Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T14:35:48.590Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Promoting social inclusion? The impact of village services on the lives of older people living in rural England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 November 2010

PETER DWYER  and
IRENE HARDILL
PETER DWYER*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Psychology and Public Health, University of Salford, UK.
IRENE HARDILL
Affiliation:
Department of Social Sciences, Northumbria University, UK.
*
Address for correspondence: Peter Dwyer, School of Social Work, Psychology and Public Health, University of Salford, Room L828, Allerton Building, Frederick Street, Salford M6 6PU, UK. E-mail: p.j.dwyer@salford.ac.uk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing on data from a qualitative study, this paper explores the impact of ‘village services’ on the lives of people aged 70 or more years living in rural England. Throughout the paper, the phrase ‘village services’ refers to six community-based services and activities provided to help meet the needs of older rural residents, namely lunch clubs, welfare rights information and advice services, befriending schemes and community warden support, in rural areas in three regions of England. It is argued that, in various ways, village services promote social inclusion by enhancing older rural residents' access to the resources, rights, goods and services that encourage social interaction and meaningful participation in community life. It is clear, however, that the overwhelming majority of users of village services are female, that older men are often reluctant to engage with the services on offer, and that the providers of village services need to find new and innovative ways of engaging with older men in rural areas. It is concluded that restricted revenue and capital resources means that the expansion of village services so that they may better meet the requirements of older rural men is unlikely.

Keywords

ageingsocial exclusiongendervillage servicesrural England
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 31 , Issue 2 , February 2011 , pp. 243 - 264
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Age Concern England 2008. Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Social Exclusion Behind Closed Doors. Age Concern England, London.Google Scholar
Arber, S., Davidson, K. and Ginn, J. (eds)2003. Gender and Ageing: Changing Roles and Relationships. Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK.Google Scholar
Barnes, M. 2004. User participatory research. In Becker, S. and Bryman, A. (eds), Understanding Research for Social Policy and Practice. Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 108–14.Google Scholar
Barnes, M., Blom, A., Cox, K., Lessof, C. and Walker, A. 2006. The Social Exclusion of Older People: Evidence from the First Wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Final report, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Social Exclusion Unit, London.Google Scholar
Bibby, P. and Shepherd, J. 2004. Developing a New Classification of Urban and Rural Areas for Policy Purposes – The Methodology. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Countryside Agency, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Office for National Statistics, Welsh Assembly Government. Available online at http://www.econsultation.net/ru/method_paper_final.pdf [Accessed 22 February 2009].Google Scholar
Blaikie, N. 1993. Approaches to Social Enquiry. Polity Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Burgess, S. 2008. The Report of the Rural Advocate 2007. Commission for Rural Communities, Cheltenham, UK.Google Scholar
Burholt, V. and Naylor, D. 2005. The relationship between rural community type and attachment to place for older people living in North Wales, UK. European Journal of Ageing, 2, 2, 109–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burholt, V. and Windle, G. 2006. The Material Resources and Well-being of Older People. Findings, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York, UK.Google Scholar
Burholt, V., Windle, G., Naylor, D., Jones, B., Riley, B., Oades, J., Humphries, C., Kennedy, D. and Clifford-Jones, J. 2007. Looking to the Future: Ageing in Rural Communities. A report on the rural North Wales Initiative for the Support of Older People Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.Google Scholar
Cattan, M. 2001. Supporting Older People to Overcome Isolation and Loneliness. Help the Aged and Leeds Metropolitan University, London.Google Scholar
