TimetoShineEvaluationInterimReport:

TheBeneficiaryExperience

ProducedforLeedsOlderPeople’sForum

BySarahAldenandAndreaWigfield

UniversityofSheffield

2

Contents1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 4

The Time to Shine Project: An Overview .............................................................................. 4

2. Methods .................................................................................................................................. 6

3. Profile of survey respondents and Interviewees .................................................................... 8

4. Experiences of Social Isolation, Loneliness, Health and Well-being .................................. 12

Loneliness and social isolation: views and experiences of interviewees ............................. 12

Loneliness and social isolation: Survey Responses ............................................................. 16

Social networks and community involvement ................................................................. 16

Experiences of loneliness ................................................................................................. 18

Health and well-being: views and experiences of survey respondents ................................ 20

Satisfaction with life ........................................................................................................ 20

Mental Well-being ........................................................................................................... 22

Physical activity: attitudes and behaviour ............................................................................ 22

5. Achieving Time to Shine Outcomes and Assessing Impact ................................................ 24

Loneliness and Social Isolation ........................................................................................... 24

Health and well-being .......................................................................................................... 26

Active involvement in design and delivery ......................................................................... 28

6. Barriers and facilitators of Time To Shine .......................................................................... 31

7. Suggestions for the future direction of Time to Shine ......................................................... 37

8. Some Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 41

References ................................................................................................................................ 42

3

AcknowledgementsThe authors of this reportwould like to thank: Lisa Fearn, HilaryWadsworth and RachelKoivunenofLeedsOlderPeople’sForumwholiaisedwiththeresearchteamandprovidedappropriatedataand information.Wearealsograteful toLouiseWarwick-BoothofLeedsBeckettUniversityandRosieConnellofLeedsTrinityUniversityfortheircontributionstothefieldwork,andhelpfulcommentsondrafts.WefurtherwishtothankthepeerresearchersandallofthoseinvolvedintheTimetoShineprogrammewhogenerouslygavetheirtimetoparticipateintheresearch,includingbeneficiaries,localdeliverypartnersandvolunteers.

4

1.IntroductionThis report considers the experiences, outcomes and impact of the Time to Shineprogrammeonbeneficiariesattheendofitsfirstyear1.Itdrawsonevidencefrom:facetoface interviews and focus groups with older people who have accessed Time To Shine’sactivities; baseline CMF2(Common Measurement Framework) data; and monitoring andevaluationreturnsprovidedby12deliverypartnerswhich initiallyreceivedfundingtorunactivitiesaimedatreducingsocialisolationandlonelinessamongolderpeopleinLeeds.Anearlier report (Alden andWigfield, 2016) discussed the findings of interviewswhich tookplacewithdeliverypartnersandselectedprojectteammembersattheinitialstagesoftheprogramme.Itisimportanttonotethatthisreportconsidersthefindings‘todate’,withthefulloutcomesandimpactyettobecomprehensivelymeasured.Thefirstfullreport,whichwillbeavailableJune2017,willreportonprogressmadeduringthefirst2yearsofdelivery,drawingonevidencefromfollowupinterviewswithstakeholders,6casestudiesandphase2CMFsurveyreturns.

TheTimetoShineProject:AnOverviewTimetoShineformspartoftheFulfillingLives:AgeingBetterprogrammewhichisfundedbythe Big Lottery and aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness amongst older people(50+).TheTimeToShineprojectisbasedinLeeds,overseenbyLeedsOlderPeople’sForum,andisoneofthe14similarprojectsoperatingacrossEngland.Theprojectisrunningforatotalofsixyearswithabudgetofalmost£6manditaimstoreachat least15,000peopleacross thecity.Deliverypartnersarecommissionedtoofferappropriateactivitiesandareexpectedtoworktowardsachieving4mainoutcomeswhichinclude:

1. Each year beneficiaries report that they are less isolated as a result of a projectintervention.

2. Project beneficiaries feel confident and able to participate in their communities by2021.

3. Older people have been actively involved in managing, designing, delivering andevaluatingtheproject.Thisprovidesqualityevidenceandinfluencessystemchange.

4. The wider partnership will expand each year and will work better together tocoordinateservicesandsupportforisolatedolderpeople.

As the main focus of this report is on beneficiary outcomes, we concentrate here onachievementstodaterelatingtothefirst3outcomes.

Asummaryof the12deliverypartnersandtheactivitieswhichtheyhavebeenfundedtodeliver is provided inAppendix 1. They encompass awide rangeof activities,with some,suchasthoseresourcedtotakeanAssetBasedCommunityDevelopmentapproach,takinga‘wholecommunity’approach,whilstothersareofferingspecificactivities,suchas:runningevents, trips and activities to various venues (e.g. restaurants, pubs, stately homes, theseaside),andalsoarangeofcentrebasedactivities,includinggames,physicalexercise,artsand craft, making food, singing, dancing, storytelling, visiting speakers, or just simplymeeting to have a drink and a chat. The programme is ever evolving, and more recentprojectsarebeingsetupthroughaSmallFundsinitiative,andthroughrecentmatchfunding

1Afinalreport,outliningthemainoutcomesofthefirstfundingcohort,willbeproducedinJune2017.2 The CMF specifies data that will be collected by partnerships to inform the overall programme-level evaluation.

5

with Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to deliver services aimed at people who aredischargedfromhospital(theseinterventionswillbeconsideredinmoredetail intheJune17report).Todate(asof30June2016)3072individualpeoplehavebeeninvolvedinTimetoShineinsomeway,including:

• 1015olderpeoplewhohaveparticipatedindeliverypartnerprojects• 289olderpeoplewhovolunteerwithdeliverypartnerprojects• 52volunteerswhoareaged49andunder

Mostprojectsareon track tomeet the targets thatwere initially set.Where thishasnothappened,deliverypartnershavebeenveryproactiveinfindingwaystorectifytheshortfalland the project team report feeling confident that numbers will increase in the next 12months.

6

2.MethodsOurevaluationofthebeneficiaryoutcomestodate,discussedinthisreport, isbasedonavarietyofresearchmethodsincludingthefollowing3:AnalysisofmonitoringdataThis report includes an analysis of quarterly monitoring reports provided by deliverypartners, which provide specific information relating to the project beneficiaries andvolunteers, with a focus on the aims and objectives of Time to Shine and how well theindividualprojectshaveperformedagainsttheir targets.Appendix2providesanoverviewof other supporting documents supplied by delivery partners, such as illustrative quotesfrombeneficiaries, test and learnexamples, and case studies.Nearly all deliverypartners(aside from one - A.G.E) are utilising online resources to promote their projects, such asthroughawebsite,orsocialmediaplatforms(FacebookandTwitter).AnalysisofbaselineCMFsurveydataDatafromSurveyOnewereusedtooutlinetheprofileofTimeToShineparticipants(afullanalysisof the surveydata, across2 timepoints,will beprovided in thenext report). Thedatawas entered into statistical software, (IBM SPSS Statistics 22), checked, cleaned andthenanalysed.Thenumberofvalidsurveyresponseswas308.181participantscompletedafull CMF questionnaire,meaning theywere asked all questions, 116 people completed amedium questionnaire, and 11 a short questionnaire. For the short questionnairerespondentswereaskedbasicquestionswithregardtheircharacteristicsandcircumstances.WheresurveyresponsesrefertothefullCMFrespondentsonly,thisisspecified.

QualitativeinterviewsInterviews with 8 4 project beneficiaries were carried out to capture more in-depthinformation about their experiences of being involved in Time to Shine. Each interviewlasted approximately 45-60 minutes and was conducted face-to-face following a semi-structured interview schedule (seeAppendix7).Anonymitywasassuredandpseudonymsareused throughout.Viewswere soughton theirmotives for involvement, thenatureofactivitiestheyengagedin,theimpacttheactivitieshad,theirexperiencesofloneliness,theopportunities they had for participation in design and delivery of the activities, anydifficultiesorbarrierstotheirinvolvement,andanysuggestionstheyhadforimprovement.The interviewswere transcribedandanalysedmanually, looking for common themesandrecurringissues.FocusgroupsFourfocusgroupswerecarriedoutinvariouslocationsacrossLeeds(3wereheldcentrally,and one in the Crossgates area), and representatives of 8 projects attended5. All focusgroupsinvolvedamixtureofparticipantsacrosstheTimetoShineprojects(3weretargetedspecificallyatbeneficiaries,andoneatvolunteers,althoughtheformeralsoincludedsomevolunteers).Allfocusgroupparticipantswereprovidedwitha£10giftvoucher,asathank

3Thestakeholderinterviews,casestudies,andfollowupCMFwillbepublishedinareportinJune20174A total of 9 beneficiaries were interviewed, but the data from one interview was removed, at the request of theinterviewee.5Afurther6focusgroupsareduetobecarriedout,includingonededicatedtoABCDprojects,and6individualcasestudies,includingonefortheLycheeChinesegroup,whichhasalreadytakenplaceandhad14attendees.Thesefocusgroupswillbediscussedinthenextreport,dueJune2017.

7

you for taking part. Peer researchers (older people living in Leeds) were trained andsupportedtofacilitatethefocusgroups(discussedinmoredetailbelow).Thefocusgroupsdiscussed both individual experiences, but also broader themes around how to reachisolatedolderpeople,whatismeantbyloneliness,andpotentialpathwaysintoloneliness.Thefocusgroupswereaudiorecorded,thentranscribedandanalysedmanually,lookingforcommonthemesandrecurringissues.ThefocusgroupschedulecanbefoundinAppendix8.Appendix 3 provides a breakdown of the one-to-one interviews; focus group participantsandCMFresponsesreceivedfromeachofthefundeddeliverypartners.

8

3.ProfileofsurveyrespondentsandIntervieweesSurveyRespondentsRecruitmentandreferralsThissectiondiscussesthe initial findingsobtainedfromthefirstwaveof thesurvey.Oncethedatawas cleaned, a total of 3086survey responseswere analysed, across 12projects(Appendix4provides thenumberof surveyscompletedbyprojectprovider, including theproportionoffullCMF’sandpercentagetotals).

Ofthe268peoplewhoprovidedaresponse,most(60.4%),hadsomeformofassistanceincompletingtheCMF. Incidencesofnon-responsewere found, inmanycases, tobehigherforrespondentswhocompletedthesurveywithouthelp.Forexampleoneofthequestions(basedontheDeJonglonelinessscalewhichincludessixinterrelatedquestions)hadanon-responserateof16.2%forthosewhoreceivedhelpcompletingtheform,butroseto29.2%forthosewhocompletedthesurveyunassisted.Thissuggeststhatadditionalguidancemayberequiredtoensureahigherresponseratetothisparticularsetofquestions.

The survey responses show that participants were recruited on to Time to Shine via anumberofdifferentsources,thefrequentresponse,fromnearlyhalfofparticipants,isthatthey heard about Time to Shine through project staff/volunteers or providers, this wasfollowed by family or friends or a leaflet or poster (20.5% and 15.5% respectively). Thestakeholderswhowere interviewed viewed GPs as a potentially valuable referral (pleaserefer to stakeholder report Alden and Wigfield, 2016) however referrals via this routeconstitutedonly5.1%(N=15)oftotalreferrals.AfulllistofreportedreferralroutescanbefoundinTable1.

Table1:Howdidyoufindoutabouttheactivity,projectorevent?

ReferralRoute Number Percentageofrespondents

GP 15 5.1Adultsocialcareorsocialservices 9 3.0Shelteredaccommodation/residentialcare

3 1.0

Friendorfamily 61 20.5Leafletorposter 46 15.5Website 3 1.0Projectstaff/volunteer 92 31.0Projectprovider 35 11.8Magazineornewsletter 8 2.7Thirdsectororganisation 7 2.4Other/prefernottosay/NA 18 6.1Total 297 100.0

6Basedonthebirthdateprovided,oneparticipantwasexcludedduetobeingunder50.

9

Theone-to-oneinterviewrespondentswerealsoaskedhowtheyhadheardaboutTimetoShine,andarangeofresponseswereprovided,including:atotheractivitysessions,throughnotificationatchurchortemple,atatalkonAgeingwithoutChildren,viafriendsorthroughotherservicesoffered,suchasHospitaltoHome.

Thehighreferralratethroughprojectprovidersorstaffsuggestthatforaroundhalfofcases(atleastforthosewhocompletedasurvey),serviceswerenotnecessarilyprovidedtonewlyengagedpeopleandinanumberofcaseswereofferedtothosewhowerealreadyaccessingsupportofsomekind.However,itmaybethatolderpeoplewhowerealreadyengagedwithaprojectwereencouragedtoaccessdifferentservicesbeingrunthroughTimetoShine.ForexamplesomerespondentsheardaboutTimetoShinethroughtheinformationandadviceandhospital tohomeservicesprovidedbyAgeUK.Furthermore,overa fifthheardabouttheprojectthroughadvertising,suchasthroughaposter, leaflet,magazineornewsletter,meaning that this method of promoting projects had some level of success. Only onerespondent reportedhearingaboutTimetoShine through their local library, soalongsidefocusingonincreasingreferralsthroughhealthservices,approachinglocalservicessuchaslibrariescouldbeagoodpotentialroutetoattempttoincreasereferralsofpeoplewhomaynotbecurrentlyaccessingservices(thoughitisappreciatedthatthismayhavetakenplace).

