Advantage magazine - spring 2023 - edition 64

Contents

P4 80 years of pioneering work to help older people

P14 Driving out loneliness by connecting communities

P18 Celebrating 10 years of creative ageing

P20 Share your experiences with the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry

P22 Intergenerational bonds bloom with Edinburgh Garden Partners

P28 Age Scotland launches Older People’s LGBTQ+ Network

Age Scotland is the national charity for older people. Our magazine, Advantage, provides information, inspiration and ideas to empower Scotland’s older people, their friends, families and carers.

If you have news, events or issues that you would like Advantage to cover, please get in touch. We would also welcome ideas on how we might improve the magazine. To stop receiving Advantage, please get in touch with us on the details below.

advantage@agescotland.org.uk

0333 323 2400

Advantage, Age Scotland Causewayside House

160 Causewayside

Edinburgh EH9 1PR

ISSN 1747-4515

Age Scotland, part of the Age Network, is an independent charity dedicated to improving the later lives of everyone on the ageing journey, within a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland. Registration Number: 153343 Charity Number SC010100. Registered Office: Causewayside House, 160 Causewayside, Edinburgh EH9 1PR.

Welcome to Advantage magazine!

Spring is seen as the time for growth, change and new beginnings and it’s my immense privilege to appear in Advantage magazine for the first time as the new CEO of Age Scotland.

Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive

I look forward to engaging and collaborating with members, supporters and partners in the months and years ahead and building on the charity’s successes.

This edition is packed with useful information, from how to eat well when food prices bite (p42), great gardening tips (p22) and a quiz to power your brains (p41)!

2023 is a big year for us as it marks 80 years of Age Scotland being at the forefront of campaigning to improve the lives of older people in Scotland. Read more about the charity’s fascinating history and how far we’ve come (p4).

We are well placed to continue our great work helping older people in Scotland for many more years to come and I’m excited for this next chapter in our history.

Mark O’Donnell, Chief Executive

pioneering work 80 years of Celebrating

On 22nd January a meeting took place in Edinburgh to address issues affecting older people in Scotland. Among the areas of concern were a lack of adequate housing, hidden poverty and loneliness.

Although the issues might sound current, that meeting was the inaugural gathering of the Scottish Old People’s Welfare Committee (SOPWC) and took place in 1943. The SOPWC brought together a range of national voluntary sector and charitable organisations concerned with the welfare of older people, working with local branches in Edinburgh, Dundee and Peebles.

It can be seen as the earliest incarnation of Age Scotland, now Scotland’s national charity for older people. This year, as we celebrate 80 years of Age Scotland and all its predecessors, let’s take a look at how we got here.

Advancing later life in Scotland

Back in 1943, Britain was at war. Food and clothes were rationed, there was no state pension and the NHS did not yet exist. Support for older people came from local groups of volunteers. Eight decades later, Age Scotland member groups continue that invaluable work.

munities has

The first meeting of SOPWC led to initiatives including Meals on Wheels, home help and visiting schemes, the precursors of today’s befriending services.

By the late 1940s, SOPWC was making a name for itself with public events, conferences and broadcasts. It was a step on the road to advocating for older people and making sure their voices were heard in post-war Scotland.

At the start of the 1950s, there was a huge growth in the number of older people’s organisations, with 156 registered by 1954. The expansion of groups and services proved there was a need to support older people.

The 1960s saw a further expansion of older people’s clubs. The groundbreaking Crafts and Hobbies Centre for retired men in Glasgow provided opportunities for company and new interests. Today, Men’s Sheds continue the tradition of fellowship and craftsmanship.

In 1971, SOPWC became the Scottish Old People’s Welfare Council, an independent charity. After much discussion the council settled on the name Age Concern Scotland and in 1973 appointed its first director –George Foulkes, later Lord Foulkes, who returned to Age Scotland as chairman four decades later.

been at the heart of Age Scotland’s pioneering work for

Age Concern Scotland campaigned on behalf of older people on a range of issues including the restoration of the Death Grant, improvements in sheltered housing and raising awareness of benefits - work that is as important today as it was in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Age Concern

Scotland lifted the taboo on dementia, holding a conference which led to the creation of Scottish Action on Dementia.

In 1995, the charity published a Bill of Rights to encourage Scotland’s 32 new councils to be aware of the needs of older people and to highlight the important contribution older people make to the delivery of local services.

Old age in a new world

The dawn of a new millennium saw Age Concern Scotland offer training, including computer training for older people wanting to use the internet and email. In 2009, the first Scottish Older People’s Assembly was held and later that year Age Concern Scotland and Help the Aged came together to form a new charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people. It was called Age Scotland.

In 2011, Age Scotland launched a free helpline offering advice, information and friendship. The following years saw a surge in member groups, the first Walking Football game and an arts festival organised by Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation.

It was a period of growth, until the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Older people were disproportionately affected by the virus and Age Scotland met the unprecedented challenges of lockdown, shielding and isolation head-on. The helpline became a lifeline for older people, their families and carers.

Now, at the start of 2023, we’re in a new era. Member groups are meeting face to face again and our diversity and inclusion work is expanding. Age Scotland recently launched an older people’s LGBTQ+ network, to amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ people over 50 across Scotland.

We’re enormously proud of the work Age Scotland does, and grateful to the pioneers who started the ball rolling eight decades ago. We’re still campaigning for suitable housing for older people, supporting older people living in poverty, and tackling loneliness, along with the many other strands of our work to make Scotland a better place to grow older.

