voices of experience - age uk · web viewgetting out and about all participants were given an...

Voices of Experience

Questionnaire 43 Report

March 2018

Questionnaire 43 researched the views of older people on the following topics:

Getting out and about locally Parking Pharmacy services

Section 1 of the questionnaire sought the views of older people on getting out and about and enjoying their local area, or if anything was preventing them from doing so. Section 2 of the questionnaire asked older people who drive, or have a relative or friend who drives them, about finding parking in their local areas and how they are coping with the new style of parking meters, which require telephone booking.Section 3 of the questionnaire researched the views of older people to find out how comfortable they are seeking advice from their Pharmacist on minor ailments and medicines.

Methodology

We sent the questionnaire to 168 people on the database of which 68 (40%) were returned. A further 39 questionnaires were completed by residents in Independent Living Schemes and 1 questionnaire completed on line. In total 108 questionnaires were completed. 17% of participants were from a Black or Minority Ethnic Group. It is hoped that by putting the questionnaire on line, a wider range of participants can be reached in future.

Section 1

Getting out and about

All participants were given an information sheet with details of how they could report certain things on line to the council that may be making them reluctant to go out or making them feel unsafe, such as: anti-social behaviour; broken street lighting; damaged pavements or kerbs; litter; graffiti; dog fouling and fly tipping. We also provided the phone number to ring if people were unable to report on line.

Q1 asked: Are you able to get out and about by yourself?

Yes85%

No15%

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If no, does illness or disability prevent you?

Yes94%

No6%

Q2 asked: If you can’t go out alone, can you go out if someone accompanies you?

Yes88%

No13%

Q3 asked: If you are able to go out and about when you want to, whether on your own or with support, what do you enjoy most about going out in your local area? Participants were able to select as many options as they wanted.

What do you enjoy? Number %Variety of shops 55 62%Friendliness of people 44 50%Helpful staff in shops 44 50%Pleasant areas to rest 29 33%Just getting out in fresh air 68 77%Getting exercise 65 74%Pleasant cafés & restaurants 48 54%Just seeing a face or hearing a voice 28 32%Other 17 19%

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15 people out of 16 who don’t get out alone are prevented from doing so by illness or disability.Of those, 14 can go out with support.


Q4 asked: If you are able to go out but don’t do so, what prevents you?

Some participants answered this even if they said they do go out, but as these issues are obviously a concern to them, they have been included. However, this means it is not possible to calculate the percentages.

What prevents you going out? NumberNot enough seating 7No/not enough public toilets 15Poor maintenance or lack of clean toilets 8No accessible toilet for disabled 12Lack of green spaces 2No convenient transport links 3No areas to shelter in bad weather 10No cafés or places to have refreshments 0Other 2

Q5 asked: Do you feel safe in your area when you do go out?

Yes77%

No22%

No resp1%

Q6 asked: What makes you feel unsafe? Participant’s comments are listed below.

Going out in the dark (2 people said this) Condition of pavements (11 said this) Safe in the daytime but not at night in Ilford (4 people said this) People in shops as I have had my purse stolen twice Lack of street lights and bad behaviour by young people Crossing roads Gangs of youths/school kids behaviour/ Fast traffic sometimes not stopping at pedestrian crossings People hanging about At 98 I am an easy target People loitering in large groups and being verbally abusive People coming up behind me Recent moped robbery Rough sleepers/ beggars (8 people said this) Many homeless and also drug users Sometimes there are troublemakers

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Pick pockets. Lorries parking on pavements make it very unsafe for older disabled people to get

around Being pushed out of someone’s way Motorists turning without indicating Past experience of being mugged locally I don't feel safe in Ilford but ok in Woodford Lack of police Groups of teenagers can be quite threatening in the evenings People knocking at your door late in the evening Going out at night fear of crime Leaves make pavements slippery Rubbish dumped

Q7 asked: If you don’t feel safe, what would make you feel safer? Participants could select more than one option.

Number %

More policing 43 40%

More lighting 15 14%

More security cameras 21 20%

Safer places to cross roads 15 14%

Better maintained pavements 30 28%

Other 2 2%

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Many older people we spoke to, miss the reassurance of seeing more police officers around. The Safer Neighbourhood Teams do not seem to be as visible as they once were, since numbers have been reduced


Q8 asked: If you are concerned about going out and about, how does this affect your quality of life?

A lot17%

Quite a lot33%

Not much36%

Not at all

14%

Not going out has the following impact on people: Reduced mobility Poorer health Reduced fitness Loss of social contact Impaired sense of wellbeing Depression Loss of stimulus (a factor in dementia)

Section 2

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A 50/50 split with 50% saying their concerns affected their quality of life to some degree, and 50% saying they didn’t.It is of considerable concern that half of those surveyed have their quality of life affected through some of these preventable issues such as enough public toilets.


Parking

This section was for those who still drive or have someone that regularly drives them. We gave participants information about the RINGO scheme, how to use the machines; how to register for 30 minutes free parking; how to apply for a blue badge; and the Redbridge parking strategy which is available on the council website.