Typesofservices

Intermsofthetypesofserviceofferedtoparticipantsjustunderhalf(48.1%)wereprimarilygroup based and just over two fifths (40.1%) were one-to-one (23.2%). 11.4% offered amixedmodelofservicedelivery.

Characteristicsofparticipants

Hereweoutlinethemaincharacteristicsofthe308validsurveyresponses,focusingon:age;gender; ethnicity; religion / belief; sexual orientation; self-reported long-term healthconditions; disability; living arrangements and care responsibilities. Characteristics ofparticipantsbyprojectareprovidedinAppendix5).

GenderandageAstendstobetypicalinprogrammessuchasTimetoShinewhichtargetolderpeople,themajority of the survey respondents (72.2%)werewomen,with just over a quarter beingmen.Theageoftheparticipantsrangedfrom51to96years,withtheaverage(mean)agebeing74years(theagedistributionbetweenmenandwomenwasthesame).Ethnicity,religionandsexualorientationAsTable2outlines,ofthepeoplewhocompletedthesurvey,57%identifiedthemselvesasWhite (UK) and 33.2% described themselves as coming from an Asian background (20%Indian,2.3%Pakistaniand10.2%Chinese);5.6%identifiedthemselvesasIrish.Theseoverallfigures disguise large differences in the ethnic background of respondents across theprojectsinwhichTimetoShinewasimplemented.ForexamplethemajorityofBAME(BlackAsian andMinority Ethnic) respondents (all except 11)were involved in the fourprojectsaimedatparticularBAMEgroups(theseincludetheLycheeRedChineseSeniorsProject,theBMESeniorsNetwork,RaatDiRotiandtheCaraproject).AlloftheChineserespondents,forexample,wereinvolvedintheLycheeRedChineseSeniorsProject.Furthermore,inrelationtotheBMESeniorsNetworkandRaatDiRotiprojects,allolderpeoplewhorespondedto

10

thesurveyandutilisedtheirserviceswerefromanon-whitebackground.WhilstthenumberofsurveyscompletedforthoseinvolvedintheWalkwithMeprojectwerelow(N=7),71.4%of the respondents involved in this project, which is based in Chapeltown, were ofBlack/African/Caribbean/BlackUKorigin(Appendix4providesabreakdownbyproject).

Table2:WhatisyourEthnicBackground?

EthnicBackground Number PercentageofRespondents

WhiteEnglish/Scottish/welsh/N.Irish/UK 174 57.0White-Irish 17 5.6White-AnyotherWhitebackground 4 1.3Asian/AsianUK-Indian 61 20.0Asian/AsianUK-Pakistani 7 2.3Asian/AsianUK-Chinese 31 10.2Asian/AsianUK-AnyotherAsianbackground 2 .7Black/African/Caribbean/BlackUKCaribbean 7 2.3Prefernottosay 2 .7Total 305 100.0

When asked about their religion, the most frequent response was Christian, at 53.8%,followedbySikhat15.1%,followedbynoreligionat13%,afullbreakdownisprovided inAppendix6.

Thesurveyincludesaquestionwhichaskspeopleabouttheirsexualorientationandafairlylargeproportion(justunder10%)eitherdidnotrespond,orpreferrednottosay.Ofthosewhodidrespondthemajority,at95.6%,identifiedthemselvesasheterosexual(N=259),atotalof10respondents(3.8%ofthetotalsample)identifiedasLGBT(Lesbian,Gay,Bi-SexualorTransgender),ofwhichsevenwereinvolvedwiththeSageproject.

LivingarrangementsRespondentswereaskedwhethertheylivedaloneorwithoneormoreotherperson.Ofthe300 valid responses, peoplemost commonly reported living alone (53.7%).Nearly a third(31%)livedwiththeirspouseorpartner,and14%withfamily.Asmallnumber(1.3%)livedin residential accommodation. There are, however, differences between the livingarrangements of male and female respondents, with a larger proportion of femalerespondents (60.5%) than their male counterparts (43.7%) living alone, thus reflectingnational trends (ONS,2014),and identifying similar findingsofpreviousprogrammes (e.g.AgeUKsFitfortheFutureprogramme,seeWigfieldetal.2015).TheproportionofmenandbeneficiarieswholivedaloneattheprojectlevelisprovidedinAppendix5.

CaringresponsibilitiesCarersareaparticulartargetgroupfortheTimetoShineprogramme,whilstaprojecthasrecentlybeenfundedaimedspecificallyatcarersandrunbyCarersLeeds,beneficiariesofthisprojecthavenotyetcompletedasurvey.Ofthoseinvolvedintheotherprojects,16.1%oftherespondentsreportedthattheyhadcaringresponsibilities(N=300),andofthese,justunder 15% reported having a disability or long-term condition themselves. Men were

11

slightly more likely (at 22.2%) to describe themselves as a carer, compared to 14.1% ofwomen,whichisaninterestingfindingandmayrequiresomefurtheranalysis(carerstatusattheprojectlevelcanbefoundinAppendix5).

VolunteeringJustunderonefifthofrespondents(18.8%)wereinvolvedintheTimetoShineprojectinthecapacityofavolunteer.

Disabilityorlong-termhealthconditionsOverhalf the respondents (55.7%) reported that theyhadeither adisabilityor long-termhealthcondition.RespondentswhovolunteeredforaTimetoShineprojectwerelesslikelyto report a disability or health condition, at 38%, than the beneficiaries (where 59%reportedahealthcondition/disability).Asexpected,illnessanddisabilityrosewithage,butnotsignificantlyso.Forexampleoverhalfpeopleagedbetween51-69reportedanillnessordisability (52.1%), compared to 56.6% of people aged between 70 and 80, and 59% ofpeopleagedover80.Anumberofissueswereassociatedwithareportedhealthcondition,for example people who identified themselves as having a health condition or disabilitywerelesssatisfiedwithlife,andlessactive(thisisdiscussedfurtherintherelevantsectionslater).AswithBAMEbeneficiaries,thosewithdisabilitiesand/orlong-termhealthconditionsweredistributedslightlydifferentlyacrosstheprojectsandarelistedinAppendix5.InterviewparticipantsOf the one-to-one interview respondents, six were widows and one was single andseparated;alllivedaloneandnonehadcaringresponsibilities;onewasmarriedbutwithnofamily. The average age was 77 and ranged from 60-85 years. Bereaved or separatedparticipantshadlivedontheirownbetween13monthsto19years,withamediantimeofsixyears.Allwerefemale.Mosthadfamilylivinglocalorlivinginotherpartsofthecountry.Allintervieweessawlocalfamilymembersregularly,andallalsoreferredtotheirbusylives.For the focus groups information on age and current situation was not gathered at anindividualbasis,thoughwecanreportthatofthe25whotookpart,6weremen.

12

4.ExperiencesofSocialIsolation,Loneliness,HealthandWell-beingThissectionexploressomeofthekeyfindingsemergingfromthebaselinesurveyresponses,theone-to-oneinterviews,andthefocusgroupdiscussionswithparticipantsandvolunteerswho have been involved with Time to Shine, across a range of projects. It provides adiscussion around the conceptsof social isolation and loneliness, from theperspectiveofparticipantsandvolunteers,andexplorestheirperceivedlevelsofhealthandwell-being.

Lonelinessandsocialisolation:viewsandexperiencesofintervieweesWhilstanumberoftheinterviewees(bothone-to-oneandfocusgroupparticipants)didnot,inthemain,appeartobethemostlonely,lonelinesswasexperiencedatleastsomeofthetimebymost,andwasspecificallyidentifiedbymanyasachiefreasonfortakingpartinaTimetoShineactivity.Oftheinterviewees7whofeltlonely,arangeofreasonsweregiven,forthisincluding:separationfromfamily(throughbeingbusyordistant),lossofanexistingsocialnetwork,havingnorelationshipwithneighboursorpeopleinthelocalneighbourhood,difficulty getting outside due to a disability, confidence issues (sometimes triggered bybereavement,disabilityor identifyingasLGBT),andbereavement(normallyapartner,butalsolossofafriendwasreferredto).Itwassuggestedthatparticularlifecourseexperiences,or‘transitions’playaroleinthelikelihoodofpeopleexperiencinglonelinessinlaterlife.Thetransitionsmentioned included: bereavement; being diagnosedwith a disability or healthcondition; retirement;andfamilymovingaway.Perceptionsof lonelinesswerealso linkedto‘neighbourliness’,withmanyintervieweesfeelingthatthoughtheirneighbourswouldsayhello, they ‘kept themselves to themselves’ and did not really engage in what could bereferred to as ‘meaningful interaction’.Wewill return to specific discussions, particularlybereavementandtheneighbourhood,below.Somerespondentsreportedhavinglimitedcontactduetoculturalissues,suchaslanguage:That’swhyIcame,[Ihad]no-onetotalkto,myneighboursarenotChineseCultural issues were identified as being particularly important with the Punjabi speakingfocusgroup,withparticipantsstressingthatissuesspecifictoAsianculturemayimpactonboth the triggers and ways of dealing with social isolation and loneliness (culture isdiscussedseparatelywhenweconsiderbarriersandfacilitators,below).

Other interviewees wanted more interaction with others as they recognised they werespending toomuch time alone indoors, withmany stating that before involvement withTimetoShinetheyspentatleastseveraldaysathomeontheirown:

[Thereis]nothinginterestingathome,no-onetalking,justTVYouaresatathomewithnothingbutthetelevisionforcompany

I justhatebeingbymyself[inthehouse].You’vegottokeepintouchwitheverything.Youcutyourselfoffreallyifyoudon’ttakeanynoticeofwhat’sgoingon

7 Interviewees refer to both the one to one interviews and focus group participants.

13

Anotherstatedthatitwasimportanttohertoremainsociallyconnectedasawaytocombatloneliness, ‘Ihavetofilleveryweekdaywithaproject, if I’min, Istarttogodownandgetdepressed’. Most focus group participants recognised the importance of being aroundothers, with one person suggesting that people feel ‘sick’ when they are alone, and arehappierwheninvolvedwithothers(howeveritisimportanttopointoutthatthisviewwasnotsharedbyeveryone,thoughallwhodisagreedhadsomelevelofsocialcontact).Though a number of focus groupbeneficiarieswere volunteers,many reported that theyalsogotinvolvedinTimeToShinetokeepsociallyconnected,andtoavoidsocialisolationorlonelinessthemselves.Onepointedtotheissueof‘boredom’,andneedingsomethingtodotofeeluseful:

Ivolunteer,Igetenjoymentfromit,IfeelsatisfactionasIamhelpingothers,yougetbackmorethanyouputin’

Oneparticipantwithadistantfamilywasattractedbytheweekendactivityofferedbytheirproject:Yesplease,there’snotalotyoucandoonSaturdaysandSundaysThesuggestionthatlonelinessistimeandcontextspecificcameacrossstronglyinthefocusgroups.Whilstmostparticipantswerefairlyactive,anddidnotnecessarilyfitdirectlywiththeTimeToShineprioritygroupsofbeing‘hardtoreach’,someneverthelessexperiencedlonelinessatparticulartimes,witheveningsandweekendsbeingfrequentlyreferredto. Itwas also suggested that peoplemayhave relationshipswith family, but nevertheless feelsomedegreeofisolationduetoalackofrelationshipswithpeers.Theimportanceofhavingtheopportunitytomeet,andgainsupportfrom,friendswasalsohighlightedinacasestudyprovidedbyadeliverypartner.Whentheconceptof loneliness itselfwasspecificallyexploredduring focusgroups,a fewreferred to it as a complex phenomenon. In fact, when asked about their experience oftakingpart in the focusgroup, somesaid itmade themrealisehowbroad theconceptoflonelinessis,withonevolunteerstatingthatithadledhertoconsiderwhethertheprojectsheisinvolvedinisdesignedtoaddressthe‘pain’ofloneliness.Othersagreedthatthereisariskthatthecoreissueof loneliness,andtheaimofreachingpeoplewhoarelonelycansometimesgetforgotten.Anothervolunteer,involvedinasteeringgroup,reportedfeelingmotivatedtoensurethatthe importanceofaddressing loneliness isreiteratedatthenextprojectmeeting.Inonefocusgroupthegeneralconsensuswasthatpeopleexperiencelonelinessindifferentways, that it isan internal ‘personal’experiencewhichmeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople. The discussion about the meaning of loneliness opened up some debate duringfocusgroups.Forexampleonevolunteer,whodidnotexperience loneliness, suggested itwas ‘beingonyourown24/7’,however,mostdisagreedwiththis,withmanystatingtheyfeltlonely‘attimes’,particularlywhen‘satinthehouse’.Theimportanceofgettingoutofthehousewashighlightedbymany:

14

Ifeelyouneedtogoout,itisimportanttohaveahobby

Afewidentifiedwiththeexperienceoffeeling‘isolatedinacrowd’andanotherthat‘Ifeelout of tune with the room’. One beneficiary stated that at times she enjoyed her owncompanyathome,but thatafteraperiodof time it canbecomedifficult, and that she isawareofwhenthesefeelingshappen,whenshestartstolookforwardtoseeinghercarer:

IknowI’mlonelywhenIamlookingforwardtomycarerscoming,buttheyarepaid,theyhavetocometome,theyarenotmyfriends

The above quote draws attention to the importance of the ‘quality’ of relationships and‘who’ the relationships arewith. For examplewhen considering the contacts that peoplehaveaspartofanassessmentof levelsofsocial isolation,somemeasures includecontactwith carers, but for some, although this might reduce isolation it does not necessarilyreduceloneliness.Thatisnottosaythatforsomepeople,interactingwithcarersmaynotbe a positive experience, but that it is important to distinguish between the value thatpeople may place on particular relationships. Examples were also provided of where aperson could be socially isolated due tomixingwith family only, thus touching upon theimportanceofthe‘range’ofrelationshipsthatpeoplemayhave. Linked to this, itwasfeltimportantbyintervieweestohavea‘personalconnection’tosomeone.Returningtothepointatthebeginningofthissectionthatfeelingsoflonelinessarecontextspecificanditsexperienceisfairlyuniquebasedonthespecifictrajectoriesofindividuals,avolunteer stated that shecouldnot recallever feeling lonely,but felt thiswasdue toherownparticularexperiences:

Iwas anonly child, I amused tomyown company,when I amalone I feel a sense ofpeace;Ilikemyownspace.Idon’tfeellonely,thatisnotthewaymyheadworks

Another participant stated that he sometimes preferred to be alone, yet 2 other maleparticipantsdisagreed,andsaiditwasimportanttothemtobeabletomixwithothers:

Weallneedcompany,withoutcompanyweallget lonely, if Istay indoors Igomad, itshumannature

Whilst a few people suggested theywere ‘too busy’ to be lonely, the general consensusamongintervieweeswasthattheyfeltlonelyatleastsomeofthetime;thiswasparticularlyso for people who are single, or who live alone. Some people said they did not like to‘interrupt’friendsinacoupleorfamilymembers,particularlyiftheywork,asweekendsmaybeviewedas‘precioustime’tothem.Somefocusgroupparticipantsfeltthatitwaseasierto deal with feelings of loneliness if you livedwith someone, as you have some level ofcompanionship. In fact,bereavementwasviewedasasignificantcauseof loneliness.Oneperson stated that she felt that something had been ‘torn away’. A number of poignantexamplesofhowthisbereavementmadepeoplefeelwasprovided:

Ididn’tknowwhatlonelinesswasuntilithappened,ittearsyouup,Ican’tdescribeit

15

Ihavefamily,butIstillfeellonelyinside,itishardtodescribe,Ifeelveryempty…Imisstheonepersonwhomattersmost,theyarenotthere,Ican’tgetawayfromthat

Itwaspointedout thatwhensingle, friendswhohaveapartnermaynotappreciatehowthatpersonmayfeellonely;itwasfeltthatifthatpersonthenlosestheirpartner‘thepennydrops’.Thelattercomment,inparticular,drawsattentiontothechallengeofaddressingloneliness,and that even projects where people have the opportunity to mix with others will notnecessarilyalleviateit.However,itisperhapsunrealisticforprojectssuchasTimetoShinetoaimforalleviatingloneliness(particularlyifthisisbornefrombereavement),andthebestthat can be achieved is providing support, a purpose, and something that may occupysomeone, or that they can enjoy). Several beneficiaries also spoke of the emotional andphysicalexhaustionexperiencedonbereavementanditsaftermathandtheneedforsomequiet time. This suggests that some people may be more receptive to Time to Shineactivities later rather than sooner. Conversely, a few of the ‘younger old’ beneficiariesalluded to the need to adopt a ‘preventative’ approach, to ensure they engage so as toprevent becoming lonely in the future. For example a married beneficiary was veryconscious of the need to be involved in community activities in preparation for a futurewhen she may be alone. Another, another younger participant who was in full-timeemployment recognised that retirement would increase social isolation. Focus groupparticipantsalsoreferredtoretirementasbeingariskfactor,whichcouldleadtoloneliness,as people may have less friends, and children have other things to do, this in turn isexacerbatedbyhealthproblems.

Whilsttheabovepointsneedtobeborneinmind,bereavedparticipantsreportedvaluingthesupportgiventhroughbeinginvolvedintheirrespectiveprojects,andweconsidertheseinmore detail whenwe discuss project outcomes later. Furthermore, the Time To Shineteamhavealsoresourcedtraininginthisarea,andrecognisebereavementasanimportantantecedenttopotentialloneliness.Whilstcarersandpeoplewithdementiahavealsobeenidentifiedasaprioritygroup,weareunable tocommenton theseparticularareasat themoment.Thisiseitherbecausetheresearchteamdidnotinterviewbeneficiarieswhofittedintothiscategory,orbecausethosespecifictopicswerenotdiscussed.Formany,beingathomepersewasnottheissue,butitwasmorethe‘choice’element,forexample one said ‘I am stuck in the house due to a disability, it is not a choice’ anotherstatedthatshedidnotfeelcomfortable leavingthehouseonherown. Infact,oneofthemostfrequentlymentionedreasonsforparticipationinTimeToShinewastogetoutofthehouse,tomeetotherpeopleandtogetinvolvedinnewopportunities:

[Iwantedto]seewhatwasgoingonandwhatIcouldjoininwithConsequently,projects involving sharingmeals togetherarewell received,withone focusgroupparticipantreportingthatattendingthisgavehertheconfidencetovisitplacesonherownthatshewouldnothavedonebeforeparticipating(thisisconsideredbelowwhenwefocusonTimetoShineoutcomes).

16

However, it was pointed out, and as highlighted above, that loneliness is not limited topeoplewhoarehousebound,anditwasfeltthateven‘active’peoplecanfeellonely,withafewfocusgroupparticipantsidentifyingwiththis.Overall, the focus group and one-to-one interviewees provided a broad range of viewsaroundwhatlonelinessmeanttothem,identifyingboththecomplexityoftheconcept,andthevarioustriggersintheirowncases.Allagreedthatitwasbeneficialtoopenupandtalkabouttheirviewsandexperiences,withafewpointingoutthatitisnecessarytokeepthistopic at the forefront of individual project steering groups, to ensure that the projectremainsfocusedonachievingthemainintendedoutcomes.Lonelinessandsocialisolation:SurveyResponsesSocialnetworksandcommunityinvolvementThis section considers the typesof contact that the survey respondentshavewith family,friends,neighbours,andthewidercommunity.Participantswereaskedarangeofquestionsrelatingtohowoftentheysocialisewithothers,includinghowoftentheymeetupinperson,speakonthetelephone,orbyemail/letter,ortext.Respondentswerealsoaskedhowoftenthey speak to non-family members who live in their local area, about volunteeringresponsibilities, and if they are a member of any organisations. These questions aim toassess levels of social contact, and are a useful way of examining the extent to whichrespondentsmaybesociallyisolated.

Overall,respondentsappeartobefairlysociallyconnected,withoverthreequarterseithermeetingorspeakingwithpeopletheyknowatleastonceaweek(at79.5%).Furthermore,two fifths reportedmeetingupwithpeoplemore than3 timesaweek (nearly4 timesasmanyasthosewhosaidtheymetupwithfriendseveryfewmonthsorless(11.2%).Infact,analysisofdatafromtheEnglishLongitudinalStudyofAgeingfoundthatolderresidentsinLeeds have higher levels of social contact and participation compared to those of olderresidents across the other Ageing Better areas (Ecorys 2016). A similar pattern wasidentifiedwhenrespondentswereaskedhowoftentheykeptintouchwithpeopleoverthephone,withnearlyhalf (48.3%)statingtheyspokeonthephone3timesormoreaweek,comparedto12.5%whodidsoevery fewmonthsor less.Respondentswere less likely tocommunicate by text message, letter/email, with these questions having a large non-responserate(78and80respectivelyoutofapossible308responses8).Whenallmethodsofcommunicationwereconsideredtogethertoassessthenumberofrespondentswhohadweeklycontactwithpeopletheykneweitherinperson,bytelephone,email/letterortext,averyhighnumberofrespondents(at87.6%)hadsomeformofregular(i.e.atleastweekly)contact. This proportionwasbroadly similar by age, carer status anddisability, and asidefrom Sage9, high levels of social contact were reported across the projects. Whilst theproportionofmenwhohadregularsocialcontactwithfamilyandfriends,at75.4%,wasstillviewedashigh,itwasneverthelesssignificantlylowerthanthatofthefemaleparticipants,at92.2%10

8 As the other questions in this section had a far lower non-response rate, it may be that some people mistakenly did not complete this question due it not being applicable to them (i.e. they do not own a mobile phone or computer), though, of course, we cannot say for sure. 9 Of the 7 responses received from Sage, 57.1% reported at least weekly contact, compared to an across project average of 87.5% 10 (χ2 (3, n = 280) = 14.6, p = .002, 2 tailed)

17

Ahighproportionofrespondentsalsoreportedregularlyspeakingwithpeopleintheirlocalarea,with77.9%doingsoatleastonceaweek,andjustover60%reportedthattheywereamemberofanorganisation,cluborsociety.PeoplewhocompletedthefullCMFwereaskediftheyhadcarriedoutvolunteeringinthelast12months,andaroundhalfstatedthattheyhad done so, with a further 36.3% stating they intended to volunteer in the future.However,whilst respondentshada relativelyhigh levelof community involvement,whenaskediftheyfelttheycouldinfluencedecisionsintheirlocalarea,theresponsewasmixed,withasmallerproportionofpeople(at37.3%)feelingtheycouldinfluencedecisionsintheirlocalarea(thoughathird(33.9%)wereunsureonthisquestion).

Despite overall social contact levels amongst the survey sample being relatively high, asignificantminority of respondents (38.3%) felt that they were less likely to take part inactivities thanotherpeopleof theirage (Figure1providesa fullbreakdown).Peoplewholivealoneweremorelikelytosaythattheyfelttheywerelesslikelytotakepartinactivitiesthan other people their age, at 45.5% compared to 32.5% of respondents who reportedliving with someone. There was a significant difference between participants with, andwithoutan illnessordisability,with the formermore likely to say theywere less likely totakepartinactivitiescomparedtoothersoftheirage(at48.3%),thanthelatter,at27.4%.Conversely, Time toShinevolunteersweremore likely to feel they tookpart in the sameamount,ormoreactivitiesthanotherstheirage,withonly27%perceivinglessinvolvement.Thisvariablewasalsocheckedagainstgenderandcarerstatus,andnorealdifferencewasfound.

Figure1:Comparedtootherpeopleofyourage,howoftenwouldyousayyoutakepartinsocialactivities?

18

ExperiencesoflonelinessThe De Jong Gierveld Scale has been used in the survey to measure both social andemotionalloneliness(inbriefterms,the‘social’refersmoretowhatiscommonlyreferredtoassocialisolation,andemotionallonelinessismoreakintothesubjectiveexperienceofloneliness).TheDeJongscaleincludes6questions;thefirst3refertoemotionalloneliness,andthelatter3tosocialloneliness(Table4listseachquestionontheDeJongscale,bylevelofloneliness).Table4:TheDeJongGierveldLonelinessScale,bylonelinesstypeEmotionalloneliness SociallonelinessIexperienceageneralsenseofemptiness There are plenty of people I can rely on

whenIhaveproblemsImisshavingpeoplearoundme There are many people I can trust

completelyIoftenfeelrejected ThereareenoughpeopleIfeelclosetoThe response choices are either, ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘more or less’. The neutral and positiveanswers are scored as “1” on the negatively worded questions and 0 on the positivelywordedquestions.Insimpleterms,aminimumscoreof0referstothe‘least’lonelypeople,andascoreofsixthe‘mostlonely’people.Basedonthe251peoplewhorespondedtoallthequestionsinthescale,theaverageoverallscore,at2,isatthelowerendoftheDeJongLonelinessscale,meaningthatmostpeoplewerenotclassedasverylonely.