A chat with our new CEO

With two decades of experience in the public and third sectors, including time as chief executive of the Sight Scotland group, Mark O’Donnell joined Age Scotland as the charity’s CEO in January. We put him in the hot seat to find out about his plans and to get to know him better.

What are the biggest challenges facing older people in Scotland?

There are many, but I think the cost of living crisis is making pre-existing challenges worse. It is also dragging lots of older people into personal and social difficulties that they might never have previously imagined they would face. Woven through all of that are the ongoing major problems of loneliness and isolation, which are only intensified by economic hardship. Difficulties with access to timely and person-centred health and social care – and wider public services – is another issue. Then, of course there are big cultural challenges about negative perceptions of older age.

Age Scotland turns 80 this year, what do you think the charity’s greatest achievements have been?

I have a lot to learn about the charity’s long and fascinating history. It could be argued that adapting to the unprecedented impacts of Covid-19 whilst keeping services and colleagues afloat is one of the biggest achievements. More generally, the organisation should be proud of how it has kept older people’s issues high on the political and societal agenda. Equally, the countless numbers of people it has supported throughout its history, whilst continuing to show that later life is something to celebrate, is a significant achievement.

What are your top priorities for Age Scotland in the next chapter of our history?

I think that tackling the challenges outlined above is key, alongside continually striving for new and innovative ways to grow our impact and reach, particularly through deep and genuine engagement with those we’re here to serve. We need to be sustainable as well as ambitious into the long-term, of course, to be able to deliver. We have a very solid base on which to build a long-term financial strategy. I also want this to be known as a great place to work and volunteer.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I have a busy family life with three teenagers at home, which keeps my wife and I busy and grounded! With the time that’s left, I’m also disciplined about keeping fit. I love reading, listening to music, bingeing boxsets and writing poetry. And not forgetting socialising!

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

Possibly that, as a leader, you shouldn’t pretend that you always know the right answer to problems even when everyone may be looking to you for it, whilst obviously accepting that your role is to help find the best possible answer.

Age Scotland calls on energy suppliers to improve service to older customers

Age Scotland has urged energy suppliers to improve their service to older people as a matter of urgency after an Ofgem report found many vulnerable customers were being failed by providers.

Tens of thousands of older people could be severely affected by poor service, at a time when many are struggling to pay soaring energy bills as the cost of living crisis deepens.

Our energy survey found that:

• Common reasons for older customers trying to contact their energy supplier were for basic help, including assistance with meter readings, billing, tariff information and assistance due to financial concerns.

• Just 45% found it straightforward to contact their energy supplier and only 46% were satisfied with the length of time it took to get in touch with their supplier.

• The survey also highlighted there is a lack of awareness of energy schemes and advice services and a need to raise awareness amongst older people so that they can get the help and advice they need.

Age Scotland provides energy advice for older people and those who support them through free online and face-to-face workshops, funded by SGN. Our workshops enable older people to get a better understanding of their household energy use, supporting them to stay warm and save money on their bills, and helping them to be prepared if they experience a power cut.

Free energy advice workshops

Our Heat your home for less workshop enables older people to get a better understanding of their household energy use, supporting them to stay warm and save money on their bills. Topics include:

• The cost of running some appliances

• How insulation and draught proofing can help

• Financial help with energy costs

• The Priority Services Register

• Future options for heating

Our Preparing for a power cut workshop enables people to be prepared in the event they lose power. It covers:

• Making an emergency plan

• Preparing an emergency survival kit

• Interruptions to gas supplies

• Flooding

• Knowing who can help

Sign up to our workshop!

New workshops will be coming in April, looking at electric vehicles and a more in-depth look at future heating options.

To book a workshop, visit age.scot/energyadvice or call 0333 323 2400.

Workshops are free and provide useful information for older people and those who support them. If you are involved with a community group where people are worried about energy and would like us to visit, contact us on rightstraining@agescotland.org.uk.

One in ten over 50s do not have a

working carbon monoxide alarm

Age Scotland’s ‘Taking the Temperature’ report, conducted in partnership with SGN, found that 1 in 10 over 50s who have an appliance such as a gas boiler do not have a working carbon monoxide (CO) alarm installed in their home.

CO is a highly poisonous gas that is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, including gas, oil, wood, petrol and coal. You can’t see it, smell it, hear it or taste it – that’s why it’s known as the ‘silent killer’.

Age Scotland is urging older people to get an alarm if they do not already have one installed. Those who already have one should test it regularly, ensure it is less than 10 years old, and remain aware of the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Stay CO safe

Age Scotland and SGN, the network that keeps gas flowing to homes in your area, have partnered to bring you useful tips and highlight services that can help you stay CO safe and well in your home.

• Have your gas appliances checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer every year. You should also check for signs of CO in your home – staining on appliance casing or surrounding walls/decoration, yellow, floppy flames, soot deposits, excess condensation in a room when an appliance is in operation and general poor condition of appliances.

• Install a CO alarm. The alarm should be set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions and put in the right place in your home – for example it should not go in a cupboard. You should regularly test your CO alarm and check its expiry date.

• Be aware of the symptoms of CO poisoning – headaches, nausea, dizziness, breathlessness, collapsing – and know what to do if you or someone in your home experiences them.

• Know who to contact. If you are concerned about the presence of CO in your home, or notice symptoms of CO poisoning, contact the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 or via textphone (minicom on 0800 371 787) immediately.

Get your free CO alarm!

Age Scotland and SGN are delighted to offer a free carbon monoxide alarm if you don’t have one or your current CO alarm is more than seven years old.

To get your free alarm phone our helpline on 0800 12 44 222 or email publications@agescotland.org.uk

Driving out loneliness by keeping communities connected

We spotlight two of our members – Mearns and Coastal Healthy Living Network (MCHLN) and the Community Transport Association (CTA) –and find out how they are driving out loneliness by keeping older people connected to their communities.

MCHLN delivers a range of community-based activities and services to support the health and wellbeing of older residents across Kincardine and Mearns. The charity reached a milestone in November, celebrating two decades of service. Back in 2002, it was one of 46 Healthy Living Centres set up in Scotland. This followed recognition that services for older people were stretched, and research into challenges in rural areas showed a greater impact on older members in our communities.

Huge headway was made in the early stages of establishing the project and the organisation has grown steadily since 2002. The small team of part-time staff now engages 200 older people a week with amazing support from a volunteer network of around 80 individuals that gave over 3,000 hours of their time in 2022.

MCHLN currently runs 550 groups, classes and activities a year which are designed to promote social inclusion and positively impact both mental and physical wellbeing. Groups include lunch clubs, walking groups, dedicated groups for those living with dementia, a Sunshine Club (adult soft-learning), social gardening groups, and digital skills classes. Its services are focused on providing practical support to enable people to live at home as independently as possible. This includes a shopping service, a garden maintenance service, and a ‘friendly call’ telephone service. MCHLN also provides a very busy transport service to facilitate attendance at healthcare appointments and social groups benefitting wellbeing.

Driver of the year award

In 2022, volunteers drove over 24,000 miles providing the transport service – making the lives of so many older residents a little easier.

At the Grampian Volunteer Transport Awards in December 2022, Ken Fairweather, the charity’s oldest driver – and longest serving volunteer at 20 years – won the Driver of the Year award. MCHLN also won Organisation of the Year. Jane Mitchell, manager at MCHLN, said she was “delighted the time and dedication of the volunteer drivers was recognised and their amazing contribution valued”.

MCHLN’s values and core purpose have remained unchanged over the years. It continues to ‘lend an ear and give a voice’, identifying and addressing the needs of older people and steering the way for them to live in their communities with a degree of independence and sense of community.

Find out more!

Get in touch to find out what MCHLN could do for you: mchln.org.uk

Ken Fairweather picking up his Driver of the Year award

Mapping the way for older people to stay independent

The Community Transport Association (CTA) represents and supports local charities and community groups including more than 160 members in Scotland, which provide community owned and led transport services that fulfil a social purpose. CTA provides flexible and accessible solutions in response to unmet local transport needs, and often represents the only means of transport for many vulnerable and isolated people, often older people or people with disabilities.

Their members help to connect people and communities through a diverse range of adaptable, cost-effective and innovative transport services, which are always for a social purpose and never for profit. The sector has a large presence in Scotland, delivering schemes in urban, rural and island communities in 30 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities and serving over 100,000 people every single year. It comes in a range of different formats which delivers demand-responsive shared transport services – such as dial-a-ride, electric car clubs, transport to health and social care, school

people access vital public services

transport, ‘wheels-to-work’, minibus hire and bicycle or e-bike hire – as well as scheduled bus services on routes which are not commercially viable. On every day of the year, thousands of community transport staff and volunteers are helping older people to stay independent, participate in their communities and access vital public services and employment.

CTA have been working in partnership with Transport Scotland and recently published their ‘More than a Minibus’ community transport report and the first ever interactive online map of community transport in Scotland. The report is packed full of new data, evidence and case studies illustrating how community transport is about so much more than a minibus.  It’s about connecting people and communities, servicing the most vulnerable in our society and tackling climate change, loneliness and poverty. The report illustrates the diversity and impact of community transport in Scotland and highlights the key challenges facing the sector –from the cost-of-living crisis to driver shortages.

Find out more!

Call 0345 130 6195 or email scotland@ctauk.org

Read the report at www.ctauk.org

Celebrating 10 years of creative ageing

Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing organisation, were delighted to present their Creative Ageing Awards at a parliamentary reception as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations at the end of last year.

The charity’s 10th birthday was an opportunity to bring together the many people and organisations who have supported Luminate through the years, from artists to care organisations. They drew inspiration from the nominees in their Creative Ageing Awards, who together demonstrated that creative ageing in Scotland is a rich and varied sector. The awards celebrated people and projects across Scotland that are part of our creative culture, and who make such a huge difference to so many lives through their talent, inventiveness and heart.

Christina McKelvie, minister for equalities and older people, presented the six awards.

Huge congratulations to all involved, the winners were:

• Outstanding older artist - Willy Gilder

• Arts in older people’s healthcare - Claire Weddle

• Celebrating diversity - George Tah

• Social care and creativity - Felt Fine

• Pioneering creative project - Red Road Young ‘Uns

• Jill Knox Inspiration Award - Patricia Melville-Mason

Creative Ageing awards (photo: Mihaela Bodlovic)

Fishwives art makes waves

In the past 10 years, Luminate has supported many creative projects, including collaborating with a Dunbar community group on a UK-wide project to create a banner marking 100 years of women’s suffrage.

The Dunbar Dementia Carers Support Group worked with Scottish artist Fiona Hermse to create a banner celebrating the fishwives and herring girls of Dunbar and the wider region.

The completed work was part of a project called PROCESSIONS which saw women and girls marching with their banners in the four UK capital cities in 2018. The banner was on display in an exhibition in London but returned to Dunbar library in January.

