Health Inequalities in Older People: A Participatory Approach to Community Engagement

Health inequalities in older people results in a disconnect from their communities and services. Globally, we have an increasingly ageing population highlighting the importance of addressing inequalities in this group.
Community engagement approaches help build trust and shared understanding within communities. However, they are not always deployed. This paper reports on a two-phase community engagement enquiry, developed to identify health inequalities in older people.
Phase-One, a residential sandpit, brought together older community members, third sector organisations, researchers, and public health professionals to co generate priority areas. Phase-two explored these in depth with specific communities along with surfacing local concerns. Community Champions, trusted, well connected residents, acted as community researchers, gathering insights into lived experiences of health inequalities in this group and identifying future priorities.
Impacts and experiences included feelings of social isolation and loneliness, influenced by transport issues, built environment, and transitional communities. Intergenerational activities were viewed as a positive catalyst for change