However,wealsoconsideredthequestionsseparately,assessingbothemotionallonelinessand social loneliness. For example even people who are assessed as having many socialconnectionsmayneverthelessfeellonely,andviceversa.Indeed,whenviewedseparately,the scores indicated higher levels of emotional loneliness among the survey sample. Thiswas perhaps expected when we consider the high levels of identified social contactdiscussedintheprevioussubsection.Forexamplehalfoftherespondentsscoredpositivelywhen asked if they felt a general sense of emptiness (i.e. indicating loneliness on thatparticular variable). Furthermore, 69.1% scored positively to the question ‘I miss havingpeoplearound’;alowernumber,30.1%scoredpositivelyonfeelingsofrejection.Incontrast,whenpeoplefocusedmoreonsocialconnections,only16.2%providedanegativeresponsetothequestion‘ThereareplentyofpeopleIcantalkto’,and17.6%tothequestion‘Therearemanypeople I can trust completely, and18.1% for: ‘Thereareplentyofpeople I feelclose to’. These findings suggest that the survey sample’s experience is more akin toloneliness,thansocialisolation.

Ecorys(2016)carriedoutabaselineprofileofolderpeopleinall14AgeingBetterareas,inwhich nearly 6,000 older people aged 63 and over took part. In Leeds, the survey wasconductedwith463peoplewholiveinArmley,GiptonandHarehillsandWetherby.ItwasfoundthattheoverallDeJongscore,at1.9,wassimilartothatoftheCMFrespondents,at2.However themean score when the responses were separated into emotional and socialloneliness differed quite dramatically for the former (though less so for the latter). ForexampleEcorysreportedthatofapossiblemaximumof3(i.e.representingthemostlonely),respondentswhoresidedinLeedsscored0.9forbothemotionalandsocialloneliness(withthelatterbroadlycorrespondingtoscoresacrossthe14ageingbetterareas,andtheformerbeingslightlyhigher(anaverageof0.9comparedto0.7)).However,theCMFrespondents

19

scored a lower average of 0.5 for social loneliness, and a far higher score for emotionalloneliness,at1.6.ThissuggeststheCMFrespondents,whilstmoresociallyconnectedthanexpected, also have higher rates of emotional loneliness than the population studied byEcorys. Based on the aforementioned high levels of social contact, a low score for sociallonelinesswasexpected.ThesefindingssuggestthatTimetoShineisreachingolderpeoplewhoexperienceloneliness,asopposedtosocialisolation.

The survey also assessed loneliness amongst respondents by using 4 questions selectedfromtheRevisedUCLALonelinessScale (Hughesetal,2004): ‘Howoftendoyou feelyoulackcompanionship?’’Howoftendoyoufeelisolatedfromothers?’‘Howoftendoyoufeelleftout?’and‘Howoftendoyoufeel intunewiththepeoplearoundyou?’.Therewere3responseoptionstoeachquestion: ‘hardlyeverornever’, ‘someofthetime’,and ‘often’.Mostrespondentsreportedthattheysometimesoroftenlackcompanionship(63.4%),andwhilstasmallernumberreportedfeelingisolatedsometimesoralways,thisstillconstitutedoverhalfofthesample(53.5%).Asimilarproportionfeltsometimesoroften‘leftout’(49.5%of the 182 total responses). Focusing on the positive question, a smaller number 18.9%statedthattheyhardlyeverfeltintunewithothers.Whilstwecannotknowforcertain,itisimportant to note here, that the different response to the final questionmay be due to‘responsesetbias’.Thatis,thefirst3questionsarenegativelyworded,whereasthe‘feelingin tune’withothers, ispositivelyworded.Aswith theDe Jongscale, these relativelyhighincidences of reported feelings of isolation and lack of companionship suggest someprevalenceoffeelingsoflonelinessamongthesample,despitethefairlyhighreportedlevelofsocialcontact.FullanalysisoftheDeJongGierveldandUCLAlonelinessscales,particularlyassessmentofchangeovertime,willbeexaminedforthemoredetailedreportinJune2017.

Loneliness and health status Aswith satisfactionwith life (see below), peoplewho reported a disability showed somedifferences in responses to the UCLA loneliness scale, with over three quarters (77%),reportingthattheylackedcompanionshipsomeormostofthetime,comparedtolessthanhalfofthosewhodidnothaveadisability(at43.6%).Thisgroupwerefurthermorenearlytwiceaslikelytoreportfeelingleftoutsometimesoroften(61%comparedto33.3%ofthegroupwhoreportednoillnessordisability)andalsotwicealikelytoreportfeelingisolatedfromotherssometimesoroften(68%versus32%).Norealdifferenceswerefoundbetweeneithergroupforthequestionwhichaskediftheyfeltintunewithothers.Itneeds tobeborne inmind that thereare someotherdifferencesbetweenpeoplewhohaveahealth conditionordisability, and thosewhowhichmay influence the results. Forexample people with an illness or disability were more likely to live alone (at 58.4%comparedto47.3%ofthosewhodonot),thuswewouldexpectthisgrouptobemorelikelyto lack companionship, based on feedback provided by the interviewees.However, therewas little difference in satisfaction with life scores between those who lived alone, andthosewhodidnot.Feedbackfromthefocusgroupsandone-to-oneinterviewssuggeststhatbereavementisanimportantfactorwhichmaycontributetoloneliness,whilstthisquestionwasnotasked,wecanreasonablyexpectthatpeoplewholivealonearemorelikelytobeinthisgroup.

20

Loneliness and volunteer status In termsof scoreson theUCLAscale therewere fairly largedifferencesbetweenTime toShineprojectvolunteersandbeneficiaries,withtheformerbeinglesslikelytoreportlackingcompanionshipsomeormostofthetime(at48.8%)whencomparedtothelatter,at67.9%.The respective results for feeling left outwas 36.6% for volunteers compared to 54% forbeneficiaries and 44% of volunteers reported experiencing isolation at least some of thetime, compared to55%ofbeneficiaries. Itwas found thatTime toShinevolunteerswerelesslikelytofeelleftoutregardlessofhealthstatus.However,healthstatushadanimpactonthelikelihoodofexperiencingsomeelementsofloneliness,suchasfeelingsofisolationand lack of companionship. For example for Time to Shine volunteers with a diagnoseddisabilityorhealthcondition,thenumberwhoreportedlackingcompanionshipandfeelingisolatedmostorallofthetimeincreasedto60%inbothcases.

Healthandwell-being:viewsandexperiencesofsurveyrespondentsThissectionconsidersdatawhichrelatesmoretothesecondaryoutcomesof theTimetoShine programmewhich focuses on improving the health and well-being of participants,through, for example, improving attitudes toward, and actual levels of physical activity,alongsidesatisfactionwithlifeandreportedemotionalwell-being.Asintervieweeswerenotexplicitlyaskedtodiscusstheirviewsinthisarea,thissectionexploresthebaselinesurveyresponses(intervieweeresponsestoissuesaroundhealthandwell-beingisreturnedtolater,whenweconsidersomeoftheprojectoutcomestodate).

SatisfactionwithlifeRespondentswereaskedtomarkonascaleofzerototenhowsatisfiedtheyfeltabouttheirlives in general, with zero indicating extremely dissatisfied and ten indicating extremelysatisfied. The average (mean) value on the satisfaction with life scale was high, at 6.7(standarddeviation2.50) (the levelwas slightly lower formen, at 6.3when compared towomen,at6.9).However,thisisstilllowerthanthereportedaverageforLeedsasreportedby theOffice forNational Statistics, at 7.5 (Ecorys2016).Overall, halfwere very satisfiedwiththeirlives(choosing8to10),and15%werequitesatisfied(choosing6to7),thesamenumberwerecompletelyormostlyunsatisfied(choosing0to4);justunderafifth(18.9%)scored 5 (see figure 2). Life satisfaction levels were broadly similar when examined bygender, living status (i.e. live alone versus with others) and by age. Themost importantidentifieddifferencewasthelevelsofsatisfactionreportedbypeoplewhohaveanillnessordisability, compared to those who do not, with the former being half as likely to reportbeingverysatisfied(at33.3%),thanpeoplewithoutadisabilityorcondition(at74%).

21

Figure2:Satisfactionwithlifeasawhole

*OnlypeoplewhocompletedafullCMFrespondedtothisquestion–sothetotalnumberofresponsesislowerthanthefullsample.

People with a disability or health condition were six times more likely to identify theirsatisfactionwithlifeasbeing5orless,(at51.6%,comparedtoonly9%ofthosewithoutanillness or disability). This suggests a strong link between health and satisfactionwith life(Figure3).

Figure 3: Mean satisfaction with life by illness or long-standing condition

22

Wealsoconsideredwhethervolunteering for theTimetoShineprojecthadan impactonsatisfactionwith life. Itwas found that volunteersweremore likely to report feelingverysatisfied (i.e. scoring 8 or more, at 58%); a higher average overall (mean = 7, standarddeviation2.1),wasalsorecorded.However,disabilitystatuswasassessedashavingalargeinfluenceonthesatisfactionwithlifescoreforTimetoShinevolunteers.Forexamplewhendisability status was isolated the average satisfaction with life score for volunteers whoreportedhavingahealthconditionreducedto6.4(standarddeviation1.8).Further,athirdofvolunteerswhoreportedahealthconditionordisabilityassessedtheirsatisfactionwithlifeas5orless,comparedtolessthanhalf(16%)oftheirnondisabledcounterparts.

MentalWell-beingTheCMFsurveyincludesthesevenitem(short)Warwick-EdinburghMentalWellbeingScale’(SWEMWBS), a validatedmeasure ofmentalwell-being. Respondentswere asked to ratetheirfeelingsovertheprevious2weeksfromone(noneofthetime)to5(allofthetime)onsevenstatements:‘I’vebeenfeelingoptimisticaboutthefuture’;‘I’vebeenfeelinguseful’;‘I’vebeenfeelingrelaxed’;‘I’vebeendealingwithproblemswell’;‘I’vebeenthinkingclearly’;‘I’vebeenfeelingclosetootherpeople’;and‘I’vebeenabletomakeupmyownmindaboutthings’.Ratingsweresummedup,producingatotalscorerangingfromsevento35foreachrespondent, and then the individual scores were averaged for the whole sample11. ThemeanvalueonthescaleforallSurveyOnerespondentswas25.1(standarddeviation=4.79,N=104).Thisscorewastransformed;sothat itcouldbecomparedtothecurrentnationalSWEMWBSaveragescoreof25.3(NEFConsulting2014)12.Thetransformedscore,at22.9,isconsidered ‘below average’, suggesting that the survey sample had lower levels of well-beingwhencomparedtotheUKasawhole.Whilstit isusefultocomparetheSWEMWBSscore achieved with the national average, our main purpose is to compare this initialbaselinescoreagainstthatprovidedinthefollowupsurveys,toassessiftherehasbeenanychangeovertimeasaresultoftheirinvolvementinTimeToShineactivities.

Physicalactivity:attitudesandbehaviourToexploreattitudestophysicalactivity,respondentswereaskedtochoosethestatementwhich best represents their attitude to physical activity. Most respondents, at 62.7%,thought physical activity was important to their health and they were doing somethingaboutit,whilstjust3.7%didnotthinkthatphysicalactivitywasimportanttotheirhealth.Athird(33.5%)thoughtthatphysicalactivitywasimportant,buttheywerenotdoinganythingaboutit.Forthelattergroupinparticular,itwillbeinterestingtoseeifthispositionchangesduetotakingpartinTimetoShinewhenthefollowupsurveysareanalysed.

Respondentswereasked towritedownthenumberofminutes theyspentdoingphysicalactivity inanaverageweek.AscanbeseeninFigure4therespondentswerefairlyactive,withoverathirdreportingthattheycarriedoutover3hoursaweek,thiscomparedto17.3%whocarriedoutactivity for30minutesaweekor less.TheChiefMedicalOfficer’s (CMO)guidelines for older people is 150 minutes a week (30 minutes for 5 days a week)

11It is importanttonotethatwecouldonlytakeintoaccountscoreswherearesponsewasprovidedtoall7questions,further,duetoanissueontheinitialfullCMF’sadministered,someresponsesneedtobeexcluded,thismeantthatatotalof104(ofapossible181respondents),arereportedhere.12 Transforming the SWEMWBS, for national comparison purposes, is required, and was carried out using asrecommendedbyWarwickMedicalSchoolwell-beingcomparatortool.

23

(Department of Health 2011). Based on the baseline survey just under half of theparticipants(48.1%)whoansweredthisquestionwerenotmeetingtheCMOguidelines.

Figure 4:Minutes spent carrying out physical activity in averageweek (PercentageN =179*)

*Only peoplewho completed a full CMF responded to this question – so the total number of responses islowerthanthefullsample.

Theresearch teamassessedwhether therewereanydifferences inphysicalactivity levelsbasedona rangeofcharacteristics, includinggender,caring responsibilities,andreporteddisability/long-termhealthcondition.Perhapsunsurprisinglypeoplewhoreportedanillnesswere less likely to be active, with 26.5% carrying out activity for 30 minutes or less,comparedtolessthan5.4%ofthosewithnoidentifieddisabilitiesorhealthconditions.Menweremorelikelytosaytheydid30minutesorlessofphysicalactivitythanwomen,at22.9%compared to14.9%, thoughstatistical testsdidnotshowasignificantdifferencebetweenthe 2 groups (it also needs to be borne inmind that this is basedon a total of 48male,compared to 127 female respondents). Further, a similar proportion ofmen andwomenreporteddoingover3hoursactivityaweek (at33.3and34.6%respectively).Though thenumbersoverallaresmall,carersreportedbeingmoreactivethannon-carers.Forexamplehalfofthe25carerswhorespondedtothisquestionreporteddoingover3hoursofphysicalactivityinaweek,comparedtounderathirdofnon-carers(31.8%ofasampleof148).Notsurprisinglylevelsofphysicalactivitytendstodecreaseaspeopleage,forexampleofpeopleaged between 51-69, less than 10% (9.8%) reported doing just 30 minutes of activity,compared to over a quarter (26.8%) of people aged over 80. Conversely nearly half ofpeopleaged51-69(47%)carriedoutover3hoursofphysicalactivity,comparedtoafifthofpeopleagedover80.

17.3

11.7

9.5

8.94.5

14

34.1

0-30minutes

30-60minutes

1to1.5hours

1.5to2hours

2to2.5hours

2.5to3hours

Over3hours

24

5.AchievingTimetoShineOutcomesandAssessingImpactTheprevioussectionsprovidedadiscussionaroundpeople’sexperiencesofsocialisolationand lonelinessand recordedhealthandwell-being,as reported through intervieweesandthebaselineCMF survey. This section focusesmore specificallyon theperceptionsof theintervieweesandfocusgroupattendeesontheoutcomesand impactofTimeToShinetodate. It needs to be borne inmind that as data collection and project activities are stillongoing(and,ofcourse,followupCMFsurveysareyettobeanalysed),thediscussionthatfollowsessentiallyprovidesapartialpictureatthisstage.

LonelinessandSocialIsolationAshighlightedpreviouslymanyintervieweesweremotivatedtoparticipateinTimetoShineactivitiesbecausetheyeitherexperiencedloneliness,orwishedtopreventlonelinessinthefuture. All one-to-one interviewees felt that their loneliness had subsequently reducedthroughtakingpartinTimetoShine,andallagreedthattheirsocialnetworkhadincreased.Theindividualprojectscontributedtothisthroughprovidingtheopportunitytogetoutsideandmeet new people, and also increasing people’s confidence to try new things. A fewinterviewees felt it gave themsomething todoat theweekend (whereprojectsprovidedactivitiesat this time);anotherappreciatedhaving someoneavailable toprovide support;and yet another felt it had helped her to feel more connected to likeminded people.Volunteersalsovaluedthesupporttheyreceivedtoenablethemtocontributetosomethingandfeeluseful.Theseoutcomesareconsideredinmoredetailbelow,wherebothindividual,andcommunityleveloutcomesareconsidered.IndividuallevelSupporting information provided by delivery partners referred to examples of peoplemakingnewfriendsduetoparticipatinginaTimetoShineproject:

IknowalotmorepeopleasaresultofcomingYoumeetdifferentpeople,withdifferentviewsanddifferentlives

Ashighlightedearlier(andlater)olderpeoplewhovolunteerforTimetoShinereferredtomultiplebenefitsforthemselvesasaresultoftheirparticipation.Inthisveinvolunteers,aswellasbeneficiaries,reportedincreasingtheirsocialnetworkthroughgettinginvolved:

Shecameasastranger,andisnowafriendForsome,theyappreciatedthechancetodevelopsomethingwithothers:

I feelhopeful that there is somethingthere I canbepartof. It’saboutbuildingasocialnetwork

Somemaintained relationships outsideof project based activities; someonly had contactwith others through attending activities, though nevertheless got on well with otherbeneficiaries:

25

I’venotmadefriendsthatIdootherthingswithbutIlikethepeopleA few interviewees felt that mental health was linked to loneliness, with a focus groupdiscussion concluding that loneliness could lead to depression. A few intervieweesspecificallyreferredtoTimetoShinealleviatingtheirdepression,andthis isconsidered inmoredetailwhenwelookatoutcomesrelatedtowell-being.Returning to thediscussionaround transitions, bereaved volunteers felt participationhadincreased their confidence and provided them with a purpose. Another felt that gettinginvolved in TimeToShinehadhelpedher to retainher identity after retiring, particularlythroughconnectingwithothersinasimilarsituation.Afewrecentlyretiredpeoplefeltthatvolunteering helped them to continue being part of a network, to feel valued andworthwhile as theywere continuing to contribute to something. Another referred to thebenefitofhavingsomething‘structured’inlifefollowingretirement.Anumberofcommentswereprovidedrelatingtoretirementinthevolunteerfocusgroup:

Ihavemadenewfriends,andstoppedfeeling like Iammissingoutduetonotworkinganymore

Itmademefeelpartofsomethingagain,andremindedmethatIstillhadsomethingtogive,thatIamapartofsomethingandofvaluetosomeone

Alongsidetransitionsrelatedtoretirementorbereavement,oneintervieweereferredtothefactthatbeforegettinginvolvedinTimetoShine,shehadfewfriendsduetorelocatingtoLeeds,butthishadnowchanged:

Inowhaveafulllife,beforethis[TimetoShine]IhadnothingThecommunitylevelOneoftherepresentativesofaprojectlinkedtotheLeedsCommunityConnecthubsstatedthatithadtakenlongerthanexpectedtogetoffoftheground,andhadonlybeenrunningfor around of 4 months at the time of the focus group. Nevertheless, the volunteersinvolved reported that the community activities were well attended and continued toexpand, with one reporting that the ‘community is coming together’. Furthermore, abeneficiarysaidthatshefeltmoreengagedinthecommunityasaresultoftheproject:

Ihavelivedinthesamevillagefor40years,Iknewnobody,everythingIdidwasoutsideofmyvillage,butnowIamacompletepartofthecommunity…It[theproject]openedthedoorandletmeintothevillage,itmakesmefeelwelcome

Some referred to community level support as ‘neighbourliness’ and felt that a sense ofneighbourliness had been lost in most areas in recent years. However, the above quotesuggeststhatprojectswhichadoptacommunityapproachcanhelptointegratepeopleintothecommunityandperhapsrekindlecommunityspirit.Reportsoffeelingmoreconnectedwith local communities was not just limited to community based projects, however. Avolunteer involved in a ‘Creating Support’ themed project also referred to how gettinginvolvedintheirlocalareahadmadethemfeelmoreconnected:

26

Iliveinaneighbourhoodthathadceasedtobe[aneighbourhood],theprojecthelpedmetoconnect,ithasextendedmyconnections

Thevolunteersstatedthattheyarealreadylookingtosustaintheactivitiesafterthefundingcomestoanend,bylookingatothersourcesofsupport.Infact,thefocusgroupsetting,anddiscussion on how to engage inspired some volunteers, through hearing about otherprojects,forexamplegivingoneanideaofsettingupa‘communityallotment’toprovideanactivitywhichmayappeal tomen.Whilst thisoutcome ispositive, itdoesdrawus to thefactthatitcantaketimetogetprojectsoffofthegroundandembedintothecommunityand that sustainability is heavily influenced by availability of funding (barriers relating tofundingaretoucheduponbrieflylater,butwillbediscussedmorefullyinthefinalreport).The following section discusses outcomes related more to health and well-being, which,whilstreferringtooutcomesaroundreducinglonelinessandsocialisolation,haveaspecificfocusonareassuchashealth,confidenceandmood.

Healthandwell-beingThoughreducingsocialisolationandlonelinessisthechiefaimofTimetoShine,improvedhealthandwell-being,particularlyasaconsequenceofbecomingmoresociallyconnected,isasecondaryaim.Forexampleitwasviewedthatprojectsinvolvingphysicalexercisesuchaswalkingwouldcontributetowardsincreasedphysicalfitness(wewillnotbeabletoreporton this until the follow up CMF surveys have been analysed). Whilst no-one specificallyreportedchangestophysicalhealth,oneparticipantofanexerciseclasswassurprisedatitseffect:

Icouldn’tbelievehowwellIfeltSomeofthepotentialhealthbenefitsreferredtowerespecificto individualprojects,suchas comments by beneficiaries reporting that involvement in projects which had a foodelementhadledtothemeatinghealthier.When prompted for changes to general wellbeing, respondents were unanimous thatparticipationinTimetoShinemadethemfeelgoodandhappy:

It’slikesunshineandsunshinemakesmefeelbetter

Ifeelhappier.IlookforwardtoWednesdaysPeoplearesofunny.It’sliketheatreallthetime

Ifeelit[TimetoShine]hasgivenmeahome,itbringspeopletogether,itofferspeoplehelp,itgivesthemsomethingtolookforwardto

Allrespondentswerealsounanimousaboutthefriendlinessofactivityorganisers.

27

In theprevious sectionwe referred to the fact that someparticipants felt that lonelinesscontributedtodepression,andthatinvolvementwithTimetoShinehadhelpedalleviateitforsome:

Getting involvedhasgot ridofmydepression,my family live farawayand I started tobecomevery tearful,but since joining theproject Ihavemade lotsof friendsand I feelhappier.

A number of interviewees also referred to gaining (or regaining) confidence due toparticipating in their respective projects. For example, one participant had lost theconfidence togooutsidedue toproblems inusingpublic transport, particularlywhat shereferredtoasthenegative‘attitudeofbusdrivers’.Butgettinginvolvedasavolunteerhadhelped her to overcome this (transport issues was identified as a major barrier, and isconsidered later). Another stated it had given her confidence bymixingwith people andtrying new things that she had not done before. This willingness to get involved insomethingnewwasreportedbyothers;forexampleonehadagreedtobefilmed,thoughadmittedshewasa‘bitscared’.Foranotherbeneficiary,involvementasanambassadorhadincreasedconfidenceandtraininginpublicspeaking:

ThefirsttimeIwenttoanAmbassadors’ lunchIdidn’tsayanything. Itdoesn’tworrymetosaythingsnow

Anotherconcurredwiththisstatement,referringtopublicspeaking:

Icouldneveractuallyspeaktoaroomofpeople.I’veactuallyamazedmyself

Involvement in new arts activities such as storytelling, dance and theatre also created asenseofachievement:Ifeelquiteproudofmyself,whatIhaveachievedAparticipant involved in the ‘MorethanaMealtime’project,which involvedvisitingpubsandrestaurantsandsharingtableswithotherolderpeople,referredtothefactthatshehadfelt lonely since becoming bereaved. The beneficiary said she previouslywould not havebeen confidentenoughgoingout to thepubor for amealonherown,but sincegettinginvolvedinsharedtables,shenowfeelsabletovisitthesetypesofplacesonherown:

Iwouldn’thavegoneforamealonmyown, Imighthavegonetoacafé,butapuborrestaurant, I wouldn’t do that onmy own…now I have been a couple of times [to thesharedtables]Iwouldgotoarestaurantorpubonmyown,Iwouldn’tdreamofdoingitalonebefore.

Others also alluded to this increased confidence in going outside and becoming moreinvolved:Myoutlookonlifehaschangedabitmore.I’mabitmoreoutgoingIsuppose.Nowit’sawiderworld,youknowwhatImean

28

Thesequotesshowthebenefitsofsupportingolderpeopletotrynewthingsandlearnnewskills,though,aswillbediscussedbelow,insomeareas,suchasICT,awillingnesstogiveitatryhashadmixedresults.

This discussion provides examples of the range of ways in which beneficiaries andvolunteershavebenefittedfromgettinginvolvedwithTimetoShine.Ascanbeseenabove,becoming more socially connected has a range of other benefits to wellbeing, such asimproving mood, confidence, skills, and a few examples of where participation hasencouragedexerciseandhealthyeating.Whilstthissectionhastoucheduponthebenefitsof Time to Shine for volunteers, aswell as beneficiaries, the following section focusesonoutcomesrelatingspecificallytoinvolvingolderpeopleintheprogramme.

