The Voices of Older People: Exploring Social Isolation and Loneliness in the City of London Dr Roger Green and Tim Stacey Centre for Community Engagement.

The Voices of Older People: Exploring Social Isolation and Loneliness in the

City of London

Dr Roger Green and Tim StaceyCentre for Community Engagement Research

Department of Social, Therapeutic andCommunity Studies

GoldsmithsUniversity of London

http://www.ccer.info

“One of the problems of loneliness is being isolated”

(Barbican resident)

Social isolation and loneliness in the City of London

• Whilst the actual prevalence of

social isolation and loneliness

across the City of London is still

an unknown figure the following

findings indicate it is a significant

experience for many of the City’s

residents.

Methodology: Who we listened to• Qualitative open-ended individual

interviews and informal group discussions with...

• Residents from the Middlesex Street and Golden Lane housing estates, the Guinness Trust Mansell Street estate, and flats and houses on the Barbican.

• 69 residents interviewed either in their homes, at community centres, cafes, other locations and via telephone.

• 23 residents gave their comments via email or via blogs - 6 residents via letters.

• Also 12 residents – who did not feel lonely/isolated in their daily lives.

• Plus - 16 City of London staff + voluntary and community sector organisations - Informal conversations - provided contextual information and valuable contacts.

• The sample - aged between 48 years of age to 86 years of age.

• Majority from a White British heritage - self-defined their ethnic identity.

Methodology: How residents were contacted

• Flyers explaining the study were circulated widely across the City of London: Middlesex Street and Golden Lane housing estates, the Guinness Trust Mansell Street estate, and flats and houses on the Barbican) and voluntary organizations and community groups.

• ‘Hanging out’, ‘walkabouts’ and meeting up and listening to people at various locations, community gatherings and meetings across the City (Ethnographic and Psychogeography approaches).

• A ‘snowball’ effect was commonplace - names of residents given who would be interested in being interviewed - over a cup of tea.

• Participants contacted the researcher - via telephone, email, letters, blogs – via other residents and staff from City of London and voluntary organizations and community groups working with older people.

Selected Research Findings: Stories from the City

“I doubt you’ll find anybody more isolated than myself…..No living relatives……No neighbours…..No

support from Social Services”(Posted hand written note )

“I like being alone here...going to MacDonald’s...I come to this group (community group)...I get out a lot...keep in touch with another group...sometimes you get fed up...but we have those days...I like to walk around”

(Mansell Street resident)

“Now I am invisible”(Barbican resident)

• “So much going on that you have to get out and find it...but if your shy...we are all war babies so we have

to get on with it...then I give myself a kick in the shins”

(Mansell Street resident)

• Living in the City of London was experienced by older residents in a number of ways.

• Different experiences and definitions of being socially isolated and/or lonely, or both, was voiced by residents for example;

• Some stories related to…1. disability 2. being alone3. loss of a life partner 4. out of employment5. being made redundant6. retirement7. where they lived – home - estate

Selected Research Findings: Attending Community Group Activities

• Beneficial effects of older people attending a community group or related activity.

• Informal groups eg. Barbican house and Golden Lane groups provided both a social contact point and a sharing of time with like minded people.

• Groups provided a network of social contacts and valuable social capital that mitigated against being lonely and isolated.

• Not all group activities and structures were suitable for all residents.

• Accessing and joining a community group was problematic for some residents.

• Some residents lacked confidence in encountering a group situation.

• Views of how community group activities advertised differed.

• Social comfortability and informal atmosphere engendered by community groups positive for the majority of older people attending.

• Degree of exclusion experienced by some residents on the Mansell Street Estate.

Selected Research Findings: Befriending schemes

• Befriending and good neighbour schemes positively received by residents.

• Evidence that ‘informal’ befriending or localised good neighbour schemes were developing.

• Criticism that befrienders and volunteers from commissioned providers “came and went”.

• Residents often required ongoing volunteer support with their daily lives including ‘social company’.

