Category: Mental Health

Park Walks Campaign Launches!

George HarveyAge-friendly London

“For most people, walking is the easiest way to meet physical activity recommendations, as it is a free and low impact activity which is easy to start slowly and build up gradually. It’s also one of the easiest activities to fit into your everyday life, not least because you don’t need to concentrate on the walking itself, leaving you free to enjoy your surroundings, chat to friends and family or just relax.For most people, walking is the easiest way to meet physical activity recommendations, as it is a free and low impact activity which is easy to start slowly and build up gradually. It’s also one of the easiest activities to fit into your everyday life, not least because you don’t need to concentrate on the walking itself, leaving you free to enjoy your surroundings, chat to friends and family or just relax.”

Find out how Age UK London’s new Park Walks campaign will be helping older Londoners to get out and about in London’s green spaces!

Housing

Decent and Accessible Housing for London

George HarveyCare

The Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People report aimed to understand the detrimental impact of poor housing on older people’s physical, mental and social wellbeing. As a result of this inquiry, the APPG for Ageing and Older People have made 13 recommendations for change, including the impact of poor quality, inaccessible housing on health, issues in supported housing and the private rented sector, as well as the importance of home improvement agencies.

In this week’s blog we take a look through the findings of the “Decent and Accessible Homes for Older People” report and see how the recommendations provided can help London to become an Age-friendly City.

Television and mental health

The Importance of Television for our Mental Health

Jolie GoodmanCampaigns

“The UK has an ageing population. By 2030, one in five people in the UK (21.8%) will be aged 65 or over, 6.8% will be aged 75+ and 3.2% will be aged 85+. As many as 49% of older people (equivalent to over 5 million individuals) say their television or pets are their main form of company. Televison’s importance really can’t be exaggerated, especially for these people who, as they age, are increasingly likely to suffer loneliness, bereavement, illness and disability. TV doesn’t cure these struggles, but it can make them easier to live with.”

With the debate over the free TV licence for over-75s continuing to rage, we hear from Jolie Goodman about the importance of television for our mental health – especially as we age.

Mental and Physical Healthcare

Achieving Parity between Mental and Physical Healthcare

George HarveyCare

“The conference was an opportunity to increase understanding of a range of perspectives from across the social care workforce and to develop greater knowledge of patients’ experiences when accessing both mental and physical healthcare. Attendees were also advised on the delivery of consistent messages between members of the health and social care workforce on the subject of mental and physical health needs. There was also plenty of opportunity to network – especially over lunch!”

This week, we were delighted to co-host the MaP Project Conference with Allied Health Solutions here at Tavis House. Find out all about the event here!

Mental Health and the Arts

George HarveyArts & Theatre

“Age UK’s recent Wellbeing Index went so far as to say that social and civic participation and creative and cultural participation are hugely important, together making up almost 1/8th of total wellbeing in later life. Furthermore, research by the Arts Council England in 2016 found that 76% of older people said arts and culture was important in making them feel happy, while over half of those surveyed said that arts and culture helped them to meet other people as well as encouraging them to get out and about. Meanwhile, the Mental Health Foundation discovered increased confidence and self-esteem amongst participants that were engaged in forms of participatory art.”

Research suggests that arts and culture are vital to older people’s mental health and wellbeing. We investigate the research and discuss some of the barriers to participation for older people.

Marathon Runner

Marathons and Mental Health

Charlotte CornishFundraising

The mental health of older people in London, and in particular loneliness, is key to Age UK London’s work. We were therefore delighted to hear that Prince William and Prince Harry are using this Sunday’s London Marathon as a vehicle to help end the stigma around talking about mental health.

Yet how does mental health vary by age group? Charlotte Cornish investigates…

Time to Talk – Older People and Mental Health

George HarveyCare

Yesterday marked the fourth national Time to Talk Day, a yearly initiative run by Time to Change which aims to break the silence surrounding mental health issues. In fact, since it first launched in 2014, Time to Talk Day has generated millions of conversations across the country, from homes, schools, and workplaces, to online networks and the media. Such conversations are important across all demographics, but as the Mental Health Foundation’s website states, “older people are more vulnerable to mental health problems.”