Anne Gallacher, director at Luminate, said “We were thrilled to be invited by Artichoke to work with a community group to create a banner for the Scottish strand of PROCESSIONS back in 2018. We really enjoyed collaborating with the Dunbar Dementia Carers Support Group and Fiona Hermse, and the resulting banner is really striking.”

The banner, created using spray dye, silk painting, mono printing, embroidery, and pompom techniques incorporates a quote by Frances Wright, 19th century Scottish abolitionist and feminist: “Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it.”

visit www.luminatescotland.org

Covid-19 Inquiry with the Scottish Share your experiences

The independent Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry is due to launch its listening project this spring. For anyone who lived through the pandemic in Scotland, this is an important opportunity to share your experiences directly with the Inquiry.

Crucially, the listening project will also ask you to share any lessons you believe should be learned from the devolved strategic response to the pandemic, so that Scotland can be better prepared in future.

The Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry is empowered to investigate areas such as health, social care, education, and support for businesses.

The Inquiry aims to establish the facts about the devolved response to the pandemic in Scotland and to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers.

Since the pandemic affected so many people in different ways, the Inquiry is offering a variety of methods for people to share their views. The listening project was created so that many more people can be heard by the Inquiry and contribute to its work than will be possible in formal hearings.   People will be able to take part in different ways, including online and paper forms, which will be made available in some public places on request.

In addition, the project is encouraging local groups and organisations to host discussions to enable people to share their experiences in a setting in which they feel comfortable. The listening project can reimburse some

el receiving a doorstep delivery |

expenses for groups to ensure such sessions are accessible. Some people may find it difficult to talk about past experiences, so the project will be flexible to allow people to share as much or as little as they wish.

The information people share with the listening project will form part of the Inquiry’s investigations and inform its reports.

Lord Brailsford, chair of the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry, said: “Everyone in Scotland has been affected by the pandemic; it is therefore essential that everyone is given the opportunity to share their experiences and to tell us what lessons they believe should be learned.”

“The experiences gathered through our listening project will help guide our investigations and inform our reports.”

Take part!

Visit the Inquiry website at www.covid19inquiry.scot, or write to the Inquiry at ‘FREEPOST, Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry’ to request more information.

Lord Brailsford, Covid-19 Inquiry Chair

Intergenerational bonds bloom with Edinburgh Garden Partners

We catch up with our friend, Debs Hahn, project coordinator at Edinburgh Garden Partners (EGP), to find out how the organisation connects gardeners of different ages and abilities.

Tell us about the work EGP does?

EGP matches older garden owners who struggle to make the most of their space with volunteers looking for space to grow. We support the partners to come to an agreement about how they will share, plan and work together, and all produce grown is shared. Every partnership is different - some garden owners are actively involved in growing, and others are happier to let the volunteer get on with it and enjoy a cup of tea and a blether after.

What are the intergenerational benefits of bringing young and old gardeners together?

There’s loads! For a lot of our garden owners, it’s a chance to share their knowledge and experience with a younger person, and our volunteers tell us how much they benefit from this. In other cases, it’s more about a younger person bringing a space to life so that an older person can enjoy

their garden more. EGP gives younger people a chance to try out growing vegetables, but it’s also about meeting someone new from a different generation and feeling more connected to the community.

Do you have tips for someone looking to start gardening/ growing food?

Give it a go! Gardening is about learning what works in your space and watching the space to see where the sunlight is at different times of year, what is already growing and what the soil looks and feels like. Start small, if anything works then you feel really proud and build on your success! Invite people to help if you can - many hands make light work and talking it through with someone really helps.

What benefits do you think gardening brings to older people?

The benefits are really varied. For some people it can help them to be healthier and more active or gets them eating more freshly grown veg. Seeing a garden grow can have a real impact on older people’s wellbeing too. People tell us they feel more connected to nature and to the changing seasons and that it has helped them to cope with life’s ups and downs.

Visit www.edinburghgardenpartners.org.uk

e | Daniel and Nicola | Katie, Paddy and Karen (photos by Fern Farme

Wheesht The Big

is back

Later this year we see the return of The Big Wheesht, one of our most important annual fundraisers where everyone is asked to ‘Haud their Wheesht’

We’ll be inviting people to sign up for a sponsored silence with a difference, encouraging participants to stay quiet to raise vital funds, while at the same time experiencing what it is like for hundreds of thousands of older people who live in silence for days at a time.

Do you have grandkids you’d like to keep quiet for a while or maybe you’d like to challenge yourself to be sponsored to stay silent for as long as possible? The challenge can be completed on any day in September and supporters can take part individually, or as part of team within their school, work or local community.

How to take part

• Take part in a sponsored silence

• Go silent on social media

• Part with your mobile phone

• Host your own silent disco or danceathon

• Hold a lip sync battle

You can choose to remain silent in person, online or host a silent event. It could be for 2 hours, 24 hours or even more – the choice is yours.

Your challenge, your way, on a date that suits you in September. Remember that the bigger the challenge, the more funds you are likely to raise!

Do you know a business leader?

On the 14th September Age Scotland will hold its Big Wheesht corporate challenge. Do you know a business leader who has what it takes to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test and raise £1000 in silence, before being allowed to speak again? How the money is raised is completely up to the participant. Who doesn’t like a bit of healthy competition!

Sign up today!

Find out more or sign up today and we will support your efforts every step of the way. We can also provide some props for you to promote the event.

www.age.scot/bigwheesht

this spring habit a wellbeing Kick-start

Most of us have some idea of steps we can take for better health and wellbeing. Health advice can be a little different for later life, but Age Scotland guides can help with free advice on topics including eating well and physical activity.

