At the end of last year Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) invited WIGO to play a part in its annual 2 day learning and celebration event in Newark. Hundreds of Council staff gathered to explore experiences, learn, connect and celebrate success. People had roles like social worker, community worker, elected member, senior manager, day centre worker and hospital discharge team member. Many also had personal experiences of supporting older friends and relatives.
The event used World Café approaches to get people round tables, talking about a wide range of topics. Table discussions happened 8 times over the 2 days and over 80 people came to talk about ‘When I Get Old (WIGO)’. Unsurprisingly there was lots and lots of vibrant conversation.
On our table we introduced this challenge
We’re all getting older. When we need help a care home or home ‘calls’ can be the only option. Lives of wisdom become lives of disconnection. Many of us pay a lot for something we dread. Is this what we actually want?
Then we asked 2 questions to get people talking, sharing and imagining
• What is your experience of care and support – personally or for people you love?
• What are your aspirations – what kind of care or support would you want for yourself or people you love in the future?
We discovered that people had more negative experiences to share than positive and that they felt some services don’t or can’t actually care about people. Crucially we learned that there is a massive difference between the current services on offer and the types of care many people actually want. It was clear that people know there is a need to challenge the status quo, and on a positive note that they have great ideas for different and better.
Why does care have to look that way
NCC have kindly given us their permission to share the report which is published here. Look there for the detail, including quotes and stories from the people we met.
Get in touch at info@wigo.org.uk or via www.wigo.org.uk if you have any comments or questions, or simply want to join our growing movement for change and choice.
