BME Elders: Lifelong Learning and Leisure Time

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BME Elders Lifelong Learning and Leisure Time

• Wesley Grant
• Leeds Older Peoples Forum, UK.
• March 2009

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Our Presentation
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Leeds Older Peoples ForumWho we are?

• The Leeds Older People's Forum was established in
  March 1994 and has grown to a citywide membership
  of over 120 voluntary sector organisations
  working with older people.
• The work of the forum has focused mainly on
  Social Services, Health and Housing Services but
  is increasingly addressing wider related issues,
  which also effect the quality of older people's
  lives. These include Community Safety,
  Transport, Lifelong Learning, Leisure, Social
  Exclusion and Poverty.

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Leeds Older Peoples ForumWhat do we do?

• Voluntary sector organisation membership
• 122 member organisations
• Our work
• Information
• Networking
• Monitoring plans
• Influencing policy and practice
• Involving voluntary organisations

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Leeds Older Peoples Forum What do we do?

•  to provide INFORMATION to older people's
  organisations about issues affecting the lives of
  older people
• to offer opportunities to NETWORKING with other
  older people's groups and organisations
• to MONITOR plans, services and other developments
  which affect older people

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Leeds Older Peoples Forum What do we do?

•  
• to provide opportunities for older people to give
  FEEDBACK to statutory organisations and others
  about existing and proposed services relevant to
  older people
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• to INFLUENCE policy and practice at a local and
  national level
•  
• to ensure that VOLUNTARY ORGANISATIONS working
  with older people are fully involved in shaping
  services

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BME Elders in Leeds

• Over 10, 500 BME Elders in Leeds
• Diverse backgrounds
• Diverse issues
• Poverty
• Ill-Health
• Discrimination (double/triple jeopardy)
• Social Isolation
• Distrust of Mainstream Services

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Older People and Lifelong Learning Benefits for
Older People

• Lifelong Learning Any learning that has been
  done after compulsory education, including taught
  causes, community activities, physical exercise
  classes, independent learning, volunteering,
  accredited and non accredited courses.
• Benefits
• - Keeping brain and body active
• - Meeting new people
• - Learning new things
• - Giving something back to your community

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Lifelong Learning Challenges and Barriers for
Older People

• Cost of courses.set to increase
• Access to courses.physical barriers
• Lack of courses in the local area
• Fear of starting something new
• Fear of failure
• Thinking learning is not for you..

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BME Elders and Lifelong Learning Current
Situation

• NIACE Study - only 10 of learners (all ages)
  are from BME Communities.
• Higher rate of participation within
  Indian/Pakistani community than any other BME
  community.
• Women from BME communities participate 3 times as
  much in learning as men from the same communities
• Adult from BME communities participate in a wide
  range of courses.not stereotyped.
• NIACE (The National Institute of Adult
  Continuing Education) the leading
  non-governmental organisation for adult learning
  in England

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BME Elders and Lifelong Learning Issues and
Challenges

• Language barriers
• Courses not culturally/religiously sensitive
• Discrimination (direct, indirect)
• Fear/apprehension of mainstream providers
• Poverty and the cost of courses

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Our Response

• BME Elders Focus Group
• - Networking
• - Involvement
• - Profile raising/support

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The Collage of Cultures

• Multi-Cultural Elderly Arts Project
• Building on previous project from 2005
• Funded via LinkAge Plus (DWP)
• Learning from different cultures
• Expected outcomes
• Evaluation End October 2008

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Focus on Leeds Organisations

• Association of Blind Asians
• ABA is a city-wide organisation, serving
  visually impaired Asian people of all ages and
  cultural backgrounds, with a special focus on
  older people.
• - Social Activities, including luncheon clubs
• - Practical Support, including healthy living
  advice
• - Gujerati, Bengali, Urdu reading groups
• - Bengali books on loan

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Focus on Leeds Organisations

• Leeds Jewish Care Services
• Social activities, support and specialist
  services for older Jewish men and women and other
  older local people, within the Marjorie and
  Arnold Ziff Community Centre which also provides
  facilities and services for the wider Jewish and
  local community.
• - Social Activities
• - Exercise Groups
• - Arts and Crafts
• - Community foods/Kosher Meals

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Focus on Leeds Organisations

• Leeds Black Elders Association
• Social activities, support and specialist
  services for older men and women from all
  denominations, specific support for Black and
  African Caribbean people throughout the city.
• - Social Activities
• - Exercise Groups
• - Dementia Café (Club)
• - Stroke Club Dementia Café (Club)
• - African Caribbean Meals on Wheels
• - Hey to Stay Reminiscence Project

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Neighbourhood Network Schemes

• 38 Neighbourhood Network Schemes in Leeds
• Current Investment By Adult Social Care and NHS
  Leeds 1.5m
• Independent Voluntary Non Government
  Organisations
• For Older People (Services are specifically for
  benefit of elders)
• Run by Older People (Management Structure)
• Locality Based (Specific Geographical Area)
• Website www.leedsnns.org.uk/schemes.htm

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Thank You for Listening

• Any Questions
• Contact Details for Leeds Older Peoples Forum
• Leeds Older Peoples Forum
• 60 Upper Basinghall Street
• Leeds, LS1 5HR
• Telephone Number (44) 0113 3804911
• Fax [phone]
• Website www.opforum.org.uk
• Email info_at_opforum.org.uk