ActiveinvolvementindesignanddeliveryAsakeyphilosophyandoneofthe4mainoutcomesoftheTimetoShineprojectisthattheprogrammeshouldbe‘designedbyolderpeople,forolderpeople’,stepshavebeentakentoensureolderpeopleareactivelyinvolved.Individualdeliveryprojectswereallrequiredtoutiliseolderpeople,eitherthroughassistingwithdesign,promotion,deliveryorevaluation.This section discusses the recruitment of peer researchers and reported experiences ofvolunteers.PeerresearchersThe evaluation team has recruited older people, most of whom are Time to Shinebeneficiaries, to assist in the facilitation of the focus groups as part of the evaluationelement of the programme. The Time To Shine project team are also exploring ways toutilise peer researchers to work in other areas, such as contributing to case studies. Atpresent this is still atearly stages,andwillbe reportedon in future reports.Todate, tenpeerresearchershavebeenrecruited(90%ofwhomareolderpeople),withatotalofsevenreceivingtraining,andallbeingofferedsupportonanongoingbasis.Peerresearcherswhoattendedthetrainingsessionprovidedfeedbackontheproposedfocusgroupschedule,andthis was amended based on the suggestions provided. So far, 5 peer researchers haveassisted in facilitating focus groups, including bilingual peer researchers who supportedfocusgroupscontainingbothPunjabiandCantonesespeakingparticipants.Foreachfocusgroup,peer researchers,with thesupportofamemberof theresearch team,haveaskedthemain questions, and also contributed to prompts. All peer researchers who assist infacilitatingafocusarepaidafee(basedontheINVOLVEguidelines13)fortheirtime.

Thefeedbackreceivedsofaristhatpeerresearchershaveenjoyedtakingpartinthefocusgroups,withmostwantingtodosoagain inthefuture.Oneexpressedthat itwouldbeapooruseofresourcesiftheywereonlyutilisedforonefocusgroup.

ThevolunteerexperienceThis section outlines the ways in which volunteers contributed to the projects. Ashighlightedpreviously, a largenumberofpeople are involved in volunteering for Time toShine,withintervieweesreportingarangeofwaysinwhichtheyhadcontributed,suchasthrough befriending, being a member of a steering group, assisting with marketing, or

13 INVOLVEwasestablishedin1996andispartof,andfundedby,theNationalInstituteforHealthResearch,tosupportactivepublicinvolvementinNHS,publichealthandsocialcareresearch;moreinformationcanbefoundherehttp://www.invo.org.uk.

29

hosting events. Two beneficiaries had become involved in marketing their project. ForexampleonevolunteerhadhelpedatastallinashoppingcentreandattheTimetoShineevent at the Playhouse. Another beneficiary was keen to use her professional skills inmarketingtoproduceanewsletter.Shewasalsohopingtodevelophersocialmediaskillsthroughworkingwith youngermembers of the steering group. Some volunteers, such asthoseinvolvedinthe‘MorethanaMealtime’project,carriedouttheirroleoutsideof‘officehours’,hostingtablesduringeveningsandweekends.Somevolunteerswereinvolvedonacasual,adhocbasis,whilstothersreportedsignificantinvolvementatacommunitylevel.Infact,itwasfeltbymanyfocusgroupparticipantsthatTimetoShinecouldnotoperatewithoutthecontributionofvolunteers.Discussionaroundthe benefits of Time to Shine for the volunteers in terms of reduced social isolation andincreasedwell-beingwasexploredinprevioussections,withsomereportingthattheyhadbecomeavolunteerduringatransitionallifeevent,suchasthedeathofapartnerorpersontheypreviouslycaredfor.Themajorityofvolunteerswereaskedabouttheirviewsofactivitiesandtheprojectandallreportedthattheyvaluedbeingavolunteerandfounditsatisfying,withmanyfeelingtheygotmoreoutofitthantheyputin:

Itmakesyoufeelgood,yougetmoreoutmorethantheyputin,Ithink

Ilikehelpingotherpeople

Somealsoreferredtogettinginvolvedtohelpdeveloptherespectiveprojectsthattheyareworkingon:

[Iwanted]tocontributetothedevelopmentoftheprojectandtobenefitfromitOne volunteer pointed out that despite her disability, she was enabled to contribute todelivery of the project she was involved with, through chairing a meeting, she felt theorganisationwasflexible:

I likethatabout[theproject], theyusepeople indifferentways,theysupportpeopletocontribute.

Anothervolunteersteeringgroupmemberagreed:

Weusetheskillsofpeoplewhowishtotakepart;weusedpeople’sdifferentskillssothatwecanofferavarietyofthings

It seemed that having a supportive paid staff teamwas important to the volunteers andenabledthemtoutilisetheirskills.Furthermorevolunteersalsoappreciatedhavingregularmeetings and attending organisational led events where volunteers could meet andsocialise.

30

Whilst overall, volunteering formed an invaluable part of Time to Shine, and appears ontrack tomeet themain outcomes set, it was not without some challenges. For exampleconsideringtheperceived importanceoforganisationalsupport,someprojectshadastaffinfrastructure to supportvolunteers,buta fewhadvery limitedstaff to takeon this role.Thisisnottosaythatallvolunteersrequirethesamelevelsofsupport,butthatthismaybeimportant for some. In fact one volunteer felt that the commitment she had given tosupportingaprojectshewasworkingonwasprovingtoomuch,butshefeltunsureofhowtobroachthiswiththedeliverypartnerconcerned.Afewvolunteersdidnotfeeltheycouldrequest the training they needed, with some pointing out that they had not hadsafeguarding training, even though this was assessed as important (i.e. what to do ifsomeonehasafall).Otherswerenotsuretheyfullyunderstoodtheboundariesintermsofwhatavolunteershouldbeexpectedtodo.Afewalsorecalledincidenceswheretheyfeltguiltyiftheysaidnotoaparticularrequestthatwasmadebythehostorganisation.Anothervolunteerreferredtothe importanceofnotassumingolderpeopledon’t ‘havea life’andgiving insufficientnoticeformeetings.Volunteersalsothoughtabouttheuncertainfutureof their rolesdue to fundingconcernsatanorganisational level.One referred to the factthat some volunteer roles will not be suitable for everyone, for example where homevisitingisrequired.Onevolunteerstatedthatheneededacarinordertogetaround,thuspeople without access to one would not be able to carry out that particular role. Thisprovides a reminder that volunteers, as well as beneficiaries, can experience challengesrelatedtotransport(discussedbelow).Withspecific regard to relationships formedwithbeneficiaries,a fewvolunteers reportedchallengesduetogettingattachedtosomeonewhenthesupportwasdesignedtobeshort-term,andsomereferredtodifficulties theyhadexperienced intryingto followguidelinesrelatedtoacceptinggifts.Forexampleitwaspointedoutthatwhenabeneficiaryofferstobuy a volunteer a cup of tea, it is hard to say no, and canmake both the volunteer andbeneficiaryfeeluncomfortable.Onafinalnote,mostvolunteerswhoattendedthefocusgroupdiscussionalsomentionedvaluing theopportunity to speak tovolunteers involved inotherTime toShinesupportedprojects.Somefounditreassuringtodiscussissueswithothers,tobeabletoopenupandshare experiences. A volunteer who felt overburdened was able to talk with othervolunteers,whoofferedheradvice.Ashighlightedearlier,otherscameupwith ideasthattheyfeltwouldworkintheirownprojectsettings(suchassettingupanallotment).Thissectionhasdemonstratedthatolderpeopleare involvedwithTimetoShine,both itsdeliveryandevaluation,inarangeofways.However,thisisnotwithoutitschallenges,anditisimportanttoensurethatvolunteersandpeerresearchersareofferedongoingtrainingandsupporttoensureretentionandtogiveregardtotheirwell-being,particularlyasmanyreportedbeingvulnerableduetolonelinessandlackofconfidencethemselves.

31

6.BarriersandfacilitatorsofTimeToShineThis section considers how the Time to Shine projects can facilitate involvement of olderpeople, and explores some of the barrierswhich need to be overcome. These issues areviewed as important moving forward, both in terms of sustaining current projects, andsharinglearningthatcanbeappliedtonewlycommissionedactivities.Aparticularstrengthoftheprogrammeistherangeofprojectsthathavebeenfunded.Forexamplebeneficiariesfromnon-Englishspeakingbackgroundsparticularlywelcomedprojects thatallowedthemtochatintheirownlanguage:IliketomeetwithotherChinesepeopleandtalkSome interviewees,asexplainedearlier,appreciatedbeingable toattendactivitiesat theweekend; others valued the opportunity to contribute and take part in a range ofcommunity events. The following subsections consider how the projects which make upTimetoShinecanbepromotedtoarangeofpeople,andalsoexploreshow‘hardtoengage’groupsmaybeencouragedtojoinin.Thisisfollowedbyadiscussionofsuggestionsrelatedtohowpotentialbeneficiariesmaybefacilitatedtotakepart.PromotingTimeToShineactivitiesWithregardtopromotingTimetoShineactivitiesmoregenerally,a fewbeneficiariessaidthattheyhadfoundoutabouttheprogrammethroughseeingaposteratalocalGPsurgery,thus viewing this as an effective route to raising awareness. Some suggested that GPsshould be encouraged to promote activities in their local areas, with a previous carerschampionrecollectingthebenefitofhavinginformationandraisingawarenessthroughGPsurgeries.HoweverparticipantsofonefocusgroupfeltthatasGPshavelotsofpatients,itisnotrealistictogettheminvolved:

Theydon’t really have the time, they [GPs] need to focus on health problems; it is notrealisticforthemtogetinvolvedatthecommunitylevel

Someiteratedthe importanceofensuringactivitiesarepromotedwhereolderpeoplearelikelytonotice.AlongsideGPsurgeriesanumberofothersuggestionsweremade,suchasthe hairdressers, the library, supermarkets and at pharmacies. One person felt that localauthoritiescouldtakeamoreactiveroleinidentifyingpeoplewhomaybeatriskofsocialisolation, and referring them onto the programme. One idea which was raised was thatprojectsshouldhaveoutreachworkersgoing‘doortodoor’,withavolunteerreportingthatthiswaseffectiveintheirproject.Yetitwasfeltthatthismethodwasnotalwayssuitableforparticularly‘hardtoreach’olderpeoplewhomaybereluctanttoevenopenthedoor.ItwasalsofeltthatcurrentbeneficiarieswhoattendTimeToShineactivitiescouldbeencouragedtobringalonganeighbourorfriend.Afewvolunteersalsoprovidedexamplesofwheretheyhad got involved in promoting their respective Time to Shine projects. For example, onevolunteerinvolvedinmarketingactivitiessubsequentlyfoundherselfpromotingtheschemeinconversationsatthesupermarketcheck-outandthebusstop.Asdiscussedlater, itwasbelievedthatwordofmouthisanimportantmeansofcommunicatingthebenefitsofTimetoShine,andthereforethistypeofpromotionisseenasaninvaluablewayof‘gettingthewordout’.

32

Aswithposters,leafletdropswereviewedasagoodwayofraisingawareness.Againthereweremixedviewswithregardtotheeffectivenessofthismethod,withitbeingsuggestedbyonethatpostersandleafletslackthe‘personaltouch’.Inaddition2volunteerssaidthattheyhadsentout1,000leafletstopromoteanevent,butthatno-oneresponded.Perhapsunsurprisingly, theyconcluded that thiswasnotaneffectivewayofencouraging theveryreluctanttojoinin.Thispointwassupportedbya‘testandlearn’exampleprovidedbytheCommunity Connection projects where it was found that older people in the local areawouldnotrespondtoposters,andweremorelikelytorespondtosomethingdeliveredtotheirhomefromatrustedsource,suchasaParishmagazine.Another suggestion was that promotion should be aimed at family members throughapproachingalocal‘club’orschools.However,itwaspointedoutthatsomepeopledonothave families, somay not hear about activities this way. It was further pointed out thatactivity providersmust give regard to the needs of older people without children.Manyinterviewees infactreferredtothe importanceof ‘wordofmouth’asamethodofraisingawarenessofprogrammessuchasTimetoShine.Again,itwasfeltthatthisroutewasnotlikelytoreachthevery isolated(reachinghardtoengagegroups isconsidered inthenextsubsection).Onafinalnote,manyfocusgroupparticipantswerenotawareofthedetailsoftheTimetoShineprogrammeitselfbutonlythespecificTimeToShineproject(s)thattheyhad been involved with. Increasing awareness at a programme level could undoubtedlyassistindividualprojectsandthisisconsideredinfurtherdetaillater.ReachinghardtoengagegroupsAn ongoing concern of the Time To Shine project team is ensuring that ‘hard to engage’olderpeopleareidentifiedandencouragedtogetinvolvedinTimetoShineprojects.Whendiscussed,volunteersagreedthatitwaschallengingtoinvolvesomegroupsofolderpeople:

Therearesomanypeople[thevolunteers]arenotreachingItwasalsofeltthattheparticularlyhardtoreach,orveryisolatedarehardtoidentifyas:

Theyarenotonthephonesaying‘no-onehasbeenaround’

All projectswere viewed as different and facing their own unique challenges in terms ofattractinglonelyandsociallyisolatedolderpeople.ForexamplesomepeopleinvolvedwithSage,aimedatLGBTolderpeople,pointedout that theprojectwas ‘totallynew’andhad‘no established boundaries’. It was therefore suggested that other, more establishedorganisationshavea‘headstart’.However,thishasbeenrecognised,andSageisfundedforthefull6years,allowingtheprojecttodevelopovertime.Focusgroupparticipantswereaskedtoconsiderwaysinwhichhardtoengageolderpeoplemightbeencouragedtotakepartintheirprojects.Manyfeltthat‘gettingsomeonethroughthedoor’was themost important factor, and that thekey challenge ishow todevelopastrategytoreachthemostisolatedinthefirstplace:You need to [encourage people to] give it a go, you need to plant the seed, and thenfollowitup

33

The latter part of this comment refers to the need to ensure people are supported andmade to feel welcome, to increase the likelihood of them returning. It was further feltimportanttoprovideanactivitythatpeoplecouldattendregularly,particularlyforpeoplewho may get depressed if they stay at home. In one focus group participants felt thatactivities should be offered more regularly than once a week, though funding this wasidentifiedasanissue.

