Ways to Wellbeing
- Location: Age UK Leeds
- Price: Free
Please note, this service is not available outside Age UK Leeds - Head Office's catchment area.
Age UK Leeds
Bradbury Building
Mark Lane
LEEDS
West Yorkshire
LS2 8JA
United Kingdom
Email: W2W@ageukleeds.org.uk
Telephone: 0113 389 3009
Ways to Wellbeing supports people aged 50 and over to improve their social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
What is the Ways to Wellbeing service?
Ways to Wellbeing supports people aged 50 and over to improve their social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing.
If you want to make some positive changes, but need some support to get started, we can help.
We can help with a variety of wellbeing needs such as increasing social connections, being more physically active, finding new hobbies, learning new skills or getting more involved in your local community.
What does the service involve?
Our friendly Wellbeing Activity Coordinators will start by asking you some questions to find out about you and your needs and interests. They will then work with you to identify some activities you might want to try in order to feel healthier and happier.
They will provide you with some support to join in with activities if needed and keep in touch with you from time to time to see how things are going.
We run a number of our own groups and activities which you can try.
We might connect you with groups and activities run by other organisations if you feel these would suit your needs better.
We work closely with dedicated volunteers and Community Champions who support us to run our groups and activities.
What are the 5 Ways to Wellbeing?
Connect
Spending time with family, friends, neighbours or with others in your local community. This might be in person, or the phone or via social media. Anything that enables you to make meaningful connections with other people.
Keep Learning
Trying something new or rediscovering old interests. Signing up for a course. Taking on a different responsibility. Fixing things around the house. Learning to play an instrument or how to cook new foods. Anything that provides a challenge you will enjoy achieving.
Be Active
Walking. Running. Cycling. Dancing. Doing D.I.Y, gardening or housework. Walking to the shops. Joining an exercise class. Playing games with family or friends. Litter picking in your park. Anything that gets you moving and suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Take Notice
Noticing the changes in the season. Watching wildlife in the park/garden. Doing arts and crafts. Following the news. Savouring your food. Talking about or writing down thoughts and feelings. Thinking about what has gone well. Really listening to someone. Anything that helps you to pause and think about your own needs or feelings or take in what's around you.
Give
Doing something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thanking someone. Volunteering your time. Joining a local community group or an online group. Donating to charity. Checking on a neighbour. Anything that gives some of your time to other people.
Where are the activities being run?
- We run sessions at the Age UK Leeds Community Hub (just off the Headrow in the City Centre)
- We run regular and one-off activities and events in a variety of community venues across Leeds, often in partnership with other organisations.
You can take a look at our Activities Leaflet for some examples of the groups we currently run.
We can also provide one to one volunteer support for those who need to build confidence before attending a group activity
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bp-assets/globalassets/leeds/w2w-activities-leaflet-oct23.pdf
How do I find out more?
Anyone aged 50 and over who is interested in accessing the service can contact the Ways to Wellbeing team to find out more.
We also welcome enquiries from family members, friends and health, social care and voluntary sector professionals.
How do I make a referral to the service?
If you are a professional and you are working with someone who would benefit from our service, you can refer them by completing our Referral Form. Please ensure you have gained the consent of the person being referred before submitting.
If you require the information if any other format, please email: W2W@ageukleeds.org.uk
If you would like to discuss the referral before sending the form please call 0113 389 3009 or alternatively 0113 389 3000
For family, friend or self-referrals, you can either email a completed {referral form } or contact the service to discuss further.
Referral Criteria
Please note referral/eligibility criteria for the service are as follows
Aged 50 or over
Has an identified wellbeing need or needs
Is resident in the Leeds Metropolitan Borough area (i.e. pays or would pay council tax to Leeds City Council)
In addition, whilst every referral is assessed on a case by case basis, it is unlikely that the service will be suitable for those who have
Severe mental illness which would make engagement in activities without clinical support unwise
Severe frailty which would make accessing activities outside of the home unwise
A history of violent, aggressive or discriminatory behaviour
What happens next?
Our Wellbeing Activity Co-ordinators review new referrals daily and aim to make initial contact with the referrer/person referred within 5 working days. Next steps and timescales in relation to accessing the service will be discussed during this initial contact.