume 18, Issue 3

The 1st October is International Older People's Day, a time to celebrate the contribution that older people make to family and community life. In the UK the formal and informal volunteering services of older people are worth more than ten million a year WRVS (2011). In Africa and some other countries millions of older people are caring for adult children with AIDs and many of them caring for their orphaned grandchildren. There are currently 14 million children under the age of 15 in African countries alone being looked after by grandparents (WHO web link).

In the UK, Older People's day has gathered momentum and is now an important date in the calendar for Councils. Last year Oxford City Council held a big Skills Share event, inviting people - young and old, communities and organisations to share their skills with each other. The Botanical Gardens offered a session on planting, Age UK jewellery making and there were IT skills workshops (www.oxford.gov.uk).

A councillor at Westminster City Council launched Silver Sunday on the first Sunday in October in 2012. This initiative has grown and Silver Sunday is now a registered charity. In 2012 the London Boroughs of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham piloted Silver Sunday, an invitation for older citizens to try out new things, meet their neighbours and get involved in community activities. Councillor Christabel Flight set up Silver Sunday, in response to the growing number of older people living in Westminster who experienced loneliness. The following year the invitation was extended and there were 180 free events across the UK (www://silversunday.org.uk).

This issue of Working with Older People has a varied collection of papers. The first two are concerned with engaging older citizens in community activity and improving the quality of life, health and well being, through this active participation.

"Asset based community development - enriching the lives of older citizens"; outlines three case studies where older citizens have led the transformation of their neighbourhoods as community builders and connectors. By recognizing and intentionally mapping the assets of their neighbourhood and the interests and passions of the people that live and work there, they have made meaningful connections between people and places. This has resulted in stronger, better connected communities and a lot of fun for the people involved.

"'Care . . . about physical activity', in care homes in Scotland"; is a programme launched by the Care Inspectorate Scotland that aims to improve the quality of life of residents in care homes by improving the opportunities to increase levels of activity. The recommendation is for regular short bouts of exercise so that confidence increases. By strengthening muscles and improving balance, not only is independence in activities of daily living improved but also the enjoyment of hobbies, interests and participation in social activities.

We have two papers on the importance of pets in older peoples' lives, a topic that has not been covered before in the time that I have edited this journal. They are both well written and engaging. The first "The role of pet ownership and the lives of older people"; sets the scene by presenting the research that supports the value of pet ownership on the health and wellbeing of older people. As people get older their opportunities for social interaction may decrease and pets can fulfil an important role in providing comfort and a focal point for discussion and activity.

The paper that follows, "Positive effects of pets on memory impaired residents in Silverado Communities"; is a fascinating case study of a care provider in the USA that is committed to the implementation of a pet programme and philosophy. The paper includes examples of the difference pet ownership has made by calming a man with severe behavioural problems and another where comfort is provided in end of life care.

The final two papers are about society's attitudes and how this affects the lives of older people. The first, "Ageing and lesbian, gay and bisexual relationships"; explores the effect of society's attitude towards these relationships and the effect that this has upon the lives of people as they grow older. One of the findings is that older people that have been in same sex relationships are more likely to be alone in later life, as a result of societal attitude, and in need of care and support that might have otherwise been provided by a loved one.

"Changing the perception of younger workers towards older workers"; is a study of the views of younger workers in the Czech Republic on themselves as older workers of the future. They all believed that they would be a valuable resource to the organisation, but the majority did not see themselves working past retirement age on a voluntary basis. It is interesting to consider this topic from the viewpoint of younger workers.

Our guest book reviewer, Toby Williamson from the Mental Health Foundation has reviewed Designing and Delivering Dementia Services; a book that was co-edited by a previous contributor to Working with Older People, Hugo de Waal (2014).

A varied mix of papers, loosely paired by theme. As always, they are about the social inclusion and wellbeing of older people.

So, how are you celebrating International Older People's Day? Last year I participated in a fish and chip lunch with the residents of Dagenham. It was organised by a group of residents over the age of 50 years. They called the event "Getting to know you" and used this opportunity to reach out to older people at risk of isolation and loneliness, to let them know what was going on in the area and to enable participation in local activities. Telephone numbers were exchanged to meet up, to go together to clubs, to share transport and to set up new things.

If you missed the opportunity to get involved in Older People's Day this year, there is always next year - so lots of time to get planning.

Deborah Klee

References

Hugo de Waal (2014), "Rethinking dementia: how autonomy and control can be fostered through the development of person centred services", WWOP, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 82-9

WRVS (2011), Gold Age Pensioners: Valuing the Socio-Economic Contribution of Older People in the UK, WRVS, Cardiff

Web references

Available at: www.who.int/ageing/events/idop_rationale/en/ (accessed 3 June 2014)

Available at: www.oxford.gov.uk (accessed 2 June 2014)

Available at: http://silversunday.org.uk (accessed 2 June 2014)