Older People in Deprived Neighbourhoods: Social Exclusion and Quality of Life in Old Age

1

• Older People in Deprived Neighbourhoods Social
  Exclusion and Quality of Life in Old Age
• T. Scharf, C. Phillipson, P. Kingston and A.E.
  Smith

2

• Background
• The social exclusion agenda
• Poverty and deprivation in old age
• The quality of life agenda

3

• Methodology
• Selection of research areas
• Survey of 600 people aged 60 and over
• Follow-up interviews with 130 people aged 60 and
  over

4

• Older people and the urban environment
• Importance of neighbourhood as a source of
  self-identity
• Importance of neighbourhood for quality of life

5

• Neighbourhood as a source of identity
• Selective intensification of feelings about
  spaces may be far more than merely the
  coincidental outcome of lengthy residence in a
  single setting. It is postulated that it
  represents a universal strategy employed by older
  people to facilitate maintaining a sense of
  identity within a changing environment
• (Rowles, 1978 200).

6

• Deprived neighbourhoods and quality of life
• Loss of services and amenities
• Perceived vulnerability to crime
• Interaction with health problems

7

• Conceptualising social exclusion
• Exclusion from material resources
• Exclusion from social relations
• Exclusion from civic activities
• Exclusion from basic services
• Neighbourhood exclusion

8
Exclusion from material resources Poverty rates
for older people in socially deprived areas and
the UK as a whole (in )
9
Exclusion from social relationsPrevalence and
intensity of loneliness
10
Exclusion from civic activitiesProportion of
people involved in activities
11
Exclusion from basic servicesProportion of
people cutting back on services in the home in
order to make ends meet
12
Neighbourhood exclusionExpression of negative
views about the neighbourhood
13
Experience of multiple exclusionThree groups
of older people

• The included those not excluded on any of the
  five domains (30 of respondents)
• The vulnerable those experiencing exclusion
  on a single domain (31 of respondents)
• The excluded those prone to the cumulative
  impact of multiple forms of exclusion (39 of
  respondents)

14

• Conclusion Implications for public policy
• Need for joined-up policies
• Regeneration for all
• Need to build on commitment of older people to
  their neighbourhoods