Accentuating the posi+ive

Dr Lizzie Ward studied at Brighton after working for 12 years in the voluntary sector so she is the perfect person to take on the post of research fellow on a mental wellbeing project bring run by the university with Age Concern Brighton, Hove and Portslade. The project bridges the academic/voluntary sector divide and also uses Age Concern volunteers to do much of the research.

Lizzie, who came to Brighton in 1997 to do an undergraduate degree in humanities and stayed on to do a PhD, has already worked on a related project with older people, looking at the impact of alcohol misuse in old age. She said: “At first after completing my PhD in 2007, I wasn’t sure how I fitted in. I didn’t come through the traditional academic route and I wasn’t sure whether I still fit in the voluntary sector. However, I began to see through working with the Community University Partnership Programme (Cupp) on the alcohol project, that I could have a foot in both camps as I understand how both work.”

The Age Concern project started in October 2008 and continues through to next April. Lizzie, who is based in the School of Applied Social Science, said it is not just interesting because of what it is looking at, but the way it is actively involving people with personal experience in the research process. “There is a lot of focus now on involving participants and those who are affected by public policy in research,” she said.

The project has recruited a team of co-workers, most of whom are Age Concern volunteers. They range in age from early 60s to late 80s. “Most have a whole life’s worth of experience, but they also have direct experience of the issues that affect older people,” said Lizzie.

The co-workers do not have fixed roles, but can be involved in anything from conducting interviews to presenting findings and typing up notes.

“It can be very challenging as people are working at different levels and within different age ranges. Some are newly retired and quite fit and active while others may have health issues and need support,” said Lizzie.

She added that there is a lot of reflection along the way of the impact on co-workers of taking part in the project. Then there is the research itself. Lizzie  said early indications show that mental wellbeing is very subjective, although relationships with others appear to be key. “There are measurement tools that exist, but we wanted to develop an interview process which would allow people to develop their own ideas about what contributed to their wellbeing,” she said.

The first stage of the project involved interviews with Age Concern users and workers. These are currently being transcribed, but it is now broadening out to embrace local authority workers and community groups, including a knitting circle.

“We want it to be relevant across all sectors,” said Lizzie. “A lot is emerging about the importance of maintaining contacts with family and friends and of the impact of isolation, but things like feeling you still have a role and can give something back rate highly. A surprising amount of elderly people are involved in volunteering work or in looking after grandchildren. There are a lot of very busy people.”

She is also interested in issues such as housing and what can help make the different transitional phases in ageing – whether that be retirement or health issues in your 80s – easier.

She says the current focus on personalisation of social care makes these issues crucial for anyone interested in developing services for Britain’s growing number of elderly people. Although she acknowledges that one impetus for care services taking heed of the project’s findings is that improving wellbeing can cut down on health bills, she said Age Concern’s focus is more on wellbeing for its own sake.

Lizzie hopes eventually to produce learning resources which can be used by anyone working with elderly people. “There is a lot of scope to develop the project over time,” she said.
July 2010