Aging Well in the Community Study

Ageing well in the community: social representations of wellbeing promotion in later life.

Over a 3 year period from 2015 to 2017, we have collaborated with a scholar from Cambridge University on a study-based research paper looking at Ageing Well in the Community. During the course of this work, the researcher, Bruno Medeiros, worked closely with many of our staff members and service users connected with Volunteer Visiting and Day Services, volunteering for 9 months within the services.

The study aimed to explore well-being in later life and how best to promote it. The researcher was primarily interested in service users’ perspectives of what it means to feel well in later life. To explore these views, he conducted an ethnography of day centres and the visiting scheme at Age UK Cambridgeshire (now Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough). Bruno observed practices of support and interviewed clients, family caregivers, and staff members and volunteers.

You can read the full report  CLICK HERE for pdf.

In summary, amongst other findings, Bruno reports that

“voluntary organisations hold a strategic position of supporting lonely and socially isolated older adults. This study shows evidence of how clients assess positively the support they receive from a charity. Well-being is manifest in their positive views of social support.”

At Age UK Cambridgeshire and Peterborough we strive to support older people, their families and carers. Our mission is to promote the well-being of all older people and to help make later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. 

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