Q1 asked: Do you, or someone who drives you, experience difficulty when parking in your local town centre?

Often43%

Sometimes29%

No23%

No resp5%

For those who experienced difficulty often, participants gave the following areas as places they experience difficulty:Ilford and surrounding areas / 18 (75%)Barkingside / 6 (33%)Wanstead / 3(17%)Woodford / 3 (17%)Some participants stated more than one area where they experienced difficulty.

For those who experienced difficulty sometimes, the figures apply to the following areas:Ilford and surrounding areas / 15 (94%)Barkingside / 5 (31%)Woodford / 1Wanstead / 2 (12%)

In both instances, parking in Ilford is the most problematic for older people and Barkingside the second.

Q2 asked: If you do experience problems, what are they?

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The chart below shows percentages of the 33 people who experienced problems a lot, or sometimes in one or more areas.

24%

18%12%18%

19%

2% 7%

Too few spacesNarrow spacesToo few Blue badgeCostPhone paymentOtherNo resp

Q3 asked: Did you know about the 30 minutes free parking you can get in some parking bays?

Yes54%

No32%

No resp14%

Are the instructions clear about how to register for the free period?

Yes27%

No30%

Unsure43%

Q4 asked: If you or someone you know drives you to the hospital for an appointment, do you have to leave home very early in order to allow time to find a parking space?

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Almost a third of respondents to this question do not know about the free parking period, and of those who do, many find the instructions unclear.

There is a case for clearer instructions and more advertising about the free parking period, to be readily available and in different formats.


38%

27%9%

20%7%

AlwaysDepends on timeNoPark elsewhereN/A

Section 3Pharmacies

This section was to find out what participants would feel comfortable talking to their Pharmacist about. We gave participants information about what people can expect from their pharmacist, for example: dispensing repeat prescriptions; giving advice on minor ailments; helping manage long term conditions; giving advice on healthy eating, stopping smoking and getting enough exercise.

Q1 asked: Do you/would you consult your pharmacist for advice on treating coughs and colds?

57%

19%

17%5% 2%

YesNoMay do in futureUnsureNo resp

Q2 asked: Do you/would you consult your pharmacist for advice on managing long term conditions such as Diabetes or Asthma?

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22%

37%

20%

17%4%

YesNoMay do in futureUnsureNo resp

Q3 asked: Do you/would you consult your pharmacist for advice on medications, including: how a new medicine may react with existing medication you are taking?

54%

18%

18%

5% 5%

YesNoMay doUnsureNo resp

Q4 asked: Do you/would you consult your pharmacist for advice on staying healthy, including healthy eating, stopping smoking or getting enough exercise?

17%

50%

May do in future21%

10%2%


Q5 asked: Do you/would you consult your pharmacist for advice on minor ailments such as minor burns, cuts and grazes, bumps and bruises, minor skin problems?

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It appears that whilst people are generally happy to discuss medication and minor ailments with the pharmacist, there is currently reluctance to discuss other issues.

However, a reasonable number of older people seem open to the idea of discussing some other issues in future with the pharmacist now they have more of an idea of the advice they can get.


Yes49%

No21%

May do in future

16%

Unsure9%

No resp5%

Q6 asked: Do you/would you feel happy to have procedures such as the flu jab, or a blood pressure check carried out by your pharmacist?

62%17%

13%7% 1%


Conclusions: The majority of our participants are able to go out and about locally, and of those who don’t, the majority are prevented from doing so by disability or illness. It is pleasing to see most who do get out enjoy the fresh air and exercise through doing so, but it is of concern that the most basic of requirements like enough public toilets causes many concern and prevents them from not only enjoying getting out, but may be affecting their overall health and well-being and therefore their quality of life. Lack of public toilets is of course not just a concern for older people. Lack of visible policing and the condition of pavements are making many older people feel unsafe, and it is concerning that damaged pavements have resulted in falls for some of the participants in this questionnaire. Some have suffered an injury through tripping on damaged pavements, yet often no action is taken because the damage is not considered by the council as ‘extensive enough’. Many of the damaged paving stones are situated in areas where older people are residing, around Independent Living Schemes for example. The number of rough sleepers and beggars also makes many older people feel uncomfortable, and results in them avoiding certain areas in order to feel safe.

Concerns around parking centre mainly on lack of spaces and the introduction of ‘cashless’ parking meters. Many older people have found registering and paying for parking confusing and the keypads on the machines too small for many. It is a shame that older people feel their needs have not been taken into account when installing these machines.

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Finally, many of the older people we spoke to were surprised at the services some pharmacies could offer, although there is considerable confusion about which pharmacy offers what service. The electronic prescribing system does not appear to be consistent throughout the area, with some older people always seeking medication advice from their GP as they have not been made aware that this service may be available from the pharmacy. We feel that clarification is needed around what pharmacy services are available to all and what services are only offered in the larger pharmacies. This should be provided by the Clinical Commissioning Group.This concludes the report.

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