Ageless @ Work
The Ageless@Work project focuses on meeting new challenges arising from demographic changes, in particular helping transform workplace cultures so that organisations can better develop skilled and adaptable older workers. It is a European Social Fund (ESF) programme funded through the ESF's Innovation, Transnational & Mainstreaming strand. Skills for Care is the lead partner, working through its South West area with other organisations throughout the South West and in Europe.
For a July 2010 summary of the project, please download this document: A@W_summary
Ageless @ Work publications
1. The starting point for this project is Ageless@Work: Changing workplace cultures