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?

We mapped a series of indicators to give us a geographical area of high need (see the Needs Assessment). The indicators were as follows:

The three primary indicators were combined in order to form a ‘composite indicator’.

The indicators used were as follows:

• % of an LSOA that are aged 75 or over (ONS, 2015 mid-year population estimates downloaded from http://www.norfolkinsight.org.uk/) OR % of an LSOA that are aged 65 or over and single (2011 Census, downloaded from http://www.norfolkinsight.org.uk/)

• % of an LSOA that self-report bad or very bad health (2011 Census, downloaded from http://www.norfolkinsight.org.uk/)

• % of older people in an LSOA are that income deprived (2015 Indices of Multiple Deprivation, downloaded from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2015)

What the primary indicators tell us

While figures 1 and 2 show pockets of disadvantage inland, there is are also bands along the coast, or just inland from it, that may form a contiguous region in which both aspect of the SAIL project (Mobile Me ‘Out and About’ and Demential Friendly Walks) could be targetted. The area is showin in Figure 3, and includes the following towns:

• North Norfolk

 Cromer

 North Walsham

 Sheringham

• West Norfolk

 Hunstanton

 Heacham

 Brancaster

 Snettisham

• East Norfolk

 Great Yarmouth

• Gorleston-on-Sea

Taken from the Needs Assessment pg 25: In order to target limited resources SAIL should be delivered within the shaded area indicated within the map in section 6.4 (see section 7.7. with for a note respect to district council boundaries). This is because many of the LSOAs identified as being ‘high need’ using the composite indicator fall within this area and because it forms a contiguous area that has a shared characteristic (coastal).

b. That data within this needs assessment is used to target activities for specific conditions within the SAIL area, for example, activities targeted at those with dementia.

Ideas generated

What ideas were generated from your stakeholder meetings?

Mobile Me Out and About – Intervention Ideas

Water Based Activity - Dementia Friendly Training for Leisure Staff

Work with local leisure and tourism providers to obtain Swim England’s Dementia Friendly Swimming Facility status, and then work with them to tailor offers for not just people with Dementia, and their carers, but also older people generally. This can be through specific classes, but also through working on staff awareness and accessibility.

Training provider: Swim England

Key Partners: Housing providers, third sector support services, leisure and tourism

Notes: The Marina Centre and Splash, which are key leisure hubs in the areas identified through the needs assessment will be going through redevelopment and there may be opportunity to influence the specifications of the centres and the priorities of the leisure providers.

Age UK Norfolk have previously conducted Dementia Friendly audits and training to Parkwood Leisure in Breckland, with an aim to offer Dementia Friendly swimming sessions. Consult with Breckland on successes, as part of a review into Swim England Dementia friendly swimming training.

Policy Change amongst Relevant Service Providers (Norsecare Model)

Identify some key service providers for older people, and using a model we have established with Norsecare off the back of their involvement within Mobile Me, we work with organisations to establish physical activity as part of their strategy. This includes increasing awareness of the importance of being physically active across the organisation, and support them in establishing their own provision and privately investing/sourcing funding to sustain their provision. This approach can also allow us to tailor our provision through the partners we work with, and could look to target support towards specific conditions (e.g. Dementia) or vulnerable groups (e.g. unpaid carers)

Training Provider: Active Norfolk

Key Partners: Housing providers, third sector support services, leisure and tourism

Establishing Physical Activity as Part of the Culture in Local Community Hubs

As an add on to the above suggestion, we work with local community hubs, such as library’s to establish physical activity as part of their culture and outcomes. This would again be through includes increasing awareness of the importance of being physically active across the organisation, and support them in establishing their own provision and privately investing/sourcing funding to sustain their provision.

Training Provider: Active Norfolk

Key Partners: Library Service, Third Sector (e.g. Age UK, Age Concern, Older People Forums)

Online Toolkit to Support Wider Partners

As part of the Mobile Me project an online resource is being developed to support with guidance on physical activity for older people. It will provide information on working with older people in good health, as well as working with older people who may be experiencing some difficulties with health conditions, such as Dementia for example. This is a resource that will go hand in hand with the SAIL project, and although not necessarily part of the delivery project, it will support the people involved and therefore their input into content/structure will be valued. The delivery itself will then also enhance the content of the online resource, once we begin to establish some findings.

Key Partners: Active Norfolk, UEA, Local GP Researcher.

Brancaster Sailing (National Trust)

Deliver a set time intervention (10 weeks for example) to introduce older people into sailing at Brancaster, and then work with the National Trust on developing a sustainability package.

Key Partners: National Trust, Sailing Governing Body, Housing providers, third sector support services, leisure and tourism

Intergenerational Project

Develop a pilot project, which focuses on intergenerational physical act

ivity sessions. Similar to the concept of running a nursery within a care home or primary schools visiting a care home, but with an element of physical activity for both demographics. Initial 10 week pilot, with an idea to establish a self-sustaining model that can be rolled out further.

Key Partners: Housing providers, third sector support services, leisure and tourism, Schools, United for All Ages.

