Sefton, Merseyside
Sefton O.P.E.R.A (Older Persons Enabling Resource & Action)
Awarded £47,470 towards employing a worker as well as training up volunteers
About
Sefton O.P.E.R.A secured funding through Fair Share Trust for the delivery of older people’s health and well being services across Linacre/Derby working at neighbourhood level. Part of the funding was to be used to provide information to older people about promoting services to improve health and wellbeing.
The decision was made to hold an information day for older people and the idea of the “Opening Doors” event emerged from this. Over the next few weeks the project was discussed with volunteers and local communities as to what they would like to find more out about. Key themes included health activities, disability support, crime reduction and benefit awareness. Through extensive links with a number of key agencies and our strategic network links we were able to raise the profile of the event and encourage a number of key older people’s organisations/agencies to attend. Organisations who attended included Merseyside Police, Active Sefton, Sefton Libraries, Anchor “Staying Put”, Housing Benefits Advice Services, Pensions Services, and Merseyside Fire Services, as well as a number of local older peoples' support charities such as Alzheimer’s Society, Sefton Helping Hand, Sefton Pensions Advocacy Centre and of course the group themselves.
The event was held at Bootle Cricket Club in the heart of the Linacre/Derby ward and over 22 organisations and 120 older people attended on the day. The main evaluation of the day found that the event was extremely helpful and useful for the people who attended and the stallholders themselves said that they would like to be able to replicate this type of activity again, as this was a more cost-effective way to engage with so many older people. Sefton O.P.E.R.A have also been contacted by the political leader of the council to discuss replicating the event in another part of the borough as they have had such good feedback. The only negative feedback came from the fact that the group did not provide transport to and from the event, which in hindsight would have allowed more older people to attend.
During the day, Sefton O.P.E.R.A held some health and wellbeing activities and over 40 people received hand, feet and back massages. Some tai chi and meditation sessions took place before the start of the event for volunteers, many of whom were themselves elderly.
This event will have a lasting legacy for older people - as we say “knowledge is power” and many older peoples' lives can directly be affected by gaining the right support and information to guide them to improving their own lives.
All in all the event was a resounding success. Working in partnership with other agencies, sharing resources and bringing a co-ordinated approach to information dissemination will be a method used for best practice in the future for Sefton O.P.E.R.A and they hope that others learn from the experience and use this as a tool for them to support older people in the future.
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