You can download the chat report here.

Part One

The first half of this session focused on the work of the ExtraCare Charitable Trust (ECCT) and their Lottery Funded Engaged Lives programme run in extra care housing retirement villages which embrace older age as a period of possibilities. 

The session also explored how ECCT use tools such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioural approaches to remove barriers to social connectedness and the development of our Friendly Faces Volunteer role and community team.

We heard from ECCT’s Michael Spellman, their Wellbeing Research and Innovation Lead Manager who talked about how they worked collaboratively to support and befriend residents at their retirement villages and the wider community in order to overcome personal obstacles to connections, especially during the pandemic, and how this has been sustained since.

Part Two

The second part of the session took an international and UK look at loneliness and isolation through the lens of creating compassionate and caring communities for people with dementia in Sweden. It also explored the findings from the recent publication by the Campaign to End Loneliness, ‘Tackling loneliness through the built environment’, and shared the Quality of Life Foundation tool and how they assess for better outcomes from community engagement.

Chaired by Jeremy Porteus, CEO at Housing LIN, we were joined by:

  • Michael Spellman, Wellbeing Research and Innovation Lead Manager at the ExtraCare Charitable Trust
  • Wilhelmina Hoffman, President of Svenskt Demenscentrum in Stockholm (and working closely with the Queen of Sweden’s charity)
  • Robin Hewings, Programme Director at Campaign to End Loneliness, who will present on the recent report.
  • Matthew Morgan from the Quality of Life Foundation on their work to deliver better qualitative housing outcomes for people in later life.

We are thankful to this session's sponsor, The ExtraCare Charitable Trust.

Event feedback:

  • Inspiring and exciting work going on, which is of great value to older people.
  • A great session with some valuable insight, both from the UK & Overseas.
  • Positive attitudes and empowering ideas.