Selected Research Findings: Neighbourliness

• Many residents helping each other out across all four estates.

• Evidence of good neighbourliness impacting on individual’s sense of loneliness and social isolation.

• Resident’s age, the physical layout of estates and housing tenure often had a negative impact on knowing ones neighbours.

• Lack of knowledge amongst some residents as to who their neighbours were.

• A loss of community felt by some residents.

Selected Research Findings:Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT)

• Barbican LGBT community felt socially isolated.

• Involvement with the Barbicans community groups and activities was minimal.

• Little or no contact with befriending or good neighbour schemes despite a social need.

• Some evidence of neighbourly support.

Selected Research Findings: Residents not experiencing social isolation or loneliness

“I once heard Stephen Fry once saying one of his greatest pleasures is going to dinner on his own

and I can concur”(Barbican resident)

“I am blessed with friends”(Middlesex Street resident)

• Residents had various ‘coping mechanisms’ and ‘alternative social lifestyles’ or strategies to avoid feelings of loneliness and social isolation.

• Experience of being socially active and volunteering worked for them.

• Accessing City resources

• Location was important - where they lived.

Selected Research Findings: Computer skills

• “I have a lap top but don’t use it very much…not sure how it works properly...I phone my family in xxxx

• “A lot of older people cannot use a computer to order on-line…it would be useful for OAP’s”

• Significant minority of residents had access to a laptop or a desktop computer.

• Majority had little or no computer skills beyond word processing.

• Many residents unaware of the social benefits of using Skype with a camera to keep in touch with family or friends.

Some areas for consideration

1. ‘Bumping’ Spaces2. ‘A glass half-full?’ Asset Based

Community Development (ABCD) Approach

3. Community Groups4. Computer Skills5. Estate Connections: Building Social

and Community Capital6. Loneliness and Social Isolation Forum7. Pets8. Volunteering and Befriending 9. Learning from residents not

experiencing social isolation or loneliness

Some areas for consideration1. ‘Bumping’ Spaces – further develop and create more imaginative community spaces for people to

meet and greet. 2. ‘A glass half-full?’ Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Approach – grow the existing

good community development practice. 3. Community Groups – build on the current excellent group opportunities by further developing new,

different focused and more inclusive groups.4. Computer Skills – develop a more co-ordinated response to the existing opportunities that exist –

reach those residents in need of computer skills.5. Estate Connections: Building Social and Community Capital – further develop the existing good

practice by supporting residents from the estates to share ideas for joint community development activities; help further develop social and community capital.

6. Loneliness and Social Isolation Forum – develop a more strategic response by creating a forum to bring together all key stakeholders including service users and residents.

7. Pets - Ownership of a pet enhances individuals health and general wellbeing, and promotes increased social capital across a community. Consideration should be given to revisiting the current policy.

8. Volunteering and Befriending - A more co-ordinated response to volunteering and consequently befriending should be considered across the City of London.

9. Learning from residents not experiencing social isolation or loneliness - people with social connections, friendships, and social networks and a high degree of personal resilience, for eg. moving on from a situation that creates loneliness such as losing a life partner, seemed to be either embedded within positive community and social networks and/or have a high degree of personal social and emotional capital. This is an area in need of further research?

Final Thoughts• Actual prevalence of social isolation and loneliness

across the City of London is still an unknown figure.• Study has unearthed some ‘hidden’ aspects of what

social isolation and loneliness means to residents.• Social connectedness can in all its many forms if

nurtured bring people back from the margins of their communities.

• Study’s conclusions and areas for consideration see the need for an over-arching policy and practice response from the local Health and Wellbeing Board and other relevant forums.

• Recent LSE conference ‘Loneliness, prevention and wellbeing’ - very little research on or with service users experiences - the majority of research on loneliness is quantitative - USA.

• More qualitative research on social relationships and social participation needed.

• Focused on the individual estates - tease out the service user experience and the social complexities of the different communities that lead to individual residents experiencing loneliness and for some isolated lives.