Southampton residents to help shape future services for older people
SOUTHAMPTON residents are being invited to help shape future provision of activities and services for older people in the city as the nation moves away from lockdown scenarios (August 2021).
Southampton Living Well (SLW), a partnership between the charities Social Care in Action (SCiA) and Age UK Southampton* (AUKS), is asking residents to complete an online or paper survey to give their views.
Alison Fisher, SLW’s Day Opportunities Manager, who is helping co-ordinate the survey, says: “We’ve been tasked to consult with Southampton residents aged 60 and over to be able to find out what services they require, so together we can help shape future provision across the city.”
SLW is commissioned by Southampton City Council to deliver its service in partnership with SCiA and AUKS, which provides a range of services for older people and their carers.
Alison adds: “We’ve devised a survey that we want as many people as possible to fill in. It is available via our Facebook and LinkedIn social media platforms, as well as online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M8J68XF, and in paper form across the city too.
“We’re also asking GPs’ surgeries, cafés, restaurants, supermarkets, leisure venues and garden centres to display our posters, which includes a QR code for people to scan to access the survey online. It is anonymous to do and should only take a few minutes to complete.
“We want to spread the message far and wide and we would like to ask anyone who can help with popping up a poster to get in touch too. Those who aren’t internet savvy can fill in paper copies and we’re inviting them to get in touch with us so we can send one out to them to complete and return in the post.
“We have until September 17 to gather our responses and after this we will be holding focus groups across the city to discuss our findings.”
SLW offers daytime activities and a safe, welcoming place to go for older people living in Southampton.
It has transformed former day care centres into thriving activity hubs promoting friendship and fun, as well as hosting day trips and activities.
Alison continues: “We understand that people have different life experiences and interests – our flexible and tailored approach means we cater for a wide range of requirements and preferences.
“If life has changed in some way, or an individual is feeling lonely and would like to meet new people and make new friends, we offer a wide range of activities they can choose to join in with. This survey is helping us find out exactly what people would like to do now restrictions are easing and we’re able to re-start our activities.”
SCiA, which is based on Dukes Road in Southampton, is a not-for-profit group of charitable social enterprises working together to improve health and wellbeing in communities across the south of England.
It provides services in Central Southern England focused in areas of disadvantage and provides employment for 200 staff and volunteers.
SCiA has more than 30 years’ experience working in Southampton and Hampshire communities meeting the needs of residents, delivering care, health, transport and counselling services.
As a social enterprise, it reinvests any profit back into its services to ensure it can continue to support the communities where it is based.
Its services are a mix of publicly commissioned ones and those directly purchased by those living in the area.
To access the SLW survey, please click here https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M8J68XF or scan the following QR code below.
Details of where you can find and fill in a paper copy are on the SCiA website, or you can call SLW on 02380 516 024 to be sent a paper copy to fill in and post back.For further details, please visit https://www.sciagroup.co.uk, call 023 8036 6663 or follow SCiA online via https://www.facebook.com/SocialCareInAction/ or https://www.linkedin.com/company/sciagroup/
For further media details, please contact Porcupine PR on 01278 446801 or email Rachel@porcupinepr.co.uk. Alison is happy to be interviewed and can be contacted via Porcupine PR.
Notes to editors from Age UK Southampton:
*Age UK Southampton is a local independent charity that has worked for almost 60 years to make Southampton a place in which older people have the opportunity to thrive; the charity is responsible for their own funding and utilise their resources for the benefit of older people aged 50 and over in Southampton.
