Rod Perkins - Selwyn Centres - Reducing social isolation for older people and facilitating connection

Selwyn Centres - reducing social isolation for older people and facilitating connection

from a Christian organisation in a secular society

Rod Perkins PhDGeneral Manager, Foundation Development and Charitable Activity, The Selwyn

Foundation, Auckland, New Zealand & Hon Senior Lecturer, School of Population Health, The University of Auckland

Outline

• I want to describe our service-– What we do– Our people, the guests or recipients of our service– Our coordinators

• Identify a major challenge services such as ours are facing and

• Hear from you!

Preamble

• In major cities in New Zealand, the Anglican Church has a city mission or inner-city mission. Nowadays these institutions concern themselves with the poor & the homeless. They distribute food via foodbanks and deal with the consequences of the neoliberal environment.

• In the past, they also had a particular concern for the elderly

Early beginnings

In 1946 the Auckland City Missioner said the elderly of Auckland had three main needs-

A lot needed some degree of care Many had a great need for companionship and

more- ‘love’ Many needed housing, but it was much further

down the scale

He also came to learn that the elderly in Auckland need a secure future

The Development of Day Care

• In 1977 we developed our first day programme at Selwyn Village. It was called day care and was thought to be a way of preventing admission into rest homes (= care homes).

• Eleven years later there were 98 elderly people enrolled but from 1988 the numbers began to fall.

• In 2003 the Selwyn Foundation began a partnership with parishes and the Selwyn Centre model was born

Older People

• Socially isolated

• Living in the community

• Stressed (personally and as a care-giver)

Selwyn Foundation

Ministry

Selwyn funding

Parish resources

Management committee

Volunteers

CMDHB funding

• Parish liaison coordinator

• Coordinators• Nursing• Operation manual

Context Inputs Process

Activity participationOutputs

Programme Activities

Selwyn Centres’ Processes

Ongoing support/advocacy

Transport

Refreshment/ lunch

Meeting social needs

Outcomes

Guests’ outcomes:

• Reducing isolation• Increase wellbeing• Increase ability for

guest to stay in own home

Organisational outcome:

• Link agencies and church

Care-givers’ outcome:

• Reducing stress

What we are trying to do and how

Guests

Some of our guests

Our guests

• Mean Age 79.8yrs

• 79% Female • 37% Receiving Home Help• 15% Receiving personal care

<65yrs 65-74yrs 75-84yrs >84yrs0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

Guest age groups

Freq

uenc

y

Guest Living Situation

Living Alone Living with Others Rest home Unspecified0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

Fre

qu

ency

Guest: Disability

• 33% have no disability

Vision Hearing Mobility Medical Cognitive0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

% of reported disabilities

What we do

Giving purpose to lifeImproved outlook“Being among people... broadens my outlook, and gives me an incentive to go out”I have a purpose to my week”“I have something to think about for the rest of the week as I am on my own”Days to look forward to“My lifestyle has altered a great deal and I always look forward to my next visit”“I just love Mondays, they can’t come quick enough. Getting your glad rags out and a little bit of lippy makes Mondays just great”“Just wish there were more Mondays in the week”Emotional improvement“I am happier than I used to be with these outside interests”“I am not so shy and plenty of laughter with everyone”“It gets me out of the house. I feel much better in myself”

Reducing Isolation

“I feel as if I have a new circle of friends”“I have met a lovely person that has helped me a lot”“I don’t feel isolated”“I lost my husband 3 ½ yrs ago I missed the companionship, which I now have here at the centre”“It is always nice to meet with new people. Good to meet people you know when out and about, something I missed when I moved”“More phone calls, people to chat to while out shopping..”“As a stranger in the area, I met new people of my age”

Belonging“Company, with most people being in similar age group and with similar circumstances”

“Fellowship and friendship, nice to mix with people in own age group”

“Fellowship and hearing people’s life stories”

“The company of other people, someone to talk over things with”

What guests most enjoy

When asked what they enjoyed the most, all guests identified one thing, many identified more than one

Our coordinators

Coordinators

• Female• Older• Church links• Length of Service• Paid 6hrs per

session• Christian Mission –

not a job

• ‘Good women’• Emotionally

intelligent• Christian calling• Passion for older

people• Sense of Humour• Appreciative of

other's contribution • Respect• Confident• Caring and

compassion

• Organisational and management skills

• Craft skills• Catering skills • Leadership• Marketing and

promotion skills

• Coordinating activities

• Manage volunteers• Succession and

planning• Food• Promotion• Financial

management• Agency liaison• Member of the

management committee

Profile Skills Attributes What they do

Coordinators’ skills

Hard’ Skills• First aid knowledge • Marketing • Catering • Caretaking of the

facilities

Soft’ SkillsManagement of guests: Observation - Participation Engender team work Making individual connections Ensuring all guests’ inclusion

Management of volunteers: Leadership skills Consistency in process Coordination and delegation of tasks Support other volunteers

Additional skills: Communication skills Encouragement Think on your feet

From small beginnings…..

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 20100

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

Growth of Selwyn Centres by Year N

um

ber

of

Cen

tres

Issues to ponder going forward

• New Zealand is a tolerant secular society• Selwyn is an Anglican charity (and proudly so) &

it wishes to continue to support Selwyn Centres• The State identifies our work as important, one

health board funds us for providing a ‘day activity programme’

• Many of our coordinators and their leadership identify what they are doing as ‘God’s work

Some of us believe Selwyn Centres should exist wherever older people are

living in socially isolated situations

• How should we market ourselves to-The community?Corporates?State funding agencies?