Ageing Well with SDS

Ageing Well with Self-directed Support : Key Learning Points

  • Older people are assets to their communities and want to be seen as contributors to society. We celebrated the older people in the Ageing Well co-design team by commissioning Inkwell portraits, each with a short story, from artist Andy Archer, ‘to remind all generations that older people are treasure troves of adventure and knowledge’. Inkwell portraits
  • Building a community asset map can help people identify the opportunities for community involvement. Mapping and sharing knowledge and information about community assets is essential for strengths based approaches to self-directed support conversations and planning. Community Asset Map
  • Health and social care workers need to become skilled community connecters to support creative planning with people and achieve the outcome of building a person’s connections and relationships within their local community. Their employers need to provide them with the resources to acquire and develop these skills. Community Connecting ABCD
  • Lack of transport and / or inaccessible transport can be a barrier to older people (and others) engaging in their communities. Finding solutions to these transport barriers can tackle social isolation and help older people re engage with activities and people they used to enjoy. Transport Solutions
  • As more and more self-directed support information has become available, the need for consistency and quality control has become apparent. The Ageing Well co-design team designed a checklist for anyone giving information about self-directed support to support good practice and synchronisation between information and advice providers. SDS Checklist
  • Making self-directed support Option 2 a reality would offer greater choice and control to older people for whom managing a direct payment is not possible. Looking beyond traditional care and support providers to alternative organisations may open up this option. In East Renfrewshire, the Self-directed Support Forum is piloting Option 2 for older people. Easy steps to directing your support