Highlights of the Active Age programme

Highlights of the Active Age programme Successful methods for promoting older people’s wellbeing

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Highlights of the Active Age programme Successful methods for promoting older people’s wellbeing

contents Preface: Here are some successful methods! 4 The Active Age programme’s pearls of wisdom for good ageing 5 A better society for older people is a better society for all of us 6 The Active Age programme in a nutshell 6 The Active Age programme projects on the map 7 The Active Age programme’s points of departure 7

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME: WHAT HAVE WE ACHIEVED? 10 1. Outreach work with older people: so that no one is left on their own 10 Outreach work reaches older people in difficult situations 12 Seniori-Vamos supports older people living at home 12

2. Diversity and equality: highlighting older people from minority groups 14 LGBTIQ retiree Ensio discovers Eveliina 16 Municipal election workshops for older immigrants 17

3. Promoting mental wellbeing 18 Resourceful Women’s Ideas for Sustainable Development 19 Wellbeing meetings for friends and relatives 20 David the Despondent and the Veterans of Good Mood board game 20 Strength from the Older People’s Mind Pack cards 20 Mental wellbeing from Elämäntaidot life-skills activities 21

4. The Active Age programme in rural areas 22 Residents take over the Särkisalokoti retirement home 23 Aijjoos turns older people into innovators 24 Everyone is equal at the partnership table 25

5. The Active Age programme’s memory disorder work 26 Memories to Music 27 Music improves brain health 28 A workout for body and memory 28 Sign-language CERAD test acts as a bridge to services 28 MIKE gives people with memory disorders a voice 29 Muittohallat acts in the interests of Sámi people with memory disorders 29

6. Culture and creativity 30 Cow Parade 32 Culture for Villages 32 His and Hers Hobbies 32 Musical moments create experiences 32

7. Digitalisation does not take account of age 33 Anyone can go digital 34 A Memorable Day shows what you can do online 35 SenioriVerkko increases digital inclusion 35 The Active Age programme’s tips for digital inclusion among older people 35

8. Volunteer work: support and gig work 36 Red-nose power 37 Gig work helps with minor issues 38 Retirement coaching 38 Volunteer as a Reader 38 Hearing information increases quality of life 39 Volunteer work in palliative care 39 IKÄTUKI helps in difficult times 39

9. Meeting venues increase social inclusion 40 Everyone can go to the forest at DiaPuisto 41 The Older People’s Living Room is even open at Christmas 42 Community clubs are close to home 43 Immigrant and Finnish women meet at Muistola 43

We can create more together 44 Collaborative development improves quality 45 The Active Age programme’s tips for networking 46

Closing words 47 Awards received by projects in the Active Age programme 47

All Active Age programme projects 48 © The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People I Presswork: Otavan Kirjapaino Oy, Keuruu 2017 I Editorial board: Reija Heinola, Tiina Hailla, Katja Helo, Minna Pietilä, and Marja Saarenheimo (VTKL – The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People’s Active Age programme coordination team), Kaskas Media Oy. ISBN 978-951-806-251-9 I Layout and printing: Kaskas Media Oy/Jenni Viitanen and Anne Kaikkonen I Cover photo: Hilla Mäkelä I Published: Autumn 2017

PREFACE

Here are some successful methods!

THROUGH THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME (2012–2017), we have developed a range of methods to promote social inclusion and psychosocial wellbeing among older people. This publication offers a glimpse of the results of our work. Rather than outline all the diverse activities that were carried out as part of the project, we have highlighted the methodical achievements. These methods can help to reduce loneliness among older people, support them to bring enjoyable pastimes and valuable people into their lives, and help them to experience social inclusion. These methods have now been tested in practice, and they have been proven to be effective. They are suitable for implementation across Finland.

Thirty-one organisations, working in such areas as the welfare of older people, public health, and human rights, were involved in the development work. These organisations’ operations are integral to people’s day-to-day life; therefore, they are able to identify needs that can easily go unnoticed. Without enthusiastic and inventive project workers and pro-development cooperation partners, the development of these practices would not have been possible. The practices have also been finetuned, as older people from all over the country were involved in their development and testing.

The health and social services reform that is currently underway provides an excellent opportunity for us to consider how to support older people living at home. With these developed methods, and with cooperation between organisations and municipalities, we can improve the health and wellbeing of older people.

We hope you enjoy reading about our work!

September 2017 Reija Heinola Project Director

These methods have now been tested in practice, and they have been proven to be effective.

They are suitable for implementation across Finland.

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The Active Age programme’s pearls of wisdom for good ageing The Active Age (Eloisa ikä) programme has produced a vast amount of valuable information and insight into ageing and the related needs. The following points summarise the Active Age programme’s idea of what is important in ageing and being an older person today.

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OLDER PEOPLE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO LIVE AS THEY WISH. When we talk about “older people”, we often mean people who are eligible to receive a pension. However, this group encompasses several generations, which differ hugely from one another. Classification by age is also a rather sweeping generalisation: each 60-year-old is unique, and so is every centenarian.

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EQUALITY IS A HUMAN RIGHT. People are equal, regardless of age. The voices of older people from minority cultural, ethnic, sexuality and gender groups should also be heard in society. This can be achieved by inviting them to help plan services.

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EVERYONE IS ENTITLED TO BE INCLUDED. People of all ages are entitled to play a part in society. Social inclusion means doing things that you enjoy and being given the opportunity to have an influence. It is also the feeling of belonging to a community.

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ACTIVITIES SHOULD NOT BE STRAITJACKETS FOR OLDER PEOPLE. Older people do not need to be active in order to be valuable. Also, activity is not always visible from the outside. For some it means skiing, while for others it is being part of society or reading the newspaper and thinking.

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A better society for older people is a better society for us all

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his publication was written in order for as many people as possible to benefit from the insight and proven good practices that have been developed over six years through the Active Age programme’s projects and networks. Successes in the development work of projects in rural areas and in towns are highlighted. The publication also outlines how the programme has influenced societal attitudes about ageing and the social inclusion of older people. Stakeholders in organisations, municipalities, provinces, and various associations can use these recipes to begin running activities that promote a good quality of daily life for older people in our society.

The Active Age programme was implemented during an extremely exciting time. The baby boomers, who are said to cause a societal revolution whenever they reach a new stage in life, are approaching old age. Also involved, however, are the preceding generations, with their own values and interests. Old age as a phase in life has changed, and it is still changing. People are spending longer in retirement, and many older people are looking for new ways to live a fulfilling life. For this reason, new arenas for activity and interaction should be made available.

Organisations are continually testing, developing, and refining methods to promote wellbeing, prevent problems, and help those who have encountered difficulties in life for whatever reason. Organisations also act on the boundaries between services and identify areas that require attention. Their work includes not only health promotion and preventive work but also the promotion of a good life in a more general sense. Regardless of their age or health, older people are actors, not the objects of activities. Doing things that are important to them with other people gives them the opportunity to receive approval and appreciation, as well as to enjoy themselves.

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THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME IN A NUTSHELL • The programme is a grant programme run by the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA, previously RAY).

• It ran from 2012 to 2017.

• The aim was to improve older people’s psychosocial wellbeing and social inclusion, to develop local models for cooperation, and to influence attitudes about older people.

• Thirty-one organisations participated in the programme.

• The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People (VTKL) coordinated the programme and implemented studies on older people’s experiences of taking part in the programme’s activities.

According to the results, there was a marked decrease in loneliness among older people.

• The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People also acted as a content specialist, enabled national visibility, provided the project network with channels and a framework through which to make a national impact, networked the projects, and offered the latest externally sourced training on communications and influence.

THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME’S POINTS OF DEPARTURE Emphasising the individual As a person ages, they encounter many contradictory expectations and attitudes, especially in public discussion. Older people are often presented in extremes: either they are perpetually active bundles of energy, or they are totally incapacitated and seen as a burden on society. In reality, older people are a varied group of people with individual lifestyles, interests, and goals.

Contradictory and negative ageist attitudes have a significant impact on people’s wellbeing and experiences of social inclusion. The Active Age programme wanted to influence the attitudes of individuals and society and to highlight the diversity of ageing. We are flying the flag for older people to have the right to live as they wish.

Vitality in daily life One of the goals of the Active Age programme was to promote enjoyment of day-to-day life in old age. Changes and transitions in life unavoidably shape the rhythm and content of people’s day-to-day life. How daily life feels and how meaningful it is affects older people’s overall wellbeing in a multitude of ways. Everyday life is sometimes considered to be dull, but at its best it can provide the variety and feelings of success that people need. As such, it is a source of both safety and continuity. The most important arena in daily life for older people is often the home, but it is equally important to be able to go out to meet other people and have new experiences.