Oneperson iteratedthatpeoplehavetowanttoget involved. Itwasfelt thatsomeolderpeoplewere ‘in a rut’ and itwas necessary to think ofways to get people interested, to‘tempt them’. Itwaspointedout thatsometimesotherbarriers, thatmaypreventpeoplegettinginvolvedinactivities,needtobetackledbeforesomeonecanbeencouragedtotakepart:

For thevery isolated, therecouldbe lotsofbarrierspreventing themtakingpart, thesereasonsneedtobeexplored,asprovidingactivitiesaloneisnotsufficient

Severalexamplesofother issueswhichmaymeanpeopleare lesswillingtotakepart inaprojectwereprovided,suchashousingdisrepairandfinancialissues.Itwaspointedoutthatthese issuesmayaffectqualityof life, alongside loneliness. Itwas felt thatwithoutgivingregardtohowtotacklethese issues,barrierstoengagementwouldremain.Oneexampleprovidedbyafocusgroupparticipantreferredtosomeonewhobecomesbereaved:

Apersonwho iswidowed, theirmainproblemmaybedealingwith legal affairs, theseproblemsneedtobedealtwithbeforeyoucangetthemtotakepartinsomething.

It was pointed out by people representing the Sage project that, for older LGBT people,thereisoftenanextrabarriertobeworkedthrough,itwaspointedoutthatsomepeoplemay be in ‘the closet’ and be reluctant to approach mainstream services as they don’talways‘feelsafe:

Itneedstobeasafeplacetobe,theyneedtobethemselves

Genderwasdiscussedinhalfofthefocusgroups,whereitwassuggestedthatwomenweremore likely thanmen toapproachparticularprojectsandget involved. Itwas felt that toengagemen the ‘offer’ needed tomatch their interest,with people referring to practicalthings,suchasgardeningandDIY,orallowingmentoteachtheseskillstoothers.Itwasalsopointedoutthatmenmaybelesslikelytoadmittheyneedhelp,yetitwasfelttheycouldbecomedepressediftheydidnotfeeltheyweredoingsomethinguseful.However,notallintervieweesfeltactivitiesshouldbeaimedspecificallyatmen,withoneparticipantfeelingitwasimportanttohavemixedgenderedgroups.

Lackofconfidencewasalsoviewedasasignificantbarriertoengagementandthiscouldbedue to bereavement, as discussed earlier. One of the main issues, viewed by theinterviewees,asaffectingsomeone’sconfidencewastheprevalenceofadisabilityorhealthcondition. One also referred to the ‘social stigma’ of having a disability, whichmay alsodiscourage people from going outside and taking part in activities. Another examplewasgiven of someonewhomay have experienced a fall and needed someone to accompanythem outside, which may require more resource intensive one-to-one support. Anotherinterviewee said that continued health problems sometimes mitigated against full

34

involvementinactivities.Disabilityisalsolinkedtoaccessibilityissues;thisisreturnedtointhefollowingsubsection.Someintervieweessuggestedthatolderpeoplemaybereluctanttoparticipateduetoprideand not wishing to be seen as weak or needy. This discussion then focussed on theimportanceofdevelopingactivitiesnotjustbeforolderpeople,butalsoforyoungerpeople,so that it does not alienate those who do not necessarily identify as being ‘old’. Theimportance of intergenerational integration was referred to a number of times, and isdiscussedinthefollowingsectionwhenweconsidersuggestionsforfutureprojects.A number of interviewees felt that older people who were particularly reluctant toparticipate inTimeToShinewouldrequireanextra layerofsupportbeforetheywill takepart in activities. For example a ‘test and learn’ case study referred to a particular areawhere a project was being run in which older people were wary of new things, andpreferredtobeintroducedtosomethingthroughanotherperson,reducing‘theunknown’.Some projects are using volunteers to offer ‘buddying’ or befriending services, to visitpeopleathomeandencouragethemtotrythings,andoneintervieweereportedthattheywould even collect someone and take them to a group, if necessary. However, it waspointedoutthatgroupactivitiesarenotnecessarilysuitableforallgroups,andthatlonelypeople,particularlythosewithlowenergy,mightbehappyjusttogooutfor‘acupoftea’.Afurtherissuetoconsideristhatone-to-onevolunteerworkisresourceintensive,andnotallprojectsareabletoofferthislevelofsupport.BarrierstoparticipationinTimeToShineLocalneighbourhoodsTheimportanceoflocalenvironments,inwhichsomeneighbourhoodsareviewedasmoreamenabletofacilitating‘communityspirit’,wasreferredtointheinterviews.Itwasfeltthatservices in areas across Leedsweremixed,with some localities having better facilities orenvironmentsmoreamenabletoengagement. Itwaspointedoutbyone intervieweethatevenwhatmightbeseenasminorissues,suchastheneedforflatterpaths,canimpactonsomeone’sability toget to localevents.Thinkingofactivitieswhich takeplace indoors, itwaspointedoutthatbarriersduetoaccessibilityissuescanoftenbeoutsideofthecontrolof organisationswho utilise outside venues, such as the shared tables or ABCD projects,wherefacilitiesmaynotalwaysbedisabilityfriendly.TransportLocaltransportwasfelttobeoneofthebiggestchallengestoparticipation;evenifpeoplelivenearabus stop, theymaystillnotbeable toget to thestop,or for thatmatter,usepublictransport.Transportwasviewedasakeyissueforruralprojects:

There[is]onlyonebuseachhour,ifapersonhasnocar,theyareisolatedTransport was also identified as a barrier for citywide projects, particularly if venues arefairly spreadout,ornotonabus route.Somebeneficiaries reportedrequiring2separatebus journeys to reach their activity and that this length of journeywould be a barrier toothers.

35

A range of issues were referred to in terms of accessing public buses. For example abeneficiarywhousedawheelchairfeltthatbusdriversoftenshowed‘badgrace’whensheaskedtoprovidearamp,othersagreed,andreferredtodifficultiesaskingforhelpastheydidnotwishto ‘beanuisance’.Otherspointedtodifficultiesgettingonoroffabusybus.Oneparticipantsaidthatsheusedtofeelconfidentgoingout,butaccess issuesonpublictransportmeantshehadlostherconfidence.Anotherissuewasraisedaboutactivitiesthatmayoccurintheevening.Whilsteveningactivitiesweregenerallyviewedasbeingeffective,particularly forpeoplewhomayget lonelyat this time, somehaddifficulties travellingatnight.Onarelatednote,avolunteeradvisedthatoneofthefewprojectswhichprovidedactivities at the weekend could only provide a minibus to assist with transport duringweekdays. This draws attention to the fact that even where activities are offered ateveningsandweekends,whichareidentifiedastimeswherepeoplemaybemorelikelytoexperience loneliness, there may be fewer resources to facilitate people who requireassistanceingettingtovenuesinthefirstplace.TechnologyICTwasadditionallyreferredtoasabarrierformanyolderpeople,withsomefeelingthatthereisanassumptionthateveryoneisICTliterate:

Itdoesannoyyouwhenitsays,lookatsomethingonline,it’sreallyannoying

Everything is on computers’ and this holds people back…[Writing] letters is gone, olderpeopleneedtoupdate

Infact learningnewskillsgenerallywasreportedasachallengeforsome,withallone-to-one interviewees reporting that the ability to remember new skills was a problem. Thissuggests that programmes such as Time to Shine, whilst supporting development of ICTskills,needtoalsoacknowledgethatolderpeopleneedtogaininformationthroughothercommunicationchannels.FinancesandfundingA further barrier to participation raised in the interviews and focus groups related tofinancialissues,whereitwasnotedthatpeoplemaystruggletoaffordtoattendevents(thiscouldrelatetocostsoftransport,buyingrefreshmentsetc.).Somefeltitimportanttomakesure activities are free and those which offer ‘free food’ and/or ‘free transport’ wereconsidered as particularly successful at getting people to attend. Of course, the lattersuggestionsrequireresources thatsomeorganisationsmaynothave.Relatedtocost,buspasseswere important facilitators for involvement and the importance of running eventsfrom10.30amonwardswasalsomentionedby some, toensurepeople canuse theirbuspassandnothavetopayforpublictransport.Toensurethatactivitiescanremainfree,itwasviewedasnecessaryforprojectstosecurefurtherexternalfundinginthefuture:

Iffundingisn’tsecured, it isdifficulttokeeprunningactivitiesforfree,butsomepeopledon’t havemoney, they can’t afford to pay, yet if you can’t get funding, you need tocharge

36

Relatedtothis,focusgroupparticipants,eventhosewhowerenotinvolvedinvolunteering,expressedconcernaboutthefundingavailabletotheorganisationsprovidingtheactivities,anddiscussedtherelationshipbetweenfundingandtheabilitytosustainactivities. Itwaspointed out that smaller organisations, in particular, do not have the time to apply forfunding.Somethereforesuggestedthatsmallorganisationscouldpotentiallypoolresourcesandcentraliseactivities,butothersreportedthattheypreferredtoattendactivitiesintheirown local areas. This discussion showed that beneficiaries,whilst not directly responsiblefor generating funding, were both aware and concerned about activities that they wereinvolvedwithcomingtoanendduetoalackofresources.CulturalissuesForsome,havingthesupportofotherswhosharetheirculturalvaluesisseenasimportant,with the Punjabi speaking focus group participants stating that some attended activitiesspecifically because the project worker shared their cultural background. It was felt thatcultural awareness and understanding may be particularly important when offeringemotional support, and some suggested that in order to provide this, some servicesmayneedtobetargetedatspecificsegmentsofthepopulation,particularlywhereEnglishisnotthefirstlanguageofabeneficiary.

Itwasalsopointedoutthatfundersneedtobeawareofhowculturaldifferencesmaymeanthatcommunitiesresponddifferentlytoactivitiesaimedatolderpeople,withafewinthePunjabi speaking focus group providing examples of where widowed people from theircommunityareinfluencedbytheviewsoffamilymembers.Somefocusgroupparticipantsprovidedanecdotalaccountsoffamilymemberswhofeltthatolderrelatives‘havenolifetolive’.

Culturalbarriersdonotjustrelatetodifferentreligiousorethnicgroups,itwasalsoreferredtointermsofhowolderageitselfisrepresented.Animportantissuethatcamethroughinthefocusgroupdiscussionsisthatmanypeople,whoareconceptualisedas‘older’,donotnecessarily view themselves as such. For example, a person in their early 80s suggestedTimetoShinewasnotnecessarily‘forthem’;othersinthesamefocusgroupequallydidnotnecessarilyidentifythemselvesasthetargetgroupofTimetoShine.Itisdifficulttopinpointexactly how an older person could be defined, though people often refer to frailer, orhouseboundpeople,whenthinkingaboutolderage.Whenthinkingabouthowtopromotetheprogrammemovingforward,itisnecessarytoconsiderifsomeolderpeoplearebeingmissed by particular marketing strategies. The next section considers this, and providesother suggestions that the Time To Shine project team may wish to consider, movingforward.

