Does local still matter? An evaluation of the importance of geographical locality for the delivery of remote support for older people in Salford

Project Details The UK response to the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the suspension of several face-to-face activities and support groups for older people.  Across Salford, and in common with the rest of the UK, a number of organisations have moved to deliver activities at a distance, for example online through online video-conferencing facilities such as Skype or Zoom, over the telephone and on occasion, via land mail and door-step service.  This research investigated experiences, benefits and challenges of quickly moving support and engagement activities online from two perspectives: 1) stakeholders involved in running and arranging such activity and 2) older people who accessed or engaged with that activity.  The work had a further focus on whether there are specific benefits or limitations to such activity being delivered by local organisations to explicitly local populations.   

A summary of the findings is available at https://www.inspiringcommunitiestogether.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/FINAL-short-report-for-AFS-.pdf 

Project Team: Andrew Clark [project lead] with Siobhan Kelly [UoS]; Lorna Chesterton [MMU]; Anya Ahmed [UoS] 

Research Group: Centre for Social & Health Research; Connected Lives: Diverse Realities, Digital Society group; Digital Society Theme 

Project Funder: Inspiring Communities Together; Age-Friendly Salford