PR 00164 - Explore

What is the problem/issue you are trying to address?

Coastal regions in the 2 Seas Area have to deal with specific challenges in relation to ageing as they are confronted with a particular mix of ageing people. This not only includes local elderly, but also the influx of ageing newcomers and visitors of an increasing average age. As this population puts pressure on health and social care systems, it is essential to enable them to stay active and independent for longer, and to improve their wellbeing and quality of life to reduce costs and pressures on care systems.

The objectives of the SAIL project contribute to strategic agendas across health, social care, sport, physical activity and the environment.

Nationally the ageing population is putting pressure on health and social care services and there is a drive to reduce this burden. Norfolk has a population ageing at a greater rate than England and maintaining independence in later life, especially amongst vulnerable older people, has been identified as a countywide priority. 

Pilot aim

Physical activity and the outdoor environment have an evidence base to impact upon health outcomes for older people and are identified as tools to help achieve increased independence.

An analysis of the strategy and policy context around SAIL leads us to the following recommendations:

• SAIL should target those vulnerable older people who are most likely to suffer from poor health and therefore placing the greatest burden on health and social care services.
• SAIL should target those who are currently inactive
• SAIL should focus on supporting those with dementia and their carers in line with the STP priority

Stakeholders on your pilot

People and organisations represented, number of stakeholder meetings and total number of people at each stakeholder meeting.

People and organisations represented, number of stakeholder meetings and total number of people at each stakeholder meeting.

[ 1.1.        Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure Sites]

A significant proportion of Norfolk’s local economy is focussed towards leisure and tourism, and this is particularly the case within Norfolk’s coastal regions, which therefore means there are a significant number of leisure assets within this region.

Sport, Physical Activity and Leisure sites are outlined in Appendix C. These may be regularly accessed by both tourists and residents, however, local leisure facility operators feel that they. The facilities provide opportunities for activities such as swimming, bowls, tennis, golf, boccia and table tennis.

The explore phase of SAIL has consulted with various stakeholders and the target demographic. This has begun to give an insight into why these facilities may not be being utilised by older people, and of the barriers that may need addressing, such as access, confidence and knowledge of physical activity benefits. The next phase of SAIL, the design phase, will explore ideas of how to address these barriers, and engage the older population in using these resources.

Through wider consultation with partners around SAIL, we have also been able to identify possible opportunities to expand upon pre-existing projects, and utilise their experiences. For example, Swim England are developing some training for leisure facilities to become more accessible for older people. This focuses on conditional specific accessibility, and builds on previous work to make centres accessible for people with Dementia.

There was also an opportunity to consult on SAIL and a number of other projects through a Dementia Sports workshop, which was hosted by the Alzheimer’s Society and enabled us to utilise their experiences and learnings to date.

Pilot beneficiaries

Who will benefit from this pilot? What is the goal that you are trying to achieve with this pilot?

Ideas generated

What ideas were generated from your stakeholder meetings?

Values for selection

Based on the information collected at the stakeholders meetings and other interviews or conversations held in the location, what are important underlying values for your project? Such as valuing the opinions of your users or needing your project to be cost neutral at this stage for some of your partners?

Acceptability

How did the project team, other organisations and your participants react to the project idea? What is the level of involvement/commitment from each group at this stage? Evidence could include: participant observation at initial project meetings and the reflections of the project group.

Demand

What is the demand for your project? How do you know this, what information did you use to help you?

Implementation/Practicality/Organisational/Financial Feasibility

How feasible does your project look to your team at this stage in terms of practicality, and financial feasibility?

Additional assets and resources

Do you need any additional assets or resources including expertise to help you deliver your project?

Adaptation

Have you made any changes to your original plans, why did you make the change and what information did you base your new plans on? For instance any changes you made to the context, format, timing, setting or population at this stage?

Integration

Do you think this project will work within the current local setting/structures? What changes need to be made to integrate your new project into existing infrastructure or programs?

Selected ideas for next phase

Based on the areas stated above, which ideas from your meetings have been selected for the phase of design and develop on SAIL?