Age Friendly Creativity: An Introduction

Age Friendly Creativity: An Introduction

Read this short document, then join us for a

live Facebook event on:

FRIDAY 12TH OCTOBER 2018, 12pm-1pm

www.facebook.com/ageofcreativity

To ask questions, get advice and connect

Age Friendly Creativity: An Introduction

Covering:

1. What is ‘Age Friendly’?

2. Who are ‘older people’?

3. Why are they a ‘new’ audience?

4. What’s in it for you?

5. What can you do?

1. What is ‘Age Friendly’?

Age-friendly organisations:

• recognize the great diversity among older persons,

• promote their inclusion and contribution in all areas of community life,

• respect their decisions and lifestyle choices, and

• anticipate and respond flexibly to aging-related needs and preferences.

-World Health Organisation

1. What is ‘Age Friendly’?

Age Friendly Participation has:

• Positive images of older persons;

• Accessible and useful information;

• Accessible public and private transportation;

• Inclusive opportunities for civic, cultural, educational and voluntary engagement;

• Barrier-free and enabling interior and exterior spaces;

-World Health Organisation

“Older people” are a significant UK demographic which is growing on an unprecedented scale:

Age group 2018 Population projection

Over 60 15.3 million (24%) By 2030 there will be over 20 million people over 60

Over 65 11.8 million (18%) By 2040 1 in 4 people will be 65 or over

Over 85 1.6 million (2%) The number of people over 85 is predicted to double in the next 23 years to over 3.4 million

Who are ‘older people’?

It is hard to categorise such a diverse population but there are some age- related issues that impact this demographic significantly. An estimated:

• 4 million older people in the UK have a limiting longstanding illness; 40% of all people aged 65+

• 14% aged 65+ have sight loss which affects their day to day living; increasing to 35% aged 75+ and 50% for 90+

• 70% of over 70 year olds and 40% of over 50 years-old have some form of hearing loss.

• An estimated 850,000 older people in the UK have a dementia diagnosis, predicted to increase to one million by 2021 and two million by 2051.

• 2.3 million people aged 65 and older providing care for another person and 400,000 of those are age 80 or over.

- Age UK

Who are ‘older people’?

Why are they a ‘new’ audience?

They’re not. But supporting people to continue to take part in creative and cultural activities as they reach older age in a more concerted, proactive, strategic way is. Age UK research shows a sharp decline as we age across all arforms:

Why are they a ‘new’ audience?

There is a clear discrepancy between the number of older people who take part and those who want to take part in cultural activities. We could do more to reach this audience:

• 76% of older people say arts and culture is important in making them feel happy;

• 69% say that arts and culture is important in making them feel healthy or in encouraging them to get out and about;

• 51% say that it is important in helping them to feel less alone.

- Arts Council England

What’s in it for you?

A Creative Opportunity:

“Imagine its 2045 - not so difficult as its less than 30 years away! By 2045 the generation that grew up in the era of punk rock will be reaching their 80s. I wonder what they might want to sing along to in the lounge of a care home? I doubt it’ll be the ‘Lambeth Walk’ or ‘Down at the Old Bull and Bush’”

-Des Kelly OBE

What’s in it for you?

An organisational opportunity:

Building relationships

Programming

Appropriate facilities

Communication

Provide a warm welcome

What can you do?

Use the Family Arts Campaign “Age Friendly Standards” to prompt ideas:

Building relationships

• Build relationships between generations

• Foster relationships with older people to encourage them to become active participants in your organisation

• Know and learn from your audience

• Encourage relationships with other places/services older people may use (e.g. health and care facilities, housing providers, adult learning centres, libraries, clubs and societies and community centre)

• Consider building partnerships with other age-friendly cultural organisations

Question: What could you change in your organisation to build relationships with older audiences?

What might stop/hinder you from doing this?

Programming

• Encourage artistic work that has the ability to inspire, articulate and celebrate life in older age

• Avoid making assumptions

• Aim for intergenerational provision to integrate into whole programme

• Programme work that is produced/co-produced by older people as facilitators, programmers and artists

• Consider timings for programmes.

Question: How could you change your programme to meet needs of older audiences?

What might stop/hinder you from doing this?

Appropriate facilities

• Be clear and display accessibility accreditations

• Consider the accessibility of every aspect of the visit/experience

• Think about environmental factors for comfort/ease e.g. heating/lighting levels; supportive seating; clear signing; free drinking water/low cost refreshments

• Consider wider needs of the family members/accompanying group

• Be clear on the logistics of getting to/from the venue

• Be clear about what you can support and what you can’t

Question: What could you change to make your venue more accessible?

What challenges have you faced in planning/delivery of this?

Communication

• Use positive and inclusive language and images in marketing and comms

• Communicate alternative and easy ways for booking tickets for those who may not be online

• Provide ways for older people to communicate to let you know of needs ahead of performance/event

• Think of other ways of approaching audiences who may not be online

• Think creatively about the ways of engaging older audiences who are online

• Be clear and avoid jargon

Question: What marketing tactics have worked really well when engaging audiences? What other routes could you pursue?

Provide a warm welcome

• Create a welcoming atmosphere

• Ensure that staff are visible and vigilant to visitor’s needs

• Train staff to be aware of some of the difficulties that some older visitors may encounter

• Encourage staff who are trained to display this

• Nominate staff/volunteers to become age-friendly champions

• Embed age-friendly policies into all areas of the organisation

Question: What could you change within your organisation to make it more welcoming for older visitors?

What considerations will you take?

• Get further information and sign up to the Age-Friendly Standards by emailing anna.dever@thealbany.org.uk

• Attend ‘Age Friendly’ Arts events across the year and sign up to newsletter: http://www.familyarts.co.uk/

• Follow us on @familyarts1 / @fantasticforfam

• Add events to Fantasticforfamilies.com

What can you do?

• Join a free network of 1000+ professionals to share best practice, develop your work and connect with new partners: www.ageofcreativity.co.uk

• Join the Age of Creativity Festival by adding your own event or atten other events during 1-14th October 2018 and 1-31st May 2019: www.voluntartarts.co.uk/age-of-creativity

• Follow us @ageofcreativity on FB, Twitter and Instagram

• Get more practical advice on a number of topics via www.voluntaryarts.co.uk

What can you do?

This document was produced for the

Age of Creativity Festival

Kindly funded by: