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Transform Ageing local launch events: inspiring innovation across the South West
Transform Ageing local launch events: inspiring innovation across the South West
Written by
UnLtd employee
UnLtd position
UnLtd and our partners are launching our Transform Ageing programme in the South West later this month. Transform Ageing is a collaborative approach to inspire innovation in the health, wellbeing and social care sectors to achieve better outcomes for people in later life.
We want to ensure that social entrepreneurs and everyone who wants the opportunity to make real change happen for people in later life get involved with the design process. So we're helping to organise four different events in four corners of the South West. Our four events:
- Cornwall, at the Heartlands centre in Redruth - from 2 to 4pm
- North Devon, at the Beaford Village Hall in Winkleigh - from 2 to 4pm
- Somerset, at the Wells Town Hall, Wells - from 2 to 4pm
- South Devon, at the Methodist, Paignton - from 2 to 4pm
UnLtd has partnered with the Design Council, the South West Academic Health Science Network and the Centre for Ageing Better to launch Transform Ageing to revolutionise the health, wellbeing and social care for people in later life.
Initially based in the South West of England and funded by Big Lottery, Transform Ageing will bring together social entrepreneurs, commissioners of health and care services and people in later life. Together they will support social entrepreneurs to design and deliver new solutions that involve the users and practitioners of the services.
Transform Ageing aims to produce innovations in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall that will reduce demand for services through preventative approaches, tackle causes rather than symptoms and help people to be better prepared for the challenges of later life. UnLtd will be finding, funding and supporting social entrepreneurs like Kate Smith and Laura Walker from Memory Matters with ideas to transform ageing and will work with healthcare commissioners to encourage adoption and generate impact.
CASE STUDY: MEMORY MATTERS
Kate and Laura set up Memory Matters in 2010 to support those living with dementia, they wanted to turn the experience of living with dementia into a positive one. They aim to enhance the quality of life and even slow the progression of dementia with evidence based therapeutic practice.
'We decided there was something we could do,' said Kate, 'These are people with thoughts, feelings and opinions. They should be listened to and cared for as you'd expect anyone else to be. That's what we do.'
Seeing the damage of reduced budgets and increased workloads had on encouraging a personal approach to care, the pair set up Memory Matters to try and change things. They provide high quality services for people living with dementia out in the community. They run day clubs, care home visits, training and one-to-one sessions.
Transform Ageing is a partnership of expertise in finding solutions to the challenges presented by an ageing society.
Mark Norbury, Chief Executive Office of UnLtd, said: ""We are thrilled to be working with such fantastic partners on Transform Ageing who bring expertise in the health and social care sector and a profound understanding of the communities they support. A vital part of this programme is working very closely with local people in their communities around the South West, so we're very much looking forward to these four very local launch events. We're excited at the prospect of working together to find leaders with dynamic solutions to redefine the experience of ageing.""
UnLtd is the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK and offers the largest such network in the world. UnLtd resources hundreds of individuals each year directly through its core awards programme and hundreds more through a network of community-based partners. Find out more about Transform Ageing.