EdinburghApps 2016: The Health & Wellbeing Challenge

“Ch,ch,ch,ch,changes: Turn and face the strange” –

 David Bowie “Changes”

Enabling people to better connect and cope during key transitions in their lives.

As bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes

per day.

The impact of our Health & Social Care Challenge Theme:

It increases the risk of developing mental health problems.

Can more than double a person’s risk of

developing dementia

Increases the risk of suicide and depression among adolescents

So, what can cause this?

And when can it be most prevalent?

Loneliness

During Transitions in Peoples Lives

The Three Key Transitions we have focussed on are:

1.Transitioning from school to a “positive destination” (e.g. to

employment, further education etc).

2. Transitioning from an institution back into the community – e.g. from prison ….

…….or from the Military

3. Transitioning from being part of a “couple” to living

alone, e.g. through divorce, separation or the death of a

partner

What does the data from a recent UK study tell us?

68% of adults say they feel lonely either often, always or sometimes

This is most acute among 18 to 34-year-olds, with 83% of this age group experiencing loneliness

More than a third (38%) of respondents now have less interaction with people they know than they did five years ago

16% only interact socially with others once a week or less

What challenges do we need your ideas to help overcome?

Help create new “physical” social networks

Help people to feel at home in

new accommodatio

n settings.

Help people to deal positively with feelings of loss & separation

What are the

“Trig” points

we need to create

and connect?

Identify people at

risk of becoming

lonely.

Help sign post a

varied range of activities of interest to a mix of

people.Create ways

of connecting people who are lonely with each other and

with people who want

to help

Some previous ideas to consider:

Develop good neighbour campaigns such as “Stair-ember” and “Bungalow-oney”

– that encourage people to engage with neighbours they do not

know

Link with care housing providers

to allow non-residents to drop

in and take part in group activities

Signposting local activities on bus stops / lamp posts.

Educating young people to enable them to avoid becoming lonely in the future

Mapping out activities that people can engage in.

If you have survived death by power-point from a dull chap?

Hopefully time left for

a more interesting

TedTalk presentatio

n

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0hxl03JoA0