37

7.SuggestionsforthefuturedirectionofTimetoShineThepreviousdiscussionhasconsideredthepotentialbarrierstoparticipationandhasraisedsome suggestions as to howTimeTo Shineprojects couldbemore effectively promoted.This section considers feedback specifically relating to how Time to Shine should moveforward.Withspecificregardtotypesofactivities,intervieweesvaluedtherangeofcurrentprovision. For example, one-to-one interviewees reported that trips out were popular,whetherwalksinthelocalparkorfurtherafieldsuchasWhitbyorManchester,ortoalocalpub or restaurant. Arts activities were reported as ‘surprising’ and ‘delighting’. Othersenjoyedattendingacentreandgetting involvedwithanexerciseclass,games,quizzes,orjust having a cup of tea and a chat.Whilst the types of activities offered is undoubtedlyimportant, this section focuses more on the broader aspects of Time to Shine, such assuggestionsforpromotionandengagement(thoughofcourse,thistouchesuponthetypesofactivityoffered,suchaswhenthinkingofhowtoencourageoldermentoget involved,forexample).RaisingawarenessofTimetoShineIt is important to consider the identity of Time to Shine at a programme level, as somebeneficiarieswhotookpartinfocusgroupshadnotheardofitpriortoattendingthegroup.Furthermorebecauseofthislackofawarenessofthewiderprogramme,mostintervieweeshadonlybeeninvolvedinonespecificTimeToShineproject,withoneexplanationforthisbeingalackofknowledgeaboutotheractivitiesrunningaspartofTimetoShine.OfthosewhowereawareofTimeToShinemorebroadly,andofthosewhousedtheInternet,nonewereawarethattherewasaTimeToShinewebsite,forexample.Infact,manyfocusgroupparticipantssaidthatlearningabouttheprogrammeasawholewasoneofthemainwaysinwhich they had benefitted from participating in the focus groups. Some subsequentlyexchanged information during focus groups, so respective projects could be promotedwithintheirownnetworks;assomeoneputit:

The[focusgroup]canhelpyoufindoutaboutotherthingsthataregoingon,apartfromyourownisolatedproject

It was suggested that the lack of awareness of the Time to Shine programme by somebeneficiariesdemonstratedabroaderneedtoraiseawareness.Somewaystodothiswereput forward, for example one proposal was that the programme team visits individualprojectsonceamonth,toshareideasandletpeopleknowaboutotherthingsgoingonataprogramme level.Another suggestionwas that theprogramme teamshould look to raiseawarenessofTimetoShineatvariouseventsinspecificcommunities.However,resourcingthismaybeunrealistic.Somewereneverthelessawareofthewiderprogrammeandafewparticipants had attended theone year birthday event at thePlayhouse; all enjoyed this,andlikedunderstandingwheretheirprojectwasinrelationto‘thewhole’. Itwasfeltthatsimilareventsshouldberunregularly,togiveeveryoneachancetomeetupandseewhatishappeningattheprogrammelevel.

TargetinglonelypeopleandotherspecificgroupsThroughoutthisreport,thechallengesofreachingandengagingparticulargroupsofolderpeople, particularly the very isolated, have been discussed. Feedback suggested that a‘layered’servicewouldberequiredforsome,forexamplebyencouragingpeopletoattend

38

eventsthroughprovidingbefrienders.Itwaspointedoutbyonebeneficiarythatforsomeitisa‘bigdeal’attendinggroupactivities,whichsomefind‘intimidating’:

Initially, small stepsneed tobe taken…peopleneed tobeputat theireasebysomeonetheytrustorcanhave‘alaugh’with

Anumberofpeoplereferredtolonelinessbeingmoreprevalentatcertaintimesofthedayor week, with evenings andweekends in particular being highlighted. Therefore projectswhichofferactivitiesatthesetimesofthedayarewelcomed.It was also seen as important to personalise services, ensuring they are tailored to theindividual, where possible. Both the survey data and evidence from the interviewssuggested a strong link between loneliness, wellbeing, and disability; with surveyrespondents reporting lower levels of satisfaction with life and being far less likely thatotherpeopleofthesameagetotakepart inactivities.Othergroupswhomaybehardtoreach,yetwerefoundtobenefitfromTimetoShinewerethebereaved,retiredandBAMEand LGBT groups. Furthermore, the survey data showed that male participants, overall,were less likely to have regular social contactwith family and friends, and this thereforeconfirmsthatincludingmenasaprioritygroupisnecessary.Indeeditmaynotbesufficienttomerelyhavemenas a target group, activitiesmayalsoneed tobe specifically tailoredtoward activities that men aremore likely to be interested in.Whilst older men will nodoubthavearangeofinterests,suggestionsforactivitieswhichmightbemoreattractivetomenincludepracticaltasksandactivitieswhichtakeplaceinpubs.So overall, future project funding should perhaps give consideration to ways in whichdelivery partners may be able to resource, potentially through using volunteers, extrasupportforparticularlyreluctantolderpeople,andperhapshavetheflexibilitytoofferone-to-onesupportforthese.Whilstitisacknowledgedthatthiswouldrequiresignificantlevelsofresourcing,itisneverthelessviewed,basedonthefeedback,asanecessaryengagementtool for some groups, such as those who need encouragement to get outside due to illhealthoralackofconfidencefollowingbereavement,orculturalbarriers.Theprevalenceoflonelinessatweekendsandeveningsalsohighlightstheneedtoresourceprojectsthatcanprovideactivitiesatthesetimes,thoughitisnecessarytogiveregardalsotoaccessibility.CommunitybasedapproachesWhilstbeneficiariesandvolunteers involved incommunitydevelopmentprojectsreportedbothpositiveprogressandoutcomes,whatcameoutofthediscussionswasthatitcantakealongtimetodeveloppartnershipsandencourageparticipationatacommunitylevel,witha few volunteers highlighting that 2 years is insufficient to embed a project in a localcommunity.Forthisreason itwasfelt thatAssetBasedCommunityDevelopmentprojectswouldmorelikelybeof interesttowellestablishedorganisations,whoalreadyhavesomeformofinfrastructureinplace.Earlierinthereportwetoucheduponadebatearoundtheimportanceofbothcitywideandlocalprojects,somefeltthatactivitiescannotjustbeheldinacentralplace,andneedtobeavailableatacommunitylevel,tomaximiseinvolvement.Itwasfeltthatlocalpeoplecould

39

helpeachotherifactivitieswerecloseby,generatingacommunityspiritandalsoitwasalsopointedoutthatsomeolderpeoplemaybereluctanttotravelfar.Overall,itisnotfeltthatallprojectsnecessarilyhavetohaveacommunitybased(i.e.AssetBasedCommunityDevelopment)approach,thoughitisviewedasimportanttoensurethatprojectsbuilduppartnershipsatalocallevel,bothtopromoteactivitiesandensureawiderange of people are engaged. The importance of partnershipworkingwill be explored ingreaterdetailinthenextreport(June17).IntergenerationalprojectsAlongsideengagingvariousorganisationswithincommunities,acommonthreadacrossthefocusgroupdiscussionswastheimportanceofensuringprojectsadoptanintergenerationalapproachwithoneparticipant,inparticular,feelingthatitisnecessarytoengageallagesforatruecommunityapproachtobesuccessful:

It is importanttoreachouttoyoungerpeople,asolderpeople liketospeaktoyoungerpeople

Getting younger people involvedwas also seen as away of ‘breaking down age barriers’andensuringolderpeopledonotlosesightofcurrentdevelopments:

Youneed toensure [olderpeople]viewdifferentperspectives,and linkingwithyoungerpeoplekeepsolderpeopleontheirtoes

However, a few volunteers concurred that whilst it would be good to have anintergenerationalelement,youngpeoplemaybetoobusyandhavelesstimetobeinvolved.Anothervolunteerreportedthathisprojecthadapproachedyoungerpeople,andtheywerenotinterestedingettinginvolved.

Overall,thecommentssuggestedthatwhilstinvolvingallagesisimportant,particularlyforcommunity led projects, engaging young people may be a challenge. However, as thissuggestionwasmadeacrossthefocusgroups,thinkingabouthowtobeinclusiveofotheragegroupsperhapsneedstobeexploredfurther.

ImportanceofculturallysensitiveactivitiesFutureactivitiesneedtoconsiderthecultural,aswellassocial,needsofparticipants.Whilstthe longer term aim should be to ensure various groups, including those from LGBT andBAME communities feelmore confident approachingmainstream services, in the currentclimate,additionalsupportisneeded(asSageisfundedforthedurationofTimetoShine,thisis,ofcourse,recognisedbytheTimeToShineprojectteam).Itwaspointedoutthatlocalcommunitiesdiffer,andapproachestotacklingsocialisolationwill need to be tailored to each, including a consideration of how different culturesmayrespondtothetypesofopportunitiestoparticipateofferedbyTimetoShine. Inthisvein,the programmehas funded projectswhich target specific cultural groups, and commentssuggestthatperhapsthiswillcontinuetobenecessary,movingforward.

40

ActivitieswhichdevelopskillsFeedback from the focus groups and interviews suggests that learning new skills can bemoredifficultaspeopleage.WithspecificregardtoICT,theone-to-oneinterviewsindicatedthat interest in technology was not high, with the preference being for face-to-faceinteraction.Yetfocusgroupparticipantsreportedthattheyfelt‘leftbehind’astheInternetbecomesmoreembeddedinservicepromotionandprovision.Itwasalsosuggestedthatinsome areas, such as ICT, providing trainingmay be invaluable to older people. However,feedbackhighlightsthatolderpeople,suchasthosewithcognitive impairment,mayneedmoretimeandsupporttodoso,which,ofcourse,willimpactontheresourcesrequiredtorun activities which aim to develop skills. The fact that Leeds Community Connect arereportedlyoversubscribedfortheirnewICTsupportprojectdemonstratesthereisdemandforICTsupport.Withregardtothelatterpoint,anactivityaimedatincreasingICTliteracyhasnowbeenfunded,andwillbediscussedinthenextreportdueJune2017.Onafinalnote,ofthe12deliverypartnersassessedforthisreport,only4providedtestandlearn case studies. It is felt that this can be a fruitful way of ensuring learning can beachievedbyothers.Whilst it isnot felt thatorganisationsshouldberequiredtocompletetestand learntemplates (especially if theyhavenothingtoreport), itshouldneverthelessbe actively encouragedmoving forward. Thiswill be discussed inmore detail in the nextreport,basedonfollowupinterviewswithvariousdeliverypartners.

41

8.SomeConclusionsOverall,theinterviewsandfocusgroupdiscussionsshowedthatthereisnosuchthingasa‘onesizefitsall’approachtotacklingloneliness;lonelinessitselfisamulti-layeredconditionwhichisdifficulttounpackandwherespecifictriggersmaybeuniquetotheindividual. Infact, focus group participants valued the opportunity to consider the broader context ofloneliness,offeringareminderofwhattheirrespectiveprojectsareabout.Whilstitwouldbetoosimplistictosuggestthat lonelinesscanbealleviatedwithprojectssuchasTimetoShine, itwascertainly suggested that ithadprovidedmeaning, increasedconfidence,andhelped develop friendships.Others referred to greaterwell-being, feeling less depressed,andbeingmore integrated in their communities.A rangeofprojectswere represented inthe interviews and focus groups,with all enjoying the activities on offer, and having theability to chat, thoughpractical issues, relating to accessibility and transport, areongoingissuesforsome.Oneofthemainchallengesidentified,inboththefieldworkandsurveys,isthatthehardtoengage,orveryisolatedgroups,arenotbeingreached.However,somepointedoutthatthiscan take time, with some volunteers reporting that they are making headway in thisdirection,andthatawarenessisincreasingovertime.Takingintoaccountthepointthattheexperienceoflonelinessitselfisverypersonal,waystoengagehardtoreachgroupswillnotnecessarily have a single solution, and oneway forwardmay be to think aboutwideningreferral routes,where possible. Some of the developments, such as the partnershipwithCCG and a focus on people discharged from hospital, are promising. However, otherinitiatives,suchastheneedforone-to-onesupport,requiresignificantresourceswhicharenot realistic formany projects. Nevertheless, it is recommended that the Time To Shineprogrammeteamcontinuetoextendtheireffortstoreachthosemostatriskofloneliness,particularly through considering some of the suggestions highlighted by volunteers andbeneficiaries in this report, andalsoensuring thatparticipantshelp to ‘spread theword’.The programme should also pay particular attention to older people who experience adisability or health condition, as this group were assessed as lonelier and feeling lesssatisfied than those who did not reported a health problem. Whilst challenges wereidentified in terms of learning new skills, older people nevertheless reported enjoyinghavingtheirhorizonswidened.Onfinalnote,anumberofreportedbenefitstovolunteeringhavebeenhighlighted,but it is important toensure supportand training is sufficientandalsotoensurepeopledonotfeeltheyhavetoovercommit.

42

ReferencesAlden,SandWigfield,A,2016, First phase stakeholder interviews: summary of main findings (Unpublished).

Department of Health, 2011, Physical activity guidelines for older adults (65+ years),available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213741/dh_128146.pdf[Accessed21July2016]

Ecorys, 2016, Evaluation of the Ageing Better Programme: wave one population survey,Ecorys:BrunelUniversity

NEF consulting, 2014 SWEMWBS Well-being comparator tool, available at:www.nefconsulting.com/wp.../08/SWEMWBS-Well-being-data-comparator-tool.xls[Accessed25September2016]