Brunel University academics exceeded expectations with thier community-led disruptive scheme to support older adults live independently and stay active and engaged in their local communities. Give&TakeCare CIC is a registered Community Interest Company that was one of the two winners under the Innovate UK competition ‘Long Term Social Care revolution’. In August 2018 the contract with Innovate UK has successfully come to an end and we are pleased to report that we have achieved the three targets set by Innovate UK. The targets set by Innovate UK were 3:
- Four localities, e.g. 4 communities where G&TC took place
- Positive feedback from all parties involved, cargivers, carereceivers and collaborating organisations
- At least 1200 hour of care being exchanged.
G&TC started in Wokingham and then expanded in Leicester, Rochdale and Windsor and Maidenhead. Collectively we have achieved in excess of 1500 hours of care being exchanged between volunteers and older adults, with the great satisfaction of all participants. Feedback is received monthly in each locality and the locality manager collects it personally.
Going forward G&TC has secured additional funds that will allow it to remain active in Rochdale in collaboration with the Circle, in Leicester in collaboration with Vista and in Berkshire in collaboration with the Clinical Commissioning Group.
G&TC has gone through some considerable development to become a truly co-designed and co-produced scheme for the community and continues to compete for funds to strengthen the experience of older adults and to expand. Beside bringing to the attention of policy makers alternative model to support ‘Ageing in place’, the project also represents a field study for research into ageing, technology adoption and socially sustainable economies.
Reported by:
Joanna Babukutty
joanna.babukutty@brunel.ac.uk