Knowledge is a great place to start but the trick is to find ways of making healthy changes that stick. Psychologists have learned that reliance on willpower isn’t a helpful approach, but we can use our tendency to form habits to maximise our chances of success. Our habits are the things we do without thinking each time a familiar setting or situation gives us a cue, like brushing your teeth. However, our habits aren’t fixed, and it’s possible to establish new healthy habits and to break unhealthy ones. Here’s some top tips from Doug Anthoney, health and wellbeing manager at Age Scotland.

Tweak your surroundings

If healthier eating is your aim, hide the biscuit tin and put out a fruit bowl. For better sleep, remove the TV from your bedroom so you can’t watch it late in bed. Look around your home and consider changes you could make to support your health goals.

Start small

For instance, if you want a daily yoga habit, aim to simply roll out the mat each morning. Repeat this for a few weeks and the habit should stick. Laying out the mat will be powerful cue for you to do yoga, but you won’t feel a failure on days when you don’t.

Find a tribe

You’re more likely to succeed with supportive people around you. If you have understanding family members or friends, tell them your health goal and ask for their support. The Age Scotland helpline can also help you find local activities and clubs that align with your goal.

Help us pilot new resources to support healthy habit changes

This summer our health and wellbeing team will pilot booklets to help older people understand how their habits are influencing their health and wellbeing, and to set and pursue realistic goals for healthier routines.

We would love to hear from individuals and older people’s groups who are interested in giving these resources a try. Participants will be sent booklets and will receive a call or email a few weeks later asking about their experience of using them.

Find out more!

To find out more call the Health and wellbeing team on 0333 323 2400 or email healthandwellbeing@agescotland.org.uk

For copies of our Keeping Active in Later Life guide call our helpline on 0800 12 44 222 or email publications@agescotland.org.uk

Age Scotland launches

Older People’s LGBTQ+ network

In November, we launched the Older People’s LGBTQ+ network, a new platform to amplify the voices and uphold the rights of LGBTQ+ people over 50 across Scotland.

The network, officially launched at an event in Edinburgh attended by Christina McKelvie, minister for equalities and older people, is a diverse space for older LGBTQ+ people to share experiences, highlight the needs of their community, address inequalities and bring about change.

The network has begun work with the Scottish Government to ensure legislation affecting older people is inclusive of older LGBTQ+ people, contributed to a new Age Scotland dementia training programme and forged a partnership with the Open University to give a public health talk about ageing and the LGBTQ+ community.

Susanne Flynn, diversity and inclusion officer at Age Scotland, said:

“The network is an important platform for LGBTQ+ older people to raise inequality issues and for their voices to be heard so that they can be pioneers to bring about the change which meets their needs and upholds their rights.

Members of our Older LGBTQ+ network with Christina McKelvie, minister for equalities and older people

“Our regular group meetings have been a place where members have shared their lived experiences as people of the LGBTQ+ community. For example, we have hosted a joint even for LGBT History month with LGBT Health and Wellbeing. We’ve also consulted on the NCS (National Care Service strategy) and Hate Crime strategy for the Scottish Government. This gives an opportunity for older people’s voices to be heard in shaping services for them.

“It is a place where they don’t have to put up barriers or worry about discrimination and can just be themselves. Our members come from a diverse range of backgrounds, have different life experiences and are from all over Scotland. The variety of experiences within the group show that LGBTQ+ people are not a homogenous grouping.

“It is important for organisations at different levels to consider that ageing looks different if you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community due to different barriers faced throughout life.

“We’re working continually to ensure our membership base is diverse so that we can fully represent those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Christina McKelvie, minister for equalities and older people, said “I welcome the launch of Age Scotland’s Older People LGBTQ+ network. It is important to ensure people of all ages within the LGBTQ+ community have a voice. This new network offers a platform for older LGBTQ+ people to share their wealth of experience and to help improve equality across age groups.

“The Scottish Government has already engaged with the network on key legislation which affects older LGBTQ+ people in Scotland, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future.”

Find out more!

Email our diversity and inclusion officer, Susanne Flynn, at susanne.flynn@agescotland.org

Empowering older ethnic minority people across Scotland

Our diversity and inclusion team recently held a meeting with the Scottish Ethnic Minority Older People’s Forum (SEMOPF) in our office in Edinburgh with members from across Scotland attending. Since its launch in 2018, the forum has been a catalyst for change in Scotland, raising the collective voice of ethnic minority older people, influencing policy change and challenging inequality and discrimination faced by ethnic minority older people. The forum is chaired by Mrs Mukami McCrum MBE and has 20 members from a wide range of ethnic minorities.

Conservative MSPs Dr Sandesh Ghulane and Pam Gosal also attended the meeting which gave members the opportunity to share issues and to ask questions. There were good discussions about care, health and the cost of living. Julie Turner from the dementia training team gave an engaging dementia information session and Sir Geoff Palmer, scientist, and human rights activist, came along to chat with members.

There were also performers – forum members and Age Scotland staff enjoyed a Tai Chi fan dance and Indian Bollywood dance.

Pam Gosal MSP, said: “It was great to visit the Scottish Ethnic Minority Older People’s Forum event at Age Scotland’s office in Edinburgh.

“Good to hear about some of the important work being done in this area, with some great cultural dance performances to top it off!”

Age Scotland is wholeheartedly committed to working to bring about greater diversity and inclusion for all older people in Scotland and the forum’s engagement and advocacy work is vital in helping to deliver this.

