O4O – Older people for older people. Can the people do it

themselves?

Artur SteinerowskiO4O team member

Centre for Rural Health

What is O4O?

The O4O project - Older People for Older People

Demographic changes and apocalyptic scenarios

Challenges relating to service provision in remote and rural areas

Government policies about service provision e.g. social enterprise

Testing these policies through O4O

Social Enterprises as Service Providers

• Policy interest in social enterprise (not for profit social organisations); economic, social and environmental development

• Additional benefits e.g. participation, well-being, social capital; empowering communities; tackling social exclusion

• Social enterprises have a role in delivering health and social care

Current policy represents social enterprises as a panacea. Is it really?

• Limits to current evidence base, e.g. measurement of benefits

Policy view on social enterprise

Perception of older people

Changing perception of older people

- To promote older people as a positive force

Aims of O4O

- To involve older people in producing O4O organisations and services

- To help maintain people living in their own communities for as long as possible

O4O theory

Engagement of older people

in O4O

Older people remain active

for longer

Trust and social networks

develop

Increased community

capacity

Positive impact on physical and mental health

O4O organisations deliver services for other older people

Reduced dependence on the State as a provider

Community Action

- Meet community

- Publicity

- Generate confidence/ enthusiasm

Community engage in O4O concept

- Discussion with community

- Building trust

Community identify needs

Initiatives selected to take forward

Support from O4O:

- Building capacity

- Building confidence

- Avoiding duplication

- Accessing finance

- Accessing information

- Skills needed

- Community capacity

- Models of social organisation

Community action/ entrepreneurshipSocial

organisation model established

- Community takes on roles

-Business planning

- Resources

- TrainingO4O delivers services

Process of O4Os creation

T4T: Transport for Tongue Provides Transport services including:

- Informal connecting of people to share lifts

- Formal volunteering for the car scheme

- Demand responsive service / minibus hire (planned)

O4O examples

Ardersier

- Oral history DVD

- Development of community buildings

O4O examples

Taste of the reality?

Why should we support O4Os? (community perspective)

- The State should provide services

- Capacity issue

- Equality issues (rural vs. urban)

Why should we support O4Os? (service providers perspective)

- How much money can we save?

- What are the tangible outcomes?

- Social enterprise is a good idea BUT …

Evaluating O4O impact

Establishing cost of the service delivery

In 2009 nearly 2,500 questionnaires were sent to people aged 55 and over in six O4O Highland communities (58% response rate)

• Informal helping e.g. 87.7% of respondents said they had done a favour for a neighbour in the past 6 months• Formal helping e.g. 32.9 % have taken part in the community projects in the past 3 years• There is connection between participation and self assessed health, age, level of education and access to a vehicle.

… is very challenging and in majority of cases impossible. Many service providers do not possess exact data relating to the cost of service provision.

Key inputs to governmental policy

1. The assumption that all communities might be ready to do things for themselves is unrealistic.

2. Many communities need structural support to develop social enterprises.

3. Communities need external support to overcome bureaucracy and a model of a successful social enterprise that could be copied.

4. Remote and rural communities need special approach due to specific characteristics.

5. Government wants social enterprise to grow. Yet, there is lack of understanding that creation of social enterprises is a process that requires time, persistence and tailored support.

Artur Steinerowski, Research Assistant, Centre for Rural Healthartur.steinerowski@uhi.ac.uk