Develop Older Person Friendly Training (Similar to Dementia Friendly Training in terms of model)

Develop in house training, based on the findings/toolkit form the Mobile Me project, which would follow the model used for Dementia Friendly training. Steven Hitcham form Active Norfolk would initially be trained to deliver the training, with the potential to establish it as a cascade training programme in the future. There could be potential to upscale the delivery pot from the innovation fund, and the training could initially be piloted in SAIL areas, and then rolled out countywide.

Training Providers: Active Norfolk

Key partners: Housing providers, third sector support services, leisure and tourism, Pure Development Training, Aaron Roberts (Active Norfolk).

Target Audience: community based workers, such as LILY, Social Care Development Workers and Library Services, for example.

Mystery Shopper audit idea

As part of an audit of delivery venues, and subsequent acquisition of a SAIL kite mark, there could be anonymous older people that try to access sites and take part in some activity and identify any issues.

Would have to be developed in partnership with delivery partners, and be designed to not be seen as a criticism, but a guide.

Amanda Burke (UEA) used a similar approach on a previous research project with the library service.

Key partners: Ellen Vanlint (Disability Officer, Active Norfolk), Local Access Forum, Show Me the Access Website (Mandy Burke contact), English Federation of Disability Sport (may have a pre-existing access audit template?)

Therapeutic Dog Walking

Include dog walking within walking groups, to provide enrichment for attendees, as well as offer therapeutic qualities within sessions. Potentially through working with dog homes, maybe most relevant for the Dementia Friendly Walks, so there would need to be work developed around raising awareness of Dementia within dog homes, and using specific dogs.

Key partners: People and Animals UK.

Activity in Local Outdoor Environment

Utilising local outdoor settings, such as parks to offer free sessions such as yoga, following similar models that are offered in Japan. With an eventual aim for the sessions to be ran and facilitated by the local community. 

Green Volunteering and Conservation Work

Working in partnership with pre-existing conservation organisations and volunteering projects focussing on conservation and the outdoors to increase the number of older people volunteering on their projects. This will be through supporting the projects to become more accessible for older people, and increasing awareness of the opportunities to the target demographic.

Key partners: Trust for Conservation Volunteers, Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

Dementia Friendly Heritage Walks & Reminiscence Walks

Dementia Friendly walks to be developed in partnership with the Library Service, and can possibly be adapted from pre-existing walking services (Heritage Walks), but will focus on having a theme to support with engagement (possible development of a reminiscence walking provision). Each walk will begin and end at the local Library.

Key partners: Norfolk Library Service.

(Summary findings from a number of consultations)

·        There’s something for me: Recognise diversity of interest and age in provision. Increase support for people who are disabled or ill to overcome their barriers to becoming active. Ensure there is provision for those with conditions e.g. adaptations, training for instructors.

·        I know where to go: Provide accessible, up to date information to older people and those working with them on how to get active and how to join activities

·        Being active is the norm and is fun: Using role models to normalise and promote physical activity in older people in a way that is fun, relaxed, not too sports focused and doesn’t make people feel old.

·        Physical activity can make a difference: Communicate the importance and benefit of physical activity to older people and to those that work with them / support them (health professionals, carers etc).

·        Getting over the doorstep: provide support to people nervous about joining new groups. Think about alternatives to big organised groups (activity at home, small groups of friends).

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?

1. Project statement

Mobile Me ‘out and about’ aims to increase the physical activity and improve the wellbeing of people aged 65+ who are at risk of poor health due to their lifestyle, or who are already in poor health. It will focus on individuals experiencing material deprivation and social isolation. It will be delivered along the Norfolk coast; however priority will be given to areas of high need that have been identified in a Needs Assessment.  

Mobile Me ‘out and about’ will make use of Norfolk’s natural environment and interaction with the environment will be a driver for health improvement.  It will provide support for Norfolk’s care, health, leisure and tourism sectors to create physical activity opportunities for older locals and tourists. Importantly, these opportunities will be easy to find out about, easy to get to, and suitable for older people who are inactive or in poor health. The programme will also work with the SAIL Dementia Friendly walks programme to develop a range of activities for people living with dementia.  

Mobile Me ‘out and about’ will also raise the profile of physical activity and its potential importance to improve the lives and health of older people. By doing these things, Mobile Me ‘out and about’ will provide a lasting legacy of change.  

2. Three themes

1. Improving information – improving information systems to better enable older people to find suitable activities

2. Developing quality– staff training (e.g. dementia awareness), improving the accessibility of physical infrastructure etc.

3. Innovation: Developing new activities that meet the needs of the audience e.g. activities in parks

3. Selection criteria

Who: People 65+ in poor health or at risk poor heath who are deprived/isolated (and those around them)  

Where: Areas identified in needs assessment & using natural environment 

What: Easy to find out about, easy to get to, suitable for audience (e.g. in poor health) 

How: Work with care, health, leisure and tourism. Link up / improve what’s there. Low cost and sustainable. Deliverable

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.

See above for feedback in consultation sessions.

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?