Rohini Sharma Joshi OBE, diversity and inclusion manager at Age Scotland, said: “The forum has provided a much-needed platform for ethnic minority older people to have their say about how well, or not, public services meet their needs, identify the gaps, and look at what actions are required to ensure all barriers are removed for everyone to access them. The members themselves offer incredibly valuable insight, shaped by their own experiences and those from the communities they are networked into.”

Get in touch!

To get in touch with the forum, email our diversity and inclusion manager, Rohini Sharma Joshi, at rohini.sharmajoshi@agescotland.org

MSP with Rohini Sharma Joshi, diversity and inclusion manager, and performers

New support for LGBTQ+ veterans in Scotland

Age Scotland is proud to coordinate

Unforgotten Forces, a partnership of 18 leading charities dedicated to boosting the health and wellbeing of Scotland’s exservice community aged 60 and older.

Our partner, Fighting With Pride, champions ex-service personnel who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, many of whom were treated harshly and unfairly prior to the ending of the Armed Forces ban on homosexuality in 2000.

But the legacy of hurt remains, so we’re delighted that Fighting With Pride now has a new community worker in Scotland, Dougie Morgan. Dougie, a 38-year Army veteran, went for the job because of his lived experience of LGBTQ+, mental health, and helping others. “In service

I witnessed others who were mistreated, disowned, disgraced and eventually thrown out for being themselves.” Dougie’s role is to support these veterans, many of whom are struggling mentally and physically, because of what happened to them. “Sadly, some of them are no longer here with us, having taken their own life”, he says.

“My longer-term aim is to set up drop-in centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee for LGBTQ+ veterans, or family members, or serving military personnel,” he says.

Dougie would like LGBTQ+ veterans to know that they now have “a contact they can speak to regarding anything to do with their service, whether it was one or 70 years ago. I can offer friendship, empathy, a listening ear, and emotional support. Where required I can direct people to specialist treatment, or for financial support.”

New guides published

Age Scotland has published new editions of its free guides for older people who have served in the Armed Forces.

We’ve published revised 2023 editions of our Veterans Guide to Later Life and Support for Older LGBTQ+ Veterans in Scotland, in partnership with the charity Fighting With Pride. Scottish Veterans Commissioner, Susie Hamilton, said: “I find it hard to imagine that during my career in the Armed Forces, service personnel were forced to resign or were dishonourably discharged, solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. I very much hope this excellent publication helps those older LGBTQ+ veterans, who have had to endure so much discrimination, reconnect with Armed Forces support services.”

Get in touch!

Get in touch with Dougie at dougie.morgan@fightingwithpride.org.uk

To order your free guide, call the Age Scotland helpline on 0800 12 44 222 or read online at www.age.scot/veteransguide. If you have a previous edition, these should be replaced as for some topics advice has changed significantly.

The Veterans’ Guide to Later Life in Scotland

Support for Older LGBT+ Veterans in Scotland

Members reunite at networking meetings

After a break of nearly three years, Age Scotland’s face-to-face network meetings are back up and running across Scotland. Our first geographically based networking meeting was held in Elgin on 13 October 2022, where 14 older people’s groups from Moray were represented. We were delighted to be joined by staff from Elgin Library, the Council’s Health and Social Care service and Cllr Sonya Warren, one of two Older People’s Champions appointed by Moray Council. Cllr Warren explained how she hoped to work with older people and groups in the local authority and was very interested to hear from member groups as they explained the challenges they are facing as they recover from the pandemic.

Gatherings resumed in Ayr, Dumfries and Glasgow in November and December 2022 and 31 member groups took part in the West of Scotland meetings. There were great discussions, and a range of guest presentations on energy, benefits, keeping well, and legal matters which members felt were very timely as the current cost of living crisis takes its grip. We also helped older people’s groups to hold their own networking meetings. They continued to work with Men’s Sheds in the Highlands to help run a programme of three networking meetings during the year and 12 sheds took part in the meetings hosted by Cromarty Firth Men’s Shed, Black Isle Men’s Shed and Inverness Men’s Shed.

We also enjoyed working with African and Caribbean Elders in Scotland (ACES) and Scottish Highlands, Inverness, Moray Chinese Association (SHIMCA) to help them host their first in-person post lockdown meetings.

Elizabeth Bryan, community development manager at Age Scotland, said:

“One of the joys of 2022 was being able to hold in-person networking meetings again. Each network meeting is a wee bit different but typically they provide an opportunity for member groups to meet with each other and to share ideas, concerns and good news. There are guest speakers from Age Scotland and local or national partner organisations who provide information on their services for older people. The meetings also provide a forum for member groups to have their say to help improve policies and services for older people.

“Thanks to all our members and guests who took part in the return of the network meetings in 2022. We’re looking forward to growing this programme of meetings in 2023.”

Interested in learning more?

To get in touch, email our community development manager, Elizabeth Bryan, at elizabeth.bryan@agescotland.org.

Highland Men’s Shed network meeting in Inverness

National Dementia Strategyengaging through storytelling

About Dementia recently submitted their response on the new National Dementia Strategy to the Scottish Government, following extensive consultation with our members, people living with dementia, unpaid carers and professionals.

The team went on a roadshow around Scotland hearing directly the views of people living with dementia to help inform the strategy response. They visited 14 grassroots community-based organisations across Scotland and engaged with 267 people including 83 people living with dementia, 84 unpaid carers and 100 community workers and professionals. To allow for multiple opportunities to share views, we organised 5 online engagement sessions and 14 in-person sessions and launched an interactive National Dementia Strategy engagement pack, to enable community groups to conduct their own engagement activity.

