Only the Lonely: Public Service Reform, the Individual and the State
First posted at 07:09GMT on 08/04/09 by Melanie Beasley
In 2008, Participle worked with a diverse group of over 200 older people and their families in Westminster and Southwark. We spent time in their homes, going shopping with them, helping with the odd job and introducing them to one another, gaining insight into how individuals and families see themselves, their aspirations, their dreams.
The aim of our work was to ensure a rich third age, one that every citizen, regardless of income level or assets might live: a life less ordinary. Specifically, in Southwark our goal was the design of a new universal service that might be replicated nationally - supporting older people to live in a way of their choosing as they age. In Westminster our work has been more closely focused, we have worked only with those who define themselves as lonely, the majority of whom are over 80 and housebound with the goal of facilitating rich social lives.
This article briefly tells the story of this work, the affordable solutions we have designed and the nascent lessons for how we might re-think a welfare state, its relationship to individuals and most importantly of all to wider social bonds.
To read the article click here
The aim of our work was to ensure a rich third age, one that every citizen, regardless of income level or assets might live: a life less ordinary. Specifically, in Southwark our goal was the design of a new universal service that might be replicated nationally - supporting older people to live in a way of their choosing as they age. In Westminster our work has been more closely focused, we have worked only with those who define themselves as lonely, the majority of whom are over 80 and housebound with the goal of facilitating rich social lives.
This article briefly tells the story of this work, the affordable solutions we have designed and the nascent lessons for how we might re-think a welfare state, its relationship to individuals and most importantly of all to wider social bonds.
To read the article click here
I am a researcher based at the university of Bath. My recent work has involved the synthesis of qualitative literature that has looked at the long term experiences of stroke survivors. It is so refreshing to read about your work, in particular the emphasis on social connectedness. We are currently talking to PCTs about the type of support that stroke survivors are asking for so that they can feel a valuable part of their communities. Although the PCT’s have been enthusiatic about our work and are open to new ideas it is difficult for them to undertstand the importance of meeting social need when their priority has always been on ‘fixing’ a person physically, it is a radical mind shift for many state and voluntary organisations. I will now cite this paper in every presentation i give as an example of a model that is exactly what my research and the stroke survivors and their families i work with have been asking for.
mary reed, 22/7/09, 15:12GMT