Key learning: person-centred approaches
Everyone has something to offer and a gift to give. Person-centred approaches understand this, while recognising that seldom heard groups may need additional support.
The skills of workers and volunteers at Time To Shine projects in taking a person-centred approach have enabled many people to gain a sense of self-worth and confidence. In many cases this has been a multi-layered approach with the involvement of other services, including health and social care.
Person-centred approaches are holistic and consider the overall needs of the individual. They can help to address the wider determinants of health. We have found in many cases issues concerning health, income and housing must be addressed before we can address someone’s social needs.
Compassion and kindness are key elements of a person-centred approach and allow for a relationship of trust to develop.
Many Time To Shine projects have been designed to support those most at risk of social isolation and loneliness. We have found that projects specifically designed to meet the needs of people from at risk groups have been successful, such as carers, and people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities. Such approaches have enabled a deeper understanding of the needs of marginalised communities and seldom heard groups.
Learning links
Time to Shine reports
- Connecting with Culture - an Insight from Time to Shine (2018)
- Digital Angels (Time to Shine / Age UK Leeds)
- ‘Extending the Hand of Friendship’: Exploring loneliness among the older Irish community in Leeds through an exploration of the Cara Project (Care Connect)
- Findings from the Bee Together project combating loneliness and social isolation in older people with learning disabilities (Bee Together, October 2020)
- Ideas on how to include accessible information (Bee Together, Health for All)
- Ideas on how to include people with learning disabilities (Bee Together, Health for All)
- Life, loss, learning and legacy: learning from men's experiences of bereavement (Time to Shine, July 2020)
- Reducing social isolation amongst older LGBT People: a case study of the Sage project (Care Connect)
- Reducing social isolation and loneliness for older adults with a learning disability (Time to Shine/Bee Together, January 2020)
- Reducing loneliness through digital connections: case study of the Digital Angels project (Care Connect)
- Running A Supportive And Welcoming Group Toolkit (Time To Shine September 2019)
- Supporting Wellbeing And Independence For Frailty Swift Report (Time To Shine June 2019)
- SWiFT video (Time To Shine June 2019)
- SWIFt interim evaluation (Health & Care Evaluation Service, Autumn 2018)
- Time to Shine programme evaluation: summary of beneficiary outcomes (Care Connect)
- Trigger points - report (Time to Shine, July 2020)
- Trigger points - toolkit (Time to Shine, July 2020)
- Working with individuals with anxiety (Time To Shine, December 2019)
Reports from other Ageing Better areas
- Care Navigators (Ageing Better Isle of Wight, 2019)
- Learning from chat and splash (Birmingham Ageing Better, May 2020)
- Leicester Ageing Together Mental wellbeing project (Leicester Ageing Together, July 2020)
- People in the lead: Pam’s story - video (Ageless Thanet, October 2020)
- Planning for later life (Ageless Thanet)
- Providing access to digital services for those not online (Ageing Better in East Lindsey, September 2020)
- Resilience through digital inclusion (Ageing Better in East Lindsey, September 2020)
- Social Isolation and loneliness in South Asian communities (Leicester Ageing Together, July 2020)
- Taking a different approach to volunteering (Ageless Thanet, February 2020)
- What has the Bristol Support Hub for Older People learnt about online and telephone group activities? (Bristol Ageing Better, September 2020)
National reports
- Community Connector Schemes (National Lottery Community Fund, 2018)
- Reducing social isolation in LGBT+ communities aged over 50 - learning from Ageing Better (National Lottery Community Fund)
- Social prescribing - key messages from Ageing Better (National Lottery Community Fund)
- Working and engaging with carers - key learning from Ageing Better (National Lottery Community Fund, January 2020)
- Working and engaging with men - learning from Ageing Better (National Lottery Community Fund)