Cattan, M., White, M., Bond, J. and Learmouth, A. 2005. Preventing social isolation and loneliness among older people: a systematic review of health promotion interventions. Ageing & Society, 25, 1, 41–67.Google Scholar
Champion, T. and Hugo, G. (eds)2004. New Forms of Urbanization: Beyond the Urban/Rural Dichotomy. Ashgate, Aldershot, UK.Google Scholar
Champion, T. and Shepherd, J. 2006. The greying countryside. In Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England. Age Concern England, London, 29–50.Google Scholar
Clark, H., Dyer, S. and Horwood, J. 1998. ‘That Bit of Help’: The High Value of Low Level Preventative Services for Older People. Policy Press, Bristol, UK.Google Scholar
Clough, R., Manthorpe, J., Green, B., Fox, D., Raymond, G., Wilson, P., Raymond, V., Sumner, K., Bright, L. and Hay, J. 2007. The Support Older People Want and the Services They Need. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York, UK.Google Scholar
Commission for Rural Communities 2007 a. The State of the Countryside 2007. 9th Annual Report, Commission for Rural Communities, Cheltenham, UK.Google Scholar
Commission for Rural Communities 2007 b. Monitoring Rural Proofing 2007. Commission for Rural Communities, Cheltenham, UK.Google Scholar
Commission for Rural Communities and the Housing Corporation. 2006. The Housing and Support Needs of Older People in Rural Areas. Commission for Rural Communities and the Housing Corporation, Cheltenham, UK.Google Scholar
Conservative, Party 2010. Policy, Where We Stand: The Economy. Conservative Party, London. Available online at http://www.conservatives.com/Policy/Where_we_stand/Economy.aspx [Accessed 2 March 2010].Google Scholar
Craig, G. 2004. Citizenship, exclusion and older people. Journal of Social Policy, 33, 1, 95–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Craig, G. and Manthorpe, J. 2000. Social Care in Rural Areas: Developing an Agenda for Research, Policy and Practice. Findings, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York, UK.Google Scholar
Davidson, K., Daly, T. and Arber, S. 2003. Older men, social integration and organisational activities. Social Policy and Society, 2, 2, 81–9.Google Scholar
Demakakos, P. 2008. Being Socially Excluded and Living Alone in Old Age: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Policy Unit, Age Concern England, London.Google Scholar
Denham, C. and White, I. 1998. Differences in urban and rural Britain. Population Trends, 91, 1–12.Google Scholar
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. 2006. Rural Services Review: Reviewing Standards. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London.Google Scholar
Dobbs, B. and Strain, L. 2008. Staying connected: issues of mobility of older rural adults. In Keating, N. (ed.), Rural Ageing: A Good Place to Grow Old? Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 87–96.Google Scholar
Dwyer, P. 2000. Welfare Rights and Responsibilities: Contesting Social Citizenship. Policy Press, Bristol, UK.Google Scholar
Eales, J., Keefe, J. and Keating, N. 2008. Age friendly rural communities. In Keating, N. (ed.), Rural Ageing: A Good Place to Grow Old? Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 109–20.Google Scholar
Gibson-Ree, M. 2004. Everybody Benefits: A Practical Guide to Improving Take-up of Welfare Benefits Among Disadvantaged Older People. Age Concern England, London.Google Scholar
Gilbert, A., Philip, L. and Shucksmith, M. 2006. Rich and poor in the countryside. In Lowe, P. and Speakman, L. (eds), The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England. Age Concern England, London, 69–93.Google Scholar
Hardill, I. and Dwyer, P. 2010. Delivering public services in the mixed economy of welfare: perspectives from the voluntary and community sector in rural England. Journal of Social Policy. doi:10.1017/S0047279410000292.Google Scholar
Harrop, A. 2007. CP4: Consultation with Age Concern Chief Officers. Age Concern England, London.Google Scholar
Heenan, D. 2006. The factors influencing access to health and social care in the farming communities of County Down, Northern Ireland. Ageing & Society, 26, 3, 373–91.Google Scholar
Help the Aged, Age Concern England, Commission for Rural Communities and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2005. Delivering for Older People in Rural Areas: A Good Practice Guide. Help the Aged, London.Google Scholar
Hills, J., Le Grand, J. and Piachaud, D. (eds)2002. Understanding Social Exclusion. Oxford University Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Keating, N. and Phillips, J. 2008. A critical human ecology perspective on rural ageing. In Keating, N. (ed.), Rural Ageing: A Good Place to Grow Old? Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 1–10.Google Scholar
Knodel, J. 1993. The design and analysis of focus group studies: a practical approach. In Morgan, D. L. (ed.), Successful Focus Groups, Advancing the State of the Art. Sage, London, 35–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levitas, R, Pantazis, C., Fahmy, E., Gordon, D., Lloyd, E. and Patsios, D. 2007. The Multidimensional Analysis of Social Exclusion. Department for Communities and Local Government and Social Exclusion Task Force, London.Google Scholar
Lofts, C. 2008. Access to Information and Advice Services by Older Men in the East Midlands. Age Concern East Midlands, Nottingham, UK.Google Scholar
Manthorpe, J., Malin, N. and Stubbs, H. 2004. Older people's views on rural life: a study of three villages. Journal of Clinical Nursing 13, 6b, 97–104.Google Scholar
Mason, J. 2002. Qualitative Researching. Sage, London.Google Scholar
Milne, A., Hatzidimitriadou, E. and Wiseman, J. 2007. Health and quality of life among older people in rural England: exploring the impact and efficacy of policy. Journal of Social Policy, 36, 3, 477–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moffatt, S. and Higgs, P. 2007. Charity or entitlement? Generational habitus and the welfare state among older people in North East England. Social Policy and Administration, 41, 5, 449–64.Google Scholar
Moffatt, S. and Scrambler, G. 2008. Can welfare rights advice targeted at older people reduce social exclusion? Ageing & Society, 28, 6, 875–99.Google Scholar
Office for National Statistics 2008. Rural and Urban Area Classifications 2004. Office for National Statistics, London. Available online at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/nrudp.asp [Accessed 19 December 2008].Google Scholar
Pain, R., Mowl, G. and Talbot, C. 2000. Difference and the negotiation of ‘old age’. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 18, 3, 377–93.Google Scholar
Pugh, R., Scharf, T., Williams, C. and Roberts, D. 2007. Obstacles to Using and Providing Public Care. Research Briefing 22, Social Care Institute for Excellence, London.Google Scholar
Raynes, N., Clark, H. and Beecham, J. 2006. The Report of the Older People's Inquiry into ‘That Bit of Help’. Joseph Rowntree Foundation, York, UK.Google Scholar
Rees, P. 2003. Demographic Ageing: The Broad Context, Regional Diversity. Paper presented at the Age Concern England conference Regions for All Ages, Birmingham, UK. Available online at http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/Documents/regions_demographic_ageing_Reesv2.pdf [Accessed 23 February 2009].Google Scholar
Ritchie, J., Spencer, L. and O'Connor, W. 2003. Carrying out qualitative analysis. In Ritchie, J. and Spencer, L. (eds), Qualitative Research Practice. Sage, London, 219–63.Google Scholar
Ruxton, S. 2006. Working with Older Men: A Review of Age Concern Services. Age Concern England, London.Google Scholar
Scharf, T. and Bartlam, B. 2008. Ageing and social exclusion in rural communities. In Keating, N. (ed.), Rural Ageing: A Good Place to Grow Old? Policy Press, Bristol, UK, 97–108.Google Scholar
Shucksmith, M. 2003. Social Exclusion in Rural Areas: A Review of Recent Research. Arkleton Centre for Rural Development Research, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.Google Scholar
Sopp, L., Miller, W. and Gunnell, J. 2007. Well-being and Lone Older Men: The Peterborough and Fenlands Study. Age Concern Research Services with Age Concern Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, UK.Google Scholar
Victor, C., Scambler, S. and Bond, J. 2009. The Social World of Older People: Understanding Loneliness and Social Isolation in Later Life. Open University Press, Maidenhead, UK.Google Scholar
Victor, C. R., Scambler, S. J., Bowling, A. and Bond, J. 2005. The prevalence of and risk factors for loneliness in later life: a survey of older people in Great Britain. Ageing & Society, 25, 6, 357–75.Google Scholar
Victor, C. R., Scambler, S. J., Marston, L., Bond, J. and Bowling, A. 2006. Older people's experiences of loneliness in the UK: does gender matter? Social Policy and Society, 5, 1, 27–38.Google Scholar
Wenger, C. G. 2001. Myths and realities of ageing in rural Britain. Ageing & Society, 21, 1, 117–30.Google Scholar
Wintour, P. 2010. Alistair Darling Warns of Toughest Spending Cuts for 20 Years. The Guardian (London), 9 January. Available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/jan/09/alistair-darling-tough-spending-cuts [Accessed 2 March 2010].Google Scholar