Psychosocial wellbeing Physical health and fitness are important areas of wellbeing, but the psychosocial aspect of wellbeing is equally, if not more, important. The two components of the concept, “psycho” and “social”, are inseparable. The life of an individual is always seen in relation to others in one way or another, and no one goes through life entirely isolated. Psychosocial wellbeing is promoted through positive personal relationships, empathy from and towards other people, and caring.

The projects in the Active Age programme offered participants the opportunity to give support to others and receive it in return. Psychosocial wellbeing is closely related to the concept of positive mental health. Positive mental health is more than just a lack of mental-health problems. It can be seen as an active state in which a person realises their own opportunities as fully as they can at any given moment. The Active Age programme looked for ways in which older people could improve their own and other people’s wellbeing and positive mental health.

THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME PROJECTS ON A MAP

Making use of all resources Regardless of age, people have all kinds of resources, skills, and plenty of other things to give to one another. The main goal of the Active Age programme was to promote older people’s activity and inclusion in society, since we all benefit when everyone is involved. Social inclusion makes everyone’s life richer. That is why we wanted to develop solutions and operating models to help people to utilise their own resources in the best possible way for everyone’s benefit as they age.

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Highlights of the Active Age programme: what have we achieved?

Organisations in the Active Age programme have carried out development work locally, regionally, and nationally. Local development work has succeeded in creating close cooperation between, for example, organisations and municipalities.

Regional and national development work has enabled operating methods to spread across municipal borders.

In this publication, we highlight the programme’s achievements: the methods that were developed within the programme. These include, for example, outreach models for working with older people, working methods that promote equality and diversity, the promotion of mental health, and the promotion of the social inclusion of people with memory disorders. We also outline cultural work with older people, recipes for digitalisation, and volunteer work. In addition, we present new kinds of arenas for encounters, and the ingredients for building active rural areas. The text is peppered with older people’s views and opinions on the organised activities. They are excerpts from the Active Age programme’s study interviews.

This symbol means that the model is described in the Innovillage online service.

Innovillage is a Finnish development and innovation community for social welfare and healthcare.

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People with mobility impairments can enjoy a campfire coffee at DiaPuisto Park in Pori. Photo: Länsi-Suomen Diakonialaitos

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1.

Outreach work with older people: so that no one is left on their own RESPECT FOR a person’s privacy is important, but the flip side can involve loneliness and even isolation. A person can become invisible with their difficulties, and they might not always realise that they need help or know where to get it.

They might also feel ashamed or afraid to ask for help if they have learnt that they should always manage on their own.

If we want to safeguard valuable ageing and make Finland a model for safe old age, we need outreach work to find older people who are suffering from loneliness, memory disorders, depression, substance abuse, crises, or mobility impairments. This work is a good example of successful collaboration between organisations, municipalities, and other local stakeholders. Outreach work with older people is an effective method of reducing inequality in Finnish society.

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Outreach work with older people is a good example of collaboration between organisations, municipalities, and other stakeholders.

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These Friday mornings [group meetings] have been a wonderful thing for me, because I enjoy going, and on Thursdays I really look forward to Friday and going again.”

Outreach work with older people: so that no one is left on their own Outreach work is reaching older people in Turku who find themselves in difficult and problematic situations. This is professional work with an emphasis on a psychosocial approach. Mobile work is carried out by pairs of professionals – one from an organisation (NGO) and the other from the public sector – in the service user’s home or somewhere nearby where possible. The cooperation partners are municipal social welfare and healthcare services and, in particular, home-care and specialist healthcare services for older people.

The outreach work identifies older people in difficult situations and guides them towards the services they require. The meetings between the workers and older people are unhurried in order to build trust. A home visit is carried out to identify any questions relating to how the person is managing. On the first or second home visit, a plan is made to improve the service user’s circumstances. It is essential to set mutually agreed goals and objectives in order for these to be achieved. Guided group work based on peer support for older people with substance-abuse issues is also offered as part of the outreach work. By 2017, the proactive work had reached around 600 older people in Turku.

The Memorial Foundation of Markku Juhani Fingerroos

You can get to know other people here, which I think is important.

I don’t really have any friends either who would come and visit me at home.”

Seniori-Vamos supports older people living at home Seniori-Vamos is carrying out outreach work with older people in Helsinki and Espoo. Seniori-Vamos supports older people to live enjoyable and worthwhile lives in their own homes and reduces loneliness and insecurity. Its operations are focused on a working approach to prevent social and health-related problems and to encourage participation in public life. Seniori-Vamos supports people living at home in situations where a reduced ability to function is making daily life difficult to manage, and there are fewer opportunities to participate in activities outside the home.

The outreach work with older people is carried out in multiprofessional networks. Service users come from health centres, home care, and psychiatric outpatient clinics. A customer relationship can also be created if a concerned neighbour gets in touch. Things are set in motion with a home visit and a discussion with the person about their wishes. Together, solutions are sought to help the person to do things that they enjoy and that support them to live at home. Seniori-Vamos supplements services from the private and public sectors. Close cooperation with educational facilities also involves students in the work. Loneliness is tackled by a large group of volunteers of various ages, who regularly meet up with their elderly friends. The unhurried presence of a volunteer or student can bring significant substance to a person’s life.

The Helsinki Deaconess Institute foundation

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The service user themselves, or one of their friends or relatives, can contact an outreach worker. Photo: Eliisa Laine

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LGBTIQ retiree Ensio cried tears of relief the first time he went to a meeting of the DreamWear Club Transvestite Association: “I knew there were more people like me, but you just don’t see them anywhere. I was terribly alone.”

Photo: Laura Happo

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2.

Diversity and equality: highlighting older people from minority groups IF WE DON’T SPEAK ABOUT THINGS, we can’t learn about them. The situation of older people in minority groups and the support they need must be made visible. At the same time, our idea of old age is evolving and taking on new nuances.

The Active Age programme highlighted older people in a range of minority groups in an unprecedented way.

Thanks to the programme, people who belong to gender and sexual minorities, as well as ethnic and cultural minorities, publicly shared information about their lives.

Their inclusion in society was encouraged in a variety of ways.

The Active Age programme has also helped workers from social welfare and healthcare services to take service users’ diversity into account and to promote the implementation of legislation on equality. Below are some examples of the Active Age programme’s work on diversity.

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LGBTIQ retiree Ensio discovers Eveliina Ensio, 73, was born a man who occasionally wanted to dress in women’s clothing. After decades of hiding, he came out of the closet five years ago and is now living a happy retirement, sometimes as Ensio in trousers, and sometimes as Eveliina in a dress.

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he feeling of freedom is hard to describe. You can only try to explain what a relief it is to open the door as yourself without pretending that no one is at home. Or how good it feels to go to the shop looking exactly the way you want to. Ensio’s voice cracks as he tells his story.

Ensio made an appearance as an experience expert in Seta’s documentary video I Wish I Could Tell, in which LGBTIQ older people shared their thoughts and experiences. The video can be used, for example, as introductory and learning material in services for older people and in the social welfare and healthcare sector.

“Let’s see if the world ends if I try it out. It doesn’t seem to have ended,” says Ensio on the video.

He is referring to the year 2012, when Eveliina first appeared. Ensio packed skirts, lipsticks, and high heels into his caravan and set off to Lapland from his home in Kainuu.

After driving 100 kilometres, he stopped to put on some make-up and change his clothes. He only dared to be who he really was for the first time once he was far away from his home region.

Ensio has also told his story at several information events organised by Seta and aimed at students and professionals who work with older people.

Sharing thoughts about how services should treat LGBTIQ older people has been important.

Ensio wishes that services for older people and training for professionals would pay particular attention to hormone therapy for transgender individuals and to issues concerning compatibility with HIV medication.

“I wish we could be treated just like normal people, without any fuss or giggling. If I end up in a care home, the nurse could occasionally ask whether I had woken up that day as Eveliina or Ensio. The nurse doesn’t need to paint my nails every morning – a small gesture can go a long way.”

At just 12 years old, Ensio was envious of young girls’ beautiful lace tops. Over time, his ideas and concerns that there was something wrong with him as a person faded into the background.

“Lots of people said to just put on a dress and go out. I daren’t give such bold advice, because there are so many transphobic areas where there could be terrible consequences. Each person makes their own decision and takes responsibility for it. But never think that you are some sort of strange creature or a freak. Everyone is valuable.”

Seta

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If I end up in a care home, the nurse could occasionally ask whether I had woken up that day as Eveliina or Ensio.”