Some of the conversations were around tricky topics that could be sensitive or emotive for participants to talk about so, instead of asking people directly to share their experiences, the team created characters and storylines on relevant topics and asked participants to give advice to these fictionalised characters using postcards and other creative tools. Using the input of all the people who took part in sessions and shared their views, the dementia team compiled their consultation response and submitted it to the Scottish Government.

Thank you to everyone with lived experience who played a part in shaping our response – your voices really do matter!

Coffee, chat and cake…

Our dementia training team has been hosting their ‘Coffee Conversations’, where a community of people interested in all aspects of dementia come together over coffee to share ideas, good practice and new developments, in an informal atmosphere. Conversations have covered varied topics including dementia and the LGBTQ+ community, creative activities for wellbeing for people living with dementia, fear and stigma, and carers of people living with dementia. In 2023, the team is planning more conversations, looking at communication and dementia in later stages, and dementia friendly communities. If there are topics or speakers you would be interested in hearing more from, do get in touch and join in our coffee conversations. Feel free to bring cake!

Find out more!

www.age.scot/dementia

The team went on tour to hear views from people living with dementia

Ageism: how widespread is the issue in modern Scotland?

Ageism, or age discrimination, is when an individual is treated unfairly due to their age.

Last year, Age Scotland commissioned YouGov polling to investigate the scale of the issue. We asked 1,004 Scots ‘have you ever been discriminated against, treated unfairly, or missed out on opportunities because of your age?’:

1 in 5 said they had (19% of those surveyed)

23% did not know, suggesting ageism is not necessarily well understood or it may not be obvious someone has been subjected to it

Respondents aged 25-34 were most likely to report experiencing ageism (27%), followed by people aged 18-24 (23%), and those over 55 (20%)

21% of female respondents said yes, compared to 17% of males

We heard about ageism linked to people being perceived as both ‘older’ and ‘younger’.

A clear majority of examples - over 70% - related to ageism in the workplace. As Scotland’s ageing population and changes to State Pension age make working into your late sixties and beyond more common, tackling ageism in the workplace will become even more vital.

Other examples related to education, financial services, driving, and healthcare and we also heard about cases where respondents were belittled or talked down to, for instance in shops and in public, because of their age.

The findings demonstrate that ageism is a live and corrosive issue which can happen to people of all ages.

Everyone has a part to play in tackling ageism including the Scottish Government, politicians, public sector, media, employers and individuals.

While there are some simple actions which we can all take, including challenging ageism and harmful stereotypes in our everyday conversations, there must also be a wider examination of the way we use language and imagery about age and ageing across society.

Help us to tackle ageism!

Our age inclusive workplaces team support and enable employers to build age inclusive workplaces. Find out more at www.age.scot/workplace.

Our media guide Making Ageism Old News is also available. It aims to help stakeholders, including politicians and the media, improve how they talk about older people by avoiding ageist and negative stereotypes in the messages and images they use. For more information visit www.age.scot/mediaguide.

I went for a job interview and was informed they required someone younger”

Keep your body and mind active and book a

Power Quiz

Age Scotland launched Power Quiz when lockdown restrictions lifted to help older people keep their body and mind in good shape and boost balance, strength, mobility and flexibility, while having fun answering quiz questions. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength.

Community groups around Scotland can contact Age Scotland to book a session to share with their members the physical and mental benefits of exercise and company.

Power Quiz offers a series of accessible movement-based exercises to get people moving along with multiple-choice quiz questions to fire up the mind. The questions are an entertaining way for quiz fans to test and sharpen their knowledge. When the answer for a question is revealed, players are invited to join in a movement associated with that answer to a fun music score. You can play individually or in teams and the session lasts an hour.

Host a session!

Get in touch at 0333 323 2400 or healthandwellbeing@agescotland.org.uk.

Cara McGurn, our healthy active ageing trainer, delivering a Power Quiz session in Dunoon

Celebrate Age Scotland turning 80 with our new quiz

1. Which of the following celebrities was born in 1943? (the same year as Age Scotland was born)

A. Helen Mirren

B. Robert De Niro

C. Tom Jones

D. Kathy Bates

2. If you travelled 80 miles west from London where would you end up?

A. Margate

B. Portsmouth

C. Dover

D. Swindon

3. Which country has 80 different species of reptiles?

A. New Zealand

B. Uruguay

C. Mexico

D. Madagascar

4. In its 80 years since first being published, roughly how many copies of the Beano comic magazine have been sold?

A. 2 billion

B. 1 billion

C. 750 million

D. 900 million

5. On which day was Age Scotland formed?

A. 8th March 1943

B. 22nd January 1943

C. 14th June 1943

D. 17th December 1943

6. Who sang the lyrics “Come on kids from eight to eighty, hey there mister bring your lady”

A. Sam Cooke

B. Aretha Franklin

C. Kenny Rogers

D. Elvis Presley

Eating well when food prices bite

Many people in Scotland are finding it hard to make ends meet right now with the cost of living crisis biting hard, and older people cannot always afford to have balanced meals on a regular basis.

The following tips could help you cut down on your spending whilst still enjoying a healthy, balanced meal.

Stick to simple recipes: Avoid recipes with lots of different ingredients that you may not use up before they go out of date. Some recipes have few ingredients and can be prepared in a few minutes.

Take your time in the shop: Think carefully about ‘special offers.’ Supermarket offers are not always the best value so it’s worthwhile taking some time to look at the prices. The edge of the supermarket shelf will often be labelled with the price per 100g of a food which will help you to check whether a pack of three is cheaper than buying three items individually. If you have access to the internet, visit www. moneysavingexpert.com where you will find information and useful ideas to help you cut costs.

Plan ahead: Take a list of what you would like to eat for the coming week and try not to be enticed by offers for items which are not on your list.

Freeze food in batches: Label and freeze leftovers or extra food in batches so you can take one tub out at a time and heat it up when you need it. If you have bought something in bulk or from a ‘buy one get one free’ offer, check if it is suitable for freezing. If so, it is less likely to go to waste and it can be used at a later date.

Bulk meals up: Use foods that can be kept in your store cupboard or you can buy cheaply to add to a meal. For example, you could add chickpeas (see Fiona’s recipe for inspiration), fresh vegetables or beans to a soup or a salad. Beans are packed with nutrients, such as fibre and antioxidants and they will also help you stay fuller for longer.

Save cash when cooking

Switch appliances off, like your microwave and electric oven, when they’re not in use rather than leaving them on standby. But you shouldn’t turn off your fridge or freezer, as this can lead to your food going off sooner than it should. Defrost your freezer every six months –this will ensure it runs efficiently.

Do the washing up in a bowl rather than under running water to save money. Did you know a tap left running while washing dishes or fruit and vegetables for 10 minutes can use around 110 litres of water which disappears straight down the drain?

Fix any dripping taps. A dripping tap can waste the equivalent of half a bath a week – and cost you extra if you’re on a water meter. Only boil the amount of water you need for hot drinks. When cooking, always use the right sized pan for the job, and put a lid on it!

Consider using a microwave or slow cooker instead of a conventional oven. They can help you cut costs as you can use cheaper cuts of meat and still produce great tasting food as the meat cooks gradually. To get the most out of this style of cooking, make a batch, leave to cool and then freeze for future meals. Slow cookers use less energy than a conventional oven, saving you money on your fuel bill.

Super spring soup

Fiona Burrell, chef at Edinburgh New Town Cooking School, shares her recipe for a delicious store cupboard soup that’s perfect for those cooler spring days.

This soup, which uses store cupboard staples, is nutritious, inexpensive and easy to make, says Fiona.

The chickpeas thicken the soup and if you’d rather you could use tinned cannellini beans. If you don’t have a liquidiser or a stick blender you can pass the soup through a sieve. This is a perfect lunch option and you could pop it in the fridge or freezer to enjoy another day.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon dark soft brown sugar (or caster sugar)

• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas

• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 1.4 litres vegetable or chicken stock

• Salt and pepper

• Spoon of natural yogurt if you have it

Method:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the onions and cook until they are softened but not brown.

• Add the garlic and cumin. Cook for a further minute before adding the sugar and chickpeas.

• Mix well, add the tomatoes and stock.

• Season with salt & pepper.

• Cover and simmer gently for 20 mins or until the chickpeas are softer.

• Whizz in the liquidiser.

• Check the seasoning, serve and enjoy.

Find out more!

For more information read our Eat Well guide. Call 0800 12 44 222 to receive your free copy.

Are you Age Squatland

ready for the challenge?

Join us this August and take part in the Age Squatland squat challenge…see what we did there?

This is a challenge you can do anywhere and at any time. Do it at home, in the garden, at work or even on your lunch break.

All you have to do is set yourself a daily target of completing up to 200 squats a day throughout August. Choose a target that’s achievable for you but that also pushes you out of your comfort zone.

You can take part individually, with friends and family or as part of a team.

Taking part in regular exercise can help improve your physical and mental wellbeing, all whilst raising money to help lonely and isolated older people in Scotland. Over 200,000 older people in Scotland can go up to one week without talking to a single person. Donating £10 will mean we can make 2 vital friendship calls and raising £100 will result in an amazing 20 weekly calls to older people who really need our support.

Can you support older people?

Your donation could make a real difference to the lives of older people in Scotland.

Title Initials Surname

Address:

By providing us with your telephone number and email address you are consenting to us contacting you via phone, text and email:

Postcode:

I would like to make a donation of: £10 £20 £50 o r £ by Cash/Cheque/Postal Order (made payable to: Age Scotland)

Card Payment (MasterCard Visa CAF CharityCard )

Card Number: / / /

Security Code: Valid from: / Expiry Date: /

Keeping in touch with you I would like to make my donation worth 25% more

Yes, I want Age Scotland* and its partner charities to treat all donations I have made for the four years prior to this year, and all donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise, as Gift Aid donations. I am a UK tax payer and understand that if I pay less income tax and/or capital gains tax than the amount of Gift Aid claimed on all my donations in that tax year it is my responsibility to pay any difference.

No, I am not a UK taxpayer, and/or I do not wish to Gift Aid my donations.

Signature:

Date:

We* would like to keep in touch with you and provide you with updates on our work and how you can support us. We will never sell your data and we promise to keep your details safe and secure. You can change your mind at any time by phoning 0333 32 32 400 or writing to us. For further details on how your data is used and stored visit www.agescotland.org.uk

I do not wish to receive communications by post

*Age Scotland is part of the Age UK Network, which includes its charitable and trading subsidiaries and national partners (Age UK, Age Cymru and Age NI). Age Scotland is an independent charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people in Scotland, within a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland. Reg No: 153343 Charity No: SC010100. Registered Office: Causewayside House, 160 Causewayside, Edinburgh EH9 1PR.

Phone Email

Feel valued. Be supported. And stay connected. Leave