Municipal election workshops for older immigrants Jade guided activities are aimed at older immigrants in Helsinki and welcome everyone over the age of 50 whose native language is Somali, Arabic, or Mandarin Chinese. The weekly group activities promote social inclusion and support physical and mental wellbeing. Jade also offers service guidance – concrete, practical, and customer-oriented advice – in simplified Finnish, Arabic, and English. Jade activities increase awareness of older immigrants’ service needs and issues relating to multicultural elderly work.

The idea for group election workshops came about in a cooperation meeting with African Care ry. The municipal elections were approaching and the organisations had noticed that almost all the group’s members were entitled to vote.

Through the election workshops, which dealt with social inclusion and influence, the elderly immigrants received information on municipal decision-making and how to have their say in society. For many, the news of their right to vote came as a pleasant surprise. The group of elderly Chinese speakers went to vote at the library in Töölö after having carefully examined the various parties and the views of the candidates.

Käpyrinne

Jade II activities are aimed at older immigrants and include excursions.

Photo: Jade II

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Before, I felt like I was an outsider.

Now, I feel like I’m an insider.”

3.

Promoting mental wellbeing THE PROJECTS DELIVERED THROUGH THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME DEVELOPED operating models and social environments through which to support mental wellbeing among older people. The activities revolve around people’s resources, strengths, and life experiences, and their perspective of their own daily life. Psychosocial methods and exercise are effective in the promotion of mental wellbeing.

Organisations involved in the Active Age programme have promoted older people’s mental-health skills in many ways.

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Resourceful Women’s ideas for Sustainable Development Resourceful Women (Neuvokkaat naiset®) is a model for community group activities that promote wellbeing and social inclusion among low-income and lonely women in the spirit of sustainable development.

The aim is to change the feeling of perseverance into an experience of positive coping.

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n Finland, pensioner poverty particularly affects pensioners under the age of 55 and women over the age of 75 who live alone. Members of the Resourceful Women (Neuvokkaat naiset®) group may share feelings of inadequacy or a lack of purpose, but they are also connected by hope, the will to learn, and the ability to cope with adversity.

It is a model for community-group activities that promote wellbeing and social inclusion among low-income and lonely women in the spirit of sustainable development.

Along with environmental sustainability, social sustainability is promoted in the groups. The model includes ten meetings, but the idea is for groups to continue with the activities independently afterwards.

Resourceful Women groups operate all over Finland. They offer interesting and enjoyable activities and connections with other women in similar situations.

The groups often meet to discuss shared themes. The themes of the meetings include mental wellbeing, nutrition and cooking, living on a low income, art and culture, recycling and sustainable day-today life, active citizenship, sport, and exercise. The content is customised further in accordance with participants’ needs and wishes.

For example, groups might go on a free trip to see nature in the local area, refurbish something old together, or share tips on how to live on a low income. The women’s own know-how and life skills are appreciated in all the activities. The aim is to change a feeling of perseverance into an experience of positive coping.

The operating model is suitable for organisations to use and can also be implemented through volunteer work. A Resourceful Women group-work handbook (Neuvokkaat naiset® ryhmätoiminnan käsikirja) has also been published to support implementation. It is meant for anyone who is interested in setting up and running a Resourceful Women group. To support the group leaders, there is also a materials bank, which contains examples and tips on how to hold Resourceful Women meetings.

The Miina Sillanpää Foundation

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Wellbeing meetings for friends and relatives A mental-health friend or relative is a person whose friend or family member is suffering from mental-health problems or substance abuse. Daily life can be challenging for a mental-health friend or relative, and their own needs can be pushed into the background. Nevertheless, these people should look after themselves and make sure that they can cope. Exercise and caring for one’s own wellbeing is introduced into friends’ or relatives’ everyday life through wellbeing meetings organised by social welfare and healthcare professionals.

The meetings are personal discussions that examine the things that help us to cope in daily life. If necessary, the person can also be directed towards peer support or exercise groups.

FinFami Southern Ostrobothnia

David the Despondent and the Veterans of Good Mood board game Mental wellbeing can be improved through playing games. David the Despondent and the Veterans of Good Mood (Nestori Nurjamieli ja Hyvän Mielen Konkarit) is a board game that encourages people to get moving and think about how small actions can affect their own wellbeing. The game includes tasks that improve players’ knowledge about aspects of mental health in a fun way. In addition to providing new information, the game offers experiences that promote self-esteem, social inclusion, and action. Almost one hundred people aged over 65 participated in the development of the game.

The Finnish Association for Mental Health

Strength from the Senior’s MindPack cards The Senior’s MindPack (Mielipakka) is a pack of cards that contains 52 ways to promote mental wellbeing. The cards are aimed at older people and the professionals and volunteers who work with them. The Senior’s MindPack cards provide strength and open up new perspectives on life skills. The beautiful, nature-themed cards invoke emotions and thoughts, encourage discussion, and set tasks that can be completed in everyday life. The Senior’s MindPack cards contain several themes relating to mental wellbeing, such as positivity, mindfulness skills, the importance of nature, attitude, and empathy. The MindPack cards are based on study data and experiential knowledge, and they were developed with older people. The cards offer a practical resource for every week of the year. For professionals, the cards are a great help when discussing mental wellbeing in groups and in day-to-day life in elderly work.

The Age Institute

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The Older People’s MindPack cards are based on study data and experiential knowledge, and they were developed with older people.”

The serie of six videos (in Finnish and in Swedish) presents the Active Age programme’s solutions and methods for promoting mental health in older people.

See YouTube > Eloisa ikä

Mental wellbeing through Elämäntaidot life-skills activities There’s no age limit when it comes to mental health!

Elämäntaidot’s group activities on life skills provide older people with reliable information, discussion topics, and a range of activities to look after their mental resources.

Life skills based on life experiences can be promoted using the open-doors principle in Elämäntaidot’s life-skills room or in small groups on a course. Shared discussions and varied tasks promote the establishment of mental wellbeing practices in older people’s everyday lives. The activities are planned with older people. The content is based on positive psychology and solution-based and purpose-driven applications. Examples of the topics covered include a positive approach, self-empathy, opening up perspectives, hope, perseverance, and mental wellbeing in daily life. The Elämäntaidot esiin guide is available to support the activities.

According to the participants, the positive approach of the Elämäntaidot life-skills activities offers much-needed support in a wide range of life situations. The topics are useful and inspiring. Life skills can be promoted at all ages.

The Age Institute

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The Active Age programme in rural areas OLDER PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE face challenges every day, as services are withdrawing to larger growth centres. There is a lack of public transport, and travel distances are long. Equal partnership and resource pooling is useful in small rural communities where there are few operators and resources. We need a new kind of partnership-working culture. But how can we transform the working culture from one that is led by the municipality into one that is person-oriented and encourages open discussion?

Harriet Corin says that the activities at the Särkisalokoti retirement home have created a new sense of community in the village. “We’ve always had a strong community spirit, but now we do even more together.”

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Residents take over the Särkisalokoti retirement home Residents of the small municipality of Särkisalo were so angry about the closure of the local retirement home that they took it over themselves. It became the heart of the village and a centre for community activities.

E We began to think that surely we couldn’t get rid of absolutely everything here.”

mpty rooms, a pile of old Arabia coffee cups, and villagers’ anger. That was all that remained when the Särkisalokoti retirement home in Salo was closed down in 2011. The decision to close the retirement home came as a shock to the locals. As a result of municipal reform, the residents of the home were to be transferred elsewhere, which they were not at all happy about.

“We began to think that surely we couldn’t get rid of absolutely everything here. Various associations came together and thought about what they could do,” one of the older people describes the mood in the municipality. When official complaints were unsuccessful, the villagers marched in protest.

“There was a busload of us coming back from a parish excursion to Turku, and we all joined the protest march. We really did all come together to defend Särkisalo,” says another activist.

When the protests fell on deaf ears, the Särkisalo activists went a step further. They took over the kitchen in the empty retirement home.

“First we organised Wednesday coffee in the kitchen,” says Harriet Corin, who works on the Särkisalokoti Association’s Yhres Etteskesi (Forward Together) project.

That was the start of a new life for Särkisalokoti. The Yhres Etteskesi project received funding from the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations (STEA) to coordinate activities. Local people submitted a proposal to the town council to renovate the building for better use. The decision-makers caved in, and Särkisalokoti became the heart of the entire village. The building houses a preschool, day-care centre, adult-education centre, youth centre, library, hairdresser, wellbeing services from companies, gym, and home care and nurse’s offices.

The story of Särkisalokoti is a story of Finnish sisu (perseverance) and shared goals. These themes also featured in a revue held in early 2017, the Yhres project’s “final report”, Sota, rauha ja sydän (War, Peace and Heart).

The two performances attracted an audience of around four hundred people. The two-hour performance summarised the Särkisalo activists’ desire to fight for the common good. If necessary, that fight will continue.

“The strength in our village is allowing us to continue our activities using any means possible,” says Corin.

“Other small villages could learn from this: if you need to get something done, don’t wait around.”

Särkisaloyhdistys

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Aijjoos turns older people into innovators The word aijjoos means “in time” in the South Ostrobothnian dialect of Finnish. Aijjoos operates in the municipalities of Evijärvi and Lappajärvi, and in the town of Kauhava. The idea is to bring activities to where people already are, explains development director Marja-Liisa Nevala.

“It’s important to listen carefully to older people when designing services and hobbies for them,” says Nevala.

“One of the most important things we learnt from the project is that elderly-care professionals do not have the monopoly on wisdom.” That’s why Aijjoos activities look and sound exactly like the participants want them to.

“There’s no sense of distance, as though someone higher up were passing down instructions. I value that,” says one participant.

The key idea is to see people as a resource. Older people act as specialists, developers, trainers, influencers, assessors, communicators, and group leaders, to name a few examples. They have been able to influence the age policy programme, develop services for caring for close relatives, give lectures to students and professionals, and design and implement group activities.

Kauhavan Seudun Vanhustenkotiyhdistys

Hellevi Ketola test-drives a recumbent bicycle at an Aijjoos event held in Lappajärvi to learn more about outdoor exercise equipment. Photo: Aijjoos activities

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In Aijjoos activities, older people act as specialists, developers, trainers, influencers, assessors, communicators, and group leaders.

The Leivonmäki National Park is one of the Partnership Table’s excursion destinations. Photo: Keski-Suomen Sosiaaliturvayhdistys

Everyone is equal at the partnership table For example, the partnership table operating model has created an open Coffee and Meet-up (Kahvia ja kohtaamisia) event in Keuruu, with responsibility for organising the event rotating every month.

In rural municipalities in central Finland (Joutsa, Keuruu, Toivakka, Pihtipudas, and Viitasaari), residents, professionals, and associations who are interested in good-quality everyday living and wellbeing for older people come together around open partnership tables. Keski-Suomen Sosiaaliturvayhdistys ry arranges the meetings and coordinates the activities in cooperation with the municipalities.

The people at the partnership table are equal as initiators, discussion participants, and decision-makers. Anyone can bring up an idea, wish, concern, or need.

The meetings are held regularly (e.g., monthly). One method that has proven successful is to rotate the meeting venue around different villages or premises, so that it is convenient for each participant to present their activities.

“Partnership is best built around doing things in practice, not just in theory,” says Tuija Seppänen, who has led partnership tables.

“After that, it’s easier to make spontaneous contact, which sparks the initiative to come together outside the partnership table.”

The municipalities will have a stronger role in wellbeing as a result of the reforms of health and social services and of the regional government. That’s why it is natural for municipalities to take on the responsibility for coordinating partnership tables in the future.

During the transition phase, it is important to retain a working approach that supports equal partnership.

Keski-Suomen Sosiaaliturvayhdistys

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5.

The Active Age programme’s memory disorder work A DIAGNOSIS OF MEMORY DISORDER does not mean that a person no longer has any ability to function or any resources.

The use of one’s own strengths and resources can bring enjoyment and substance to day-to-day life. What was important and meaningful in the person’s life before they became ill? And what are they interested in now, in their new life situation following their diagnosis? Organisations participating in the Active Age programme have developed new, nationalaward-winning methods to promote psychosocial wellbeing among people with memory disorders.

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Memories to Music People with memory disorders make music together in Memories to Music groups.

M

emories to Music (Muistoista musiikiksi) is a participatory group method, and the main idea is to create something new with people who have a memory disorder. The Memories to Music operating model works with music and poetry on jointly chosen topics. The result can be, for example, a song that is recorded and/or filmed and shared on social media.

The method is intended to help people with mild or moderate memory disorders. It can be used by professionals and volunteers working with people with memory disorders. The aim is to increase psychosocial wellbeing and create a feeling of belonging. When the skills of a person with a memory disorder are made visible to everyone, the environment becomes more positive for them.

The Memories to Music method is based on practical experience of the impact of reminiscence and music, as well as on research on the topic. The model has also attracted international attention. It was presented at the Alzheimer Europe conference in Scotland in 2014 and the Alzheimer’s Disease International conference in Hungary in 2016. The method attracted interest and positive feedback at both conferences, precisely because people with memory disorders were involved in its development. The Memories to Music method is used all over Finland and has also made its way to Poland.

It’s all down to these girls [leaders], they assure us they are enjoying themselves, too, and they bustle around taking care of things, and the musical accompaniments are great. There are probably people in the group who have never sung with an accompaniment, except in church.”

Oulun Seudun Muistiyhdistys

When the skills of a person with a memory disorder are made visible to everyone, the environment becomes more positive for them.

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It’s a touching moment.

You can be yourself in good company.”

Music improves brain health The Active Age programme’s memory-disorder work also includes campaigning and attempts to change attitudes. In collaboration with top rock artists and festivals, the Kanta-Hämeen Muistiyhdistys Memory Association held a Music Improves Brain Health (Musiikki parantaa aivoterveyttä) poster campaign during National Brain Week. Festival and concert tickets donated by cooperation partners were raffled on social media during the campaign. Originally designed as a small, local campaign, it reached more than 300,000 people in its first year and 700,000 in its second.

Kanta-Hämeen Muistiyhdistys

A workout for body and memory The Joy of Exercise (Liikunnan iloa) groups exercise body and mind. The group begins with a gym workout or balance training, eats lunch together, and continues in the afternoon with memory training. Many studies show that exercise slows down both the weakening of the ability to function and the progress of a memory disorder. Physical activity can cheer you up, increase your appetite, and help you sleep better. In addition, exercise also improves your mood and self-esteem, thereby preventing depression. Exercise groups can also be implemented jointly by memory associations and sports clubs.

The Alzheimer’s Association of Helsinki

Sign-language CERAD test acts as a bridge to services The sign-language CERAD test is a sign-language translation of the Finnish version of the CERAD series of cognitive tasks.

The test helps to direct a person with a memory disorder towards care and services, without hearing impairments being an obstacle. The translation considers signers as part of their own cultural language group. Signers have the right to obtain the test reliably in their own language, because it is not possible to assess their cognitive changes directly through tests, for example, in the Finnish or Swedish language. The CERAD test should be a natural part of the care chain for a hearing-impaired person with a memory disorder.

The Service Foundation for the Deaf’s MEMO programme

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When you meet up once a week, you can exchange opinions and you notice that they’re really lively people, even though they have a memory disorder. They don’t need to tell me what they did yesterday, but when I ask them to tell me what happened during their career, it all comes rushing out.”

MIKE gives people with memory disorders a voice During the 2016–2017 academic year, students of gerontology and engineering at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences developed a mobile application for the MIKE instrument, and a prototype was presented at the TERVE-SOS event in Helsinki.

MIKE is an instrument for assessing and monitoring the subjective quality of life and the psychological and social ability to function of people with memory disorders. It can be used in organisations, municipal daytime activities, home-care services, and residential services. MIKE contains interview and observation sections, and a manual for assessors. Professionals can use the MIKE instrument to ascertain how a person with a memory disorder views their quality of life when living at home. MIKE helps people with memory disorders to retain a feeling of having the right to self-determination. A MIKE assessment is quick, which also makes it easy to use.

“When you develop new methods for people with memory disorders, it’s good to ask their opinion,” points out Maaret Meriläinen, who participated in the development work.

“People with memory disorders were involved in both the pilot phase and subsequent development work when we created MIKE. They felt that it was important that the questions on the interview form were presented in a certain order and that the layout of the form was clear. The people with memory disorders felt that they were involved in something meaningful and that their efforts would benefit others who have memory disorders. The joint development was one of the highlights of the project.” The MIKE instrument website can be found (in Finnish) at www.muistimike.fi.

Oulun seudun muistiyhdistys and Etelä-Pohjanmaan muistiyhdistys

Muittohallat acts in the interests of Sámi people with memory disorders Muitogiisá’s materials can be used by various group leaders and individuals. Muitogiisá is also suitable for planning intergenerational activities and for teaching.

Muittohallat (Reminisce) activities highlight the importance of language and culture when interacting with a Sámi person with a memory disorder. There is close cooperation with the municipality’s Sámi-speaking home service, the parish, and the municipal non-institutional social care, as well as international cooperation with Swedish and Norwegian stakeholders. The starting points for developing culturally sensitive working methods were the Sámi people’s own resources, strengths, and life experiences.

The Muitogiisá materials bank can be used to organise stimulating activities to support Sámi people with memory disorders.

Among other things, the materials include information about Sámi cultural habits and meaningful issues in elderly care; tools for activities; and photos and stories for reminiscing sessions about traditional livelihoods, such as reindeer farming, work, clothing, and nature by season.

SámiSoster

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6.

Culture and creativity PROJECTS IN THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME aimed to increase creative action among older people. Creativity was encouraged in many ways, such as through handicrafts or by trying out different art forms and crafts, from poetry reading to theatre productions. Presenting your own hobby to a group of interested listeners can spark an interest in one of them to begin their own hobby and find new skills in themselves.

The Seinäjoki Cow Parade was the first of its kind in Finland.

The parade was inspired by the commercial Cow Parade event, which is organised all over the world. Photo: Eläkeliitto

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Cow Parade Cows don’t graze in Seinäjoki; they march. The Cow Parade (Lehmäparaati) gathered together older people to make different cow characters in a show of madcap creativity.

S

einäjoki’s roads were closed for the day in early summer 2015, and the reason came as a surprise to many. A herd of hand-made, colourful cows made its way from the Seinäjoki Arena to the Lakeuden Risti Church Park.

The Life with Crafts (Elämää käsillä) project encouraged older people to enjoy creativity and crafts through peer and voluntary activities. According to project director Marika Sarha, the Cow Parade encouraged madcap creativity and a sense of community through crafts.

“Reaching retirement age gives creativity a chance to come through, and this should be encouraged. Many people have long felt an artistic inclination and have been waiting for an opportunity to embrace it.”

One of the participants on the handicraft course agreed. “Craft courses and doing things by hand are really good ways to feel refreshed. They bring pure joy to people who don’t have many friends or relatives, and who feel rather alone.”

Cows made from willow, milk cartons, rag rugs, and papier-mâché joined the Cow Parade. There was also one 3D-printed cow. Each maker was given free rein to create a cow character of their choice. In Lavia, for example, a group of 40 people came together to make a patchwork-quilt cow. The atmosphere was similar to that of a carnival: people dressed as cowboys and cowgirls waved birch branches and blew horns. The pride in their handiwork could be seen on hundreds of participants’ faces.

According to Sarha, handicrafts offer older people a channel through which to express themselves, which many people lack in their everyday lives.

“The Cow Parade fostered self-confidence and a belief in what you can do. Every one of the participants was an important part of a larger whole,” she adds.

One participant said they had discovered clay at a handicrafts course. “Since then, I’ve made things out of clay. I find working with my hands therapeutic. That’s why it’s very important for people to make things themselves.”

The Oma lehmä ja laidun guide produced during the Life with Crafts project encourages people to make cows in peer-learning groups and clubs. Professionals who work with older people can use the guide in their own work. Artistic methods and handicrafts create a good atmosphere among older people and support their health and wellbeing.

“Handicrafts are suitable puzzle tasks, because you have to solve problems using your mind and hands. Problem-solving is satisfying,” says Sarha.

“Handicrafts give people a reason to come together. While you’re crafting, it’s easy to have a conversation or simply to sit quietly.”

Eläkeliitto

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Culture for Villages The Culture for Villages (Kylille kulttuuria) activities are group activities that are focused on art and culture, which are carried out through multiprofessional networking and as a local service.

Groups are set up in parish halls and village schools. The operating model aims to prevent the marginalisation of older people living in rural areas through art and culture. The activities help to revive cultural life in remote villages by utilising the experience and skills of residents. The Culture for Villages activities use campaigning, through events such as friend months, to attract new participants.

Friend months are months when group members are encouraged to bring a friend to meetings.

In culture for Villages groups you can act, read poetry, play music, or do crafts and restoration activities.

Etelä-Pohjanmaan muistiyhdistys

His and Her Hobbies!

Group activities can lead to entirely new hobbies. The His and Hers Hobbies! (Raijat ja Reinot ne harrastaa!) activity was developed based on older people’s ideas and wishes, and it is very popular. After retiring, older people usually have the time and inclination to add new things to their everyday lives. My Hobby (Minun harrastukseni) events are organised once a month. The hobby is suggested by participants and agreed upon together. At the meetings, participants learn about, for example, gardening or writing opportunities, or they hold exhibitions of their own handicraft work. Demand meets supply: the person presenting their hobby can talk about something that is important to them, and those who are listening can be inspired by a suitable new activity.

Lievestuoreen Palvelukeskusyhdistys

Musical moments create experiences Music students and musicians bring art to care homes every week, and the foundation coordinates the activities. Larger concerts are held several times a year. The cooperation network brings together participants from, for example, local music-education facilities and municipal orchestras. Volunteers from the foundation take residents to the concerts. Musical moments create experiences in older people’s everyday lives and provide inspiration for the carehome staff and for visiting friends and relatives.

The Finnish Bible Institute Foundation

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I’ve become more confident; before, I just stayed at home.

Now, I dare to leave my house and go out to teach other people crafts.”

7.

Digitalisation does not take account of age ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S key projects is the digitalisation of public services by 2025. What does this mean for the half a million Finns over the age of 65 who are not yet using information technology?

When the last bank in the village closes its doors or if the office is only open on a couple of days of the week, the remaining alternatives are few and far between: you simply have to embrace the digital world.

Digitalisation changes a person’s everyday life in many ways: on the one hand, it makes it easier to take care of practical matters and adds a pastime and a little extra something to life; but on the other hand, it can make life difficult if you don’t know how to use devices or software.

The Active Age programme’s digital projects aimed to keep older people included in an ever-digitalising society.

Digital inclusion goes hand in hand with many other experiences of social inclusion.

If an older person living in a remote village has digital skills, they no longer have to spend an entire day travelling to a place where there is a bank. There is no additional charge when you take care of matters online. A video call can make healthcare simple, even if it’s a long way to the nearest health centre.

When we talk about older people and digitalisation, all our preconceptions should go out of the window. Many older people want to use a laptop or tablet, and they learn to do so just like anyone else.

Going digital is not rocket science. Guidance on digital day-to-day life begins with what a person wishes to learn and the tool they want to use. For many, the most important services are online banking and using the My Kanta healthcare service. The participants in the Active Age programme’s digital projects have displayed a positive and enthusiastic attitude. The municipalities have also offered spaces in libraries for the training, free of charge.

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Anyone can go digital Project director Margit Granberg from the Central Association of Finnish Pensioners (EKL) explains how older people are being encouraged to try out IT devices and online services.

WHAT HAS THE ACTIVE AGE PROJECTS TAUGHT US ABOUT DIGITALISATION AND OLDER PEOPLE? “Anyone can go digital. A person’s age, skills, or situation in life do not matter; it’s their attitude that counts. Attitudes can change when a person sees how to navigate the internet and how useful and fun it can be.”

HOW DOES FINLAND TAKE ACCOUNT OF OLDER PEOPLE IN DIGITALISATION? “There’s room for improvement. Digital services should be accessible and easy to use. An online service should not be launched until its appearance has been fully considered and the communication about it is clear. Everyone benefits from accessibility, not just special groups. The attitude of friends and relatives can also be an issue. Middle-aged people shouldn’t tell their parents not to post anything on Facebook because it’s embarrassing. Older people should be allowed to use the internet exactly as they want.”

HOW IS DIGITALISATION CHANGING OLDER PEOPLE’S EVERYDAY LIVES? “Those who don’t learn how to use online services can miss out on a lot of things. They don’t have the same opportunities for active citizenship or day-to-day tools, such as map services, local weather forecasts, or recreational inspiration. We’ve come up with a Memorable Day (Elämyspäivä), which aims to encourage older people to embrace information technology.”

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Going digital is not rocket science.

Guidance on digital day-to-day life begins with what a person wishes to learn and the tool they want to use.

A Memorable Day shows what you can do online A Memorable Day (Elämyspäivä) is meant for people who use information technology rarely, or who are outright afraid of it. The Memorable Day explains what information networks are and what you can do online in a reassuring way. Participants can see and try out devices, find information on prices, and gauge what kind of device would be suitable for them. The opportunity to try things out reduces fear of the devices and gives curiosity a chance to grow.

Local volunteer guides introduce themselves and, later on, provide help with buying a device, setting it up, and practising with it. Providing coffee and cake also encourages technophobes to attend.

People who lack sufficient cognitive skills for learning how to use a new device have also attended the meetings. They have been extremely satisfied with the information they have received. The participants felt involved in the present, even if they decided not to start using a device due to financial and/or cognitive reasons. The event is not used to market any specific device, operating system, or operator; information is given neutrally and from a buyer’s perspective.

The Central Association of Finnish Pensioners (EKL)

SenioriVerkko increases digital inclusion SenioriVerkko operates in the capital region and trains and encourages professionals in the social welfare and healthcare to use digital tools and working methods. The professionals learn skills that they can use to support older people’s wellbeing.

According to the experiences of SenioriVerkko, the customer service being provided by the professionals using digital working methods has improved, diversified, and become more effective.

Information and communications technology can be an aid when assessing a person’s ability to function and when providing service advice. Data procurement is easier and faster, and it takes place in the service user’s home; for example, when showing mobility aids to a service user on a tablet. There is more diversity in planning group activities and it is fun to do using applications, which make it easier to use music, images, games, and news, among other things.

It is well worth incorporating digitalisation to promote older people’s independent wellbeing. There have also been good experiences with the use of activity wristbands and remote training using mobile applications. Professionals’ digital skills are encouraging and enable older people to step into the digital world.

Itä-Helsingin Lähimmäistyö Hely

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THE ACTIVE AGE PROGRAMME’S TIPS FOR DIGITAL INCLUSION AMONG OLDER PEOPLE 1. Anyone can learn if they are taught in a suitable way.

2. Online games are not just for children. Statistically, people who are middle-aged or older play more often than people in their twenties, for whom most games are designed.

3. Digitalisation is about much more than just online banking and other practical matters. It encompasses applications focusing on active citizenship and voting, weather forecasts, films, music, and other forms of stimulation.

4. The opportunities and threats of digitalisation must be discussed appropriately. It is good to know about viruses and scams, but scaremongering about the dangers of digitalisation may create a negative attitude towards, for example, buying a digital device.

5. Maintaining digital skills makes it possible to participate in things remotely and to belong to virtual communities.

8.

Volunteer work: support and gig work GOOD-QUALITY DAILY LIFE comes from having the opportunity and energy to do things that you enjoy. In difficult situations, help and encouragement from a support person might be required. On the other hand, being able to offer help can give a person a sense of their own usefulness.

The Active Age programme’s projects developed a wide range of volunteer opportunities. Methods varied from small everyday favours to peer support in personal crises. New kinds of experiences were even created through clown performances. At its best, volunteer and peer work is interactive: people meet up as equals and strengthen each other’s resources.

An enthusiastic and committed group of older volunteers got a lot out of performing as clowns. They had fun together and took strength from each other’s energy. Photo: Essi Siljoranta

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Red-nose power Clownery for older people is a breath of fresh air for both volunteer work and outreach work. Volunteer clowns visit lonely older people in their homes, care homes, and at events.

T

hirty volunteers over 60 who were interested in performing as clowns went on a three-day course to learn the basics of volunteer work, peer work, and clownery. Clownery brings art and culture to people and creates a new kind of memorable experience. The aim is to create an equal, valuable, and stimulating encounter through art.

Volunteer clown Merja-Riitta Ryynänen, 64, is a retired specialist nurse for whom clownery is a continuation of her care work. With her tulle skirt, pocketed dress and stripy socks, Ryynänen’s character Tyyli-Lyyli has visited around twenty older people with skipping-rope performances, songs, and magic tricks.

“Visits are completely on the terms of the person we’re visiting. We try to do whatever she or he suggests. I’ve noticed that music in particular brings people together; you can clap along, hold someone’s hand, or stroke their shoulder,” says Ryynänen.

Clowns are accompanied by a plain-clothes volunteer who sets up the visit and asks for feedback afterwards.

Clownery for older people has created lots of happy and laughter-filled encounters, but many people had some painful memories as they watched the clowns.

“But no matter how bad their memories were, no one became distressed or upset,” says Ryynänen.

Performing as a clown requires the skills to read a situation and immerse oneself in child-like creativity. These were traits that the project coordinator responsible for the clownery, Essi Siljoranta, saw in every trained volunteer.

Siljoranta believes that clownery is a good method because it is so versatile.

“I’ve met lots of people with various limitations. They have had visual or hearing impairments or have even been unable to talk. The method has worked in every situation and has brought warmth to people’s lives.”

“It’s easy to think that older people have plenty going on: home carers and cleaners visit regularly, and they go to the doctor. But the simple presence of another person is missing from many people’s daily lives.”

“Many older people were touched and moved almost immediately when they saw the clown. They couldn’t believe that this had been organised and that someone had come to visit just for them,” says Siljoranta.

The Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses

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Gig work helps with minor issues Sometimes, challenges crop up in daily life that are difficult to cope with alone: your mobile phone won’t work, or you can’t make it to the pharmacy even though your medicine has run out. People over 60 in the capital region can receive short-term help with day-to-day challenges. A “gig” helper can give someone support with practical matters or provide company for a visit to the theatre, for example.

HelsinkiMissio

Retirement coaching Retirement is a big change and a whole new phase in life. The Finnish Red Cross’ Living Life to the Fullest as a Pensioner coaching gives people guidance in their new daily living after they retire. The coaching supports people who are about to retire and those who have already retired with the transition and provides tools for maintaining their wellbeing in their new life situation. The coaching focuses on dealing with changes relating to retirement and on things that are important to the person. The coaching also offers wellbeing tools – in particular, to promote mental wellbeing – and for finding social networks and new meaningful things in life. New, enjoyable life content and personal relationships can be found in volunteer work. The coaching takes place over a total of nine hours split into sessions of three hours each. The coaching is available all over Finland.

The organisation trains new retirement coaches to provide the coaching.

The Finnish Red Cross

Volunteer as a Reader Volunteers from Hanko to Kokkola and from Helsinki to Kempele are reading books recommended by local libraries to older people in care homes. Volunteer as a Reader (Lahjoita lukuhetki) is a rapidly growing working method that began with the Etelä-Pohjanmaan Muistiyhdistys ry Memory Association. The method involves a care home organising reading sessions on the premises, and libraries using their notice boards to find volunteers. A library user can sign up to read once or become a regular volunteer.

Etelä-Pohjanmaan Muistiyhdistys

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Gig work provides help with everyday problems.

Hearing information increases quality of life Info sessions on age-related hearing loss raise awareness of hearing loss related to old age and increases positive attitudes towards hearing loss and the use of hearing aids. The info sessions reach older people, their friends and relatives, and students and professionals in the social welfare and health care industry.

Volunteers from Kuuloyhdistys associations are responsible for the practical implementation of info sessions in their respective municipalities. The age-related hearing loss project produced a PowerPoint information package for sessions that can be used by volunteers from the associations. An age-related hearing loss guide, a card which explains how to communicate with someone who is hard of hearing, and the www. ikakuuloiset.fi website were produced. The Finnish Federation of Hard of Hearing supports the implementation of the information sessions by updating the produced material and by providing the associations’ volunteers with the advice and guidance needed to hold the sessions.

The Finnish Federation of Hard of Hearing

Volunteer work in palliative care You don’t need any special skills or abilities to be a person and friend to someone else.”

Some people receiving palliative care do not receive any visitors. The Finnish Bible Institute Foundation (SROS) has trained volunteers to be with people in the final stages of life. According to the SROS, success requires clear rules, open communication with palliative-care staff, peer support among volunteers, and supervisory support and training. Volunteering does not require any special skills as such, but the right attitude is important. Volunteers must act on the patient’s terms. They can chat or keep quiet, hold the person’s hand, reminisce, or discuss the politics of the day.

The Finnish Bible Institute

IKÄTUKI helps in difficult times As we get older, difficult situations can include, for example, the loss of a spouse, retirement, or a move to another municipality. Through IKÄTUKI’s activities, older people who need support can now access a volunteer support person with whom they can discuss even the most difficult issues. The support person can also encourage the older person to go out and to find new social relationships. The short-term and goaloriented support aims to help the person in need to find things that they enjoy doing in life and to have hope for the future. The volunteers receive basic training, further training, regular support, and guidance.

Turun Kaupunkilähetys

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9.

Meeting venues increase social inclusion PEOPLE OVER 75 participate in activities organised by social welfare and healthcare organisations more often than other age groups do, as revealed by an indicator from 2016 from Finland’s Slot Machine Association. The most significant benefits of the organisational activities relate to opportunities to take part and experiences. Getting to know new people, helping others, doing things you enjoy, and learning new things all motivate people to participate.

Active Age created new opportunities for older people to come together and do things. The programme’s projects increased older people’s psychosocial wellbeing; in particular, through group and volunteer activities.

The programme developed various meeting venues based on older people’s own needs.

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Everyone can go to the forest at DiaPuisto The DiaPuisto Park in Pori is an accessible forested park area that is safe to visit all year round. The park is designed especially for older people, people with memory disorders, and their friends and relatives.

W

hen planning for the park began in the Länsi-Suomen Diakonialaitos Institute area, older people were included in the process. The promotion of overall wellbeing was set as the goal for the park’s activities.

“The idea was for the park to be nice to visit and accessible with a walking frame, and that there would be enough benches in suitable places to sit and watch, enjoy the sun, listen to the birds, and practise a hobby,” said an older person who took part in the park planning.

Now there is an accessible, lit route stretching for 530 m with plenty of benches spaced close enough together for each to be visible from the last. The benches are higher than usual to make them more comfortable for older people to sit on. There is an accessible pavilion and outdoor toilet, and a table area which is great for picnics.

“You can bring your own sausages to eat, and I came here with a retired couple. They loved the kickcycles here and used them to explore all the roads,” said one park visitor.

The park route features questions and answers to get visitors thinking and talking, and there is also a flower bed, a seedling box and a greenhouse that anyone can use. Events, theme days, and various group activities are organised in DiaPuisto. Sometimes, animal visitors can be found in the park: companion dogs, alpacas, or farm animals.

Other age groups visit the park, too. The accessible and functional park area is open to all and enables different generations to meet.

The park offers a natural environment for outdoor activities, relaxation, functional sessions, and various campaigns. You can come to the park alone, with a friend, or in a group. Non-profit organisations and associations can organise events and theme days in the park.

Those planning an equivalent year-round park area should take note that the park requires regular maintenance and upkeep. Activities must also be coordinated.

Länsi-Suomen Diakonialaitoksen säätiö

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The idea was for the park to be nice to visit and accessible with a walking frame, and that there would be enough benches in suitable places.”

The Older People’s Living Room is even open at Christmas The Older People’s Living Room (Ikäihmisten olohuone) in Oulu is open at unusual times when everywhere else is closed. The Living Room is open in the evenings, at weekends, and on public holidays – even on Christmas Eve, when people can often experience loneliness. The Living Room offers company, peer support, and activities for older people. Activities such as singing, games nights, and soirées are organised in the Living Room, and it is also possible to eat there at weekends. The activities help to reduce feelings of loneliness and promote social inclusion. The activities are run by paid organisers and by volunteers.

I’ve been so thankful hundreds of times that I’ve got a place to go. I don’t have children and my friends are gone.”

Oulun Eläkkeensaajat

The Living Room is open in the evenings, at weekends, and on public holidays – even on Christmas Eve, when people can often experience loneliness.

Coffee and buns are served in the pavilion at DiaPuisto’s Natural Treasures (Aarteet luonnossa) event.

Photo: Länsi-Suomen Diakonialaitos

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Community clubs are close to home

That was what saved me. I couldn’t just cry at home every day.

But I just felt like I was sitting at home twiddling my thumbs.

And I was.”

Low-threshold meeting places near to older people’s homes are being developed in Tampere. The aim of the activities is to create a community to support wellbeing as part of older people’s daily lives. A community club can be set up in the club room of a housing association or in a library. Community club activities are planned and implemented with residents in the area. Based on residents’ wishes, groups are set up that focus on, for example, exercise (a gym, chair workout, or balance group), hobbies (crafts and coffee, a book group, or a nature group), or discussion on different topics or wishes (mobility aids, a computer clinic).

In the initial phase, community clubs require a paid worker to coordinate the activities and encourage residents to participate and support the volunteer club leaders. Community clubs have been set up in Tampere in the districts of Härmälä (2013– 2016) and Multisilta and Peltolampi (2017).

Tampereen Kaupunkilähetys

Immigrant and Finnish women meet at Muistola Muistola is a low-threshold meeting place in Turku. It is meant for women of all ages who have moved to Finland, as well as Finnish women. Immigrants often face loneliness, a sense of being on the outside, and a reduction in self-worth, because they find it difficult to function in their new homeland.

Muistola’s course-based activities include such topics as the Finnish language, sewing and handicrafts, fitness and health, cooking, running a café, gardening, caring for relatives, and ICT. There is also regular discussion on violence against women and how to prevent it. There are always women in the Muistola network who can provide help with interpreting when needed.

Women are encouraged to participate in activities in such a way that they guide and teach other women themselves. Everyone has a skill that they can pass on. In this way, their sense of self-worth and self-confidence is increased. Another aim is for Muistola to help Finns to become mentors for immigrants. Paid employees and volunteers alike work at Muistola.

DaisyLadies

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We can create more together If the Active Age programme were a dinner table, it would be buzzing with conversation. Thirty-one Finnish organisations would be seated around the heavily laden table. At the head of the table would be the Active Age programme’s coordinating bodies, the Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People, and the Funding Centre for Social Welfare and Health Organisations: the leaders and guides of the modules, and the promoters of the common agenda.

The organisations talk, get to know one another, come up with new ideas, and learn from one another during the meal. The result is a whole whose sum is greater than that of its parts. This chapter outlines project workers’ views on joint development, networking, and how collaboration can support older people’s wellbeing.

Over six years, the active Finnish organisations combined forces across organisational and municipal borders, covering a range of topics and issues. The just over thirty organisations have an extremely diverse range of skills, from organising hobbies and recreational activities to supporting people with memory disorders. Doing things together opens up perspectives and strengthens the voices of older people in society. It can help to utilise previous work, thereby preventing lots of organisations from independently working on similar projects.

Organisations and municipalities came together to think about how to make older people’s day-to-day lives better. Local solutions were invented for local needs. For example, people living in remote villages were given opportunities to be included in society by strengthening their digital skills. Outreach work with older people helped many people in towns and cities to get back into life.

The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People’s (VKTL’s) coordination team supported and guided the organisations, giving them a little push when necessary. VTKL created the framework and support for cooperation between everyone involved in the project. An exceptionally positive atmosphere and sharing skills helped to spread best practice through the network of project stakeholders all over Finland. In one way, the Active Age programme has represented a new flow of power, which stakeholders have wanted to join. As a result of working together, new operating models for older people have been created in municipalities to make everyday life easier.

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In a survey of project stakeholders (2016), up to 97% said that they would rather continue within the programme than be left outside and receive a grant increase of €16,833.

Collaborative development improves quality We realised things can be done in different ways.”

The primary working methods in the Active Age programme’s projects were joint development and networking.

Functional therapist Maaret Meriläinen from the Oulun Seudun Muistiyhdistys Memory Association, managing director of SámiSoster ry Ristenrauna Magga, and project coordinator Saini Suutari from the Miina Sillanpää Foundation explain what they got out of the working methods.

MAARET MERILÄINEN: “Joint development increases the quality of what you’re developing.

The more skilled people and organisational bodies work together, the more professional skills can be included. The MIKE instrument (p.

29) was developed by a multiprofessional team comprising a functional therapist, a physiotherapist, a service designer, a teacher, and a drama instructor. It was a rather unconventional team for the social welfare and healthcare industry. We wanted to take the best everyone had to offer for the common good. In joint development, it’s also important to use experience specialists – in this case, people with memory disorders.”

RISTENRAUNA MAGGA:

The “We create more together” publication offers tips on active joint development.

“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel when working together. Joint development means that no one wastes their time doing work that overlaps. One of the best things has been peer support. We chatted at networking days, listened to each other’s presentations, and realised that things could be done in different ways. The programme’s framework has produced some good tools and methods that I’d never have thought of, such as guides for older people in simplified Finnish. It is easier to find people living in remote and sparsely populated areas through the network and cooperation partners. If the work goes beyond being local, we can help Finns in a wider area.”

SAINI SUUTARI:

Learn more about the “We create more together” publication using this QR code.

“If you only have limited resources, the network is incredibly useful and also provides peer support. The mental-health network, for example, made videos of the network’s projects (p. 20). A single project would never have been able to achieve that on the same scale. The theme network also helped us to better define the focus and content of our own work: what our work is striving for and how our project relates to other projects in the network.”

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The Active Age programme’s tips for networking

1.

NETWORK with others who work on the same issues and themes. Combining strengths and resources can lead to new partnerships and ideas.

2.

3.

AIM HIGH. Work carried out in a network can lead to the creation of entirely new services or operating methods.

SHOUT ABOUT NEW IDEAS. At best, they can attract the attention of decision-makers, encourage discussion around important issues, and increase awareness and appreciation of organisations.

4.

FOCUS ON WHAT CONNECTS YOU. If the other projects in the network are of a different style from your own, find a common factor, such as a shared goal.

5.

AVOID COMPETITION. Volunteers may be in high demand, which can lead to an unfortunate competitive situation. Work together.

+

Joint development increases visibility. The projects in the Active Age programme have regularly featured in newspapers and blogs. Coordination has encouraged the projects to participate in social welfare and healthcare industry competitions – and for good reason, because numerous Active Age programme projects have won awards. Joint development has meant that the activities and their results have gained wider visibility.

When more people are involved in something, there is more communication around it. Minority groups, people with memory disorders, and ageing with dignity have all been increasingly highlighted as topics of discussion and interest.

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Closing words Thanks to all the organisations and their employees who participated in the Active Age programme. Without your efforts, this diverse range of activities and this publication would not have been possible.

Warm thanks go to the older people who participated in the programme’s research. Sincere thanks also go to STEA (previously RAY), which made resource allocation for the programme possible. The work towards a better everyday life for older people will continue.

Awards received by projects in the Active Age programme 2014 • The National Institute for Health and Welfare awarded the Etelä-Pohjanmaan Muistiyhdistys Memory Association the TERVE-SOS award for its Culture for Villages (Kylille kulttuuria) operating model.

• The Memories to Music (Muistoista musiikiksi) and Culture for Villages (Kylille kulttuuria) operating models were finalists in the Innopalkinto competition.

2015 • The National Institute for Health and Welfare awarded the Oulun Seudun Muistiyhdistys Memory Association the TERVE-SOS award for its Memories to Music operating model.

• Oulun Eläkkeensaajat received the European Citizen’s Prize for its Older People’s Living Room (Ikäihmisten olohuone) activities.

• The Volunteer as a Reader (Lahjoita lukuhetki) and Memories to Music (Muistoista musiikiksi) operating models were finalists in the Innopalkinto competition.

2016 • The Oulun Seudun Muistiyhdistys Memory Association’s (Osmy) MIKE instrument was a finalist in the Health Awards competition awarded by Tamro, with a panel of judges from Aalto University.

• Osmy’s MIKE instrument also made it to the final of the TERVE-SOS awards, which are awarded by the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

• The Vuoden Muistiteko award went to SámiSoster’s Muitogiisá and Ristenrauna Magga for her life work, awarded by the Society for Memory Disorders Expertise in Finland.

2017 • SámiSoster was awarded the European Citizen’s Prize for the Muittohallat project to support vitality and the ability to function in Sámi-speaking people with memory disorders.

• The Democracy Award was awarded by the Ministry of Justice to a joint network of stakeholders who provided guidance to older people concerning information technology (five organisations, two of which worked on Active Age programme digital projects) and to DaisyLadies’ Muistola.

• The Miina Sillanpää Foundation’s Resourceful Women (Neuvokkaat naiset) group activities model made it to the final of the TERVE-SOS competition awarded by the National Institute of Health and Welfare.

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All Active Age programme projects Daisy Eläkeläiset / Muistojen koti (A home of memories) – A meeting point for female immigrants to Finland and older Finnish women. Older people from different cultural backgrounds meeting and working together (2012–2014).

Eläkeliitto / Elämää käsillä (Life with crafts) – Participation and well-being for older people through crafts (2014–2017).

The Central Association of Finnish Pensioners EKl / Verkosta Virtaa!

(Networking power!) – Work to prevent the marginalisation of older people in information society (2015–2017).

Etelä-Pohjanmaan muistiyhdistys memory association / Kylille kulttuuria (Culture for villages) – Culture-based participatory group activities for older people.

FinFami, South Ostrobothnia / VIOLA – Mapping the wellbeing of older people’s friends and relatives and continuation work with other senior support network actors (2014–2017).

Memorial Foundation of Markku Juhani Fingerroos / Löytävä – (Finding older people (in Turku)) – Creating an organisation-based operating concept for outreach work with older people (2014–2017).

Alzheimer’s Association of Helsinki / Liikunnan iloa (The joy of exercise) – Promotion of functional ability in people with dementia through exercise (2014–2016).

Helsinki Deaconess Institute / SenioriVamos – Senior work to seek and find(2013– 2017).

HelsinkiMissio / Short-term volunteer work to help seniors(2014–2017).

The Age Institute foundation / Elämäntaidon eväät (The Art of Living in Old Age) – Strengthening older people’s life skills and mental well-being and raising awareness of supportive methods(2015–2017).

Itä-Helsingin lähimmäistyö hely / SeniorNetwork – mobile wellbeing.

Promotion of independent coping among older people through mobile applications (2014–2017).

Kanta-Hämeen muistiyhdistys memory association / Lähde (Source) – A network of friends and relatives as part of good daily life for people with dementia and their carers (2013–2016).

Kauhavan seudun vanhustenkotiyhdistys / Aijjoos partnership project and activity – More wellbeing together (2013–2017). Strengthening the well-being of older people living at home through low-threshold volunteer and peer support work.

Keski-Suomen sosiaaliturvayhdistys / Kehitytään kimpassa (Developing together) – Volunteer and peer work to

increase older people’s well-being and the distribution and consolidation of collaborative operating models (2014–2017).

Finnish Federation of Hard of Hearing / Vapaaehtoiset ikähuonokuuloisten tukena (Support from volunteers with age-related hearing loss) – Hearing care advice and guidance service organised by volunteers and the development of forms of peer support for older people(2015–2017).

The Service Foundation for the Deaf/ MEMO programme – Support, help and communication of the need for support for signers with dementia, and the production of material in simple Finnish and Finnish sign language.

Käpyrinne / Kantti / JADE – Integration of older female immigrants through peer-support group activities and individual support(2013–2015).

Käpyrinne / JADE II – Promoting the participation of older immigrant women through customer-oriented group activities and functional workshops aimed at service centre staff. (2016–2017).

Lievestuoreen palvelukeskusyhdistys / Osallistu- va ikäihminen – mielekäs arki (Participation makes daily life better). Promotion of participation and functional capacity among older people through group activities (2015–2017).

Länsi-Suomen Diakonialaitoksen säätiö / Diakonipuisto park – A service area for older people. Increasing older people’s wellbeing, activity and participation through culture and exercise (2014–2016).

Miina Sillanpään säätiö / Neuvokkaiden naisten kestävät konstit - yhdessä toimien rikas elämä (Resourceful Women’s tips for sustainable development - enjoying a rich life together). Promotion of well-being among low-income older women suffering from loneliness and prevention of social marginalisation through group activities (2015–2017).

Oulun eläkkeensaajat / Ikäihmisten olohuone (Seniors’ living room) – Maintenance of functional meeting places for older people(2014–2017).

Oulun seudun muistiyhdistys memory association / Lähelläsi (Close to you) – Strengthening relationships between people with dementia living at home and their partners, and improving their perceived quality of life through dong things together, timely information and the necessary support (2016–2019).

Oulu Region Memory Association / Vielä virtaa – (Still got it) Participatory group activities based on people with dementia’s own resources and the development of memory volunteer work (2012–2015).

Sámisoster / Muittohallat – Saamelaisen muistisairaan ja lähiyhteisön arjen tuki

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(Reminisce - Support for Sámis with dementia and their local community).

Supporting and promoting the functional capacity and vitality of Sámi people with dementia, their friends and relatives, and carers by increasing memory information in memory workshops and through activating group work and home visit work carried out using Sámi resources, and developing working material on Sámi culture.

Seta / Yhdenvertainen vanhuus (Equality in old age)– production of information and material and training for gerontology professionals and industry students on how to account for older people from minority sexuality and gender groups in services.

(2012–2014).

Seta / Yhdenvertainen vanhuus II (Equality in old age 2) – Consolidating services models for older people in minority sexuality and gender groups through volunteer work and a partnership network (2015–2016).

The Finnish Association for Mental Health / Mirakle (Miracle) - Building mental well-being for older people (2012–2016).

Finnish Red Cross / täyttä elämää eläkkeellä (Living life to the fullest as a pensioner) – Wellbeing and transition training for people about to retire, and the opportunity to channel skills into volunteer work. (2014–2017).

The Finnish Bible Institute Foundation / Ollaan Ihmisiksi! (Keeping company)– Alleviating older people’s loneliness and feelings of insecurity through volunteer work in the capital region (2015–2017).

The Finnish Federation of Settlement Houses / Yhdessä mukana omin voimin, omin ehdoin (Together using your own strengths and on your own terms) – A community and safe living environment for older people (2013–2016).

Särkisalokotiyhdistys / Yhres etteskesi (Forward together) – Supporting the well-being and participation of older people in rural areas through low-threshold activity and seeking elderly work (2014–2016).

Tampereen kaupunkilähetys / Likioma – Supporting older people’s well-being through human agency (2013–2016).

Turun kaupunkilähetys / Ikätuki (Age support) – Development of a network collaboration-based support person operating model for people in difficult life situations (2013–2016).

The Finnish Association for the Welfare of Older People / Active Age programme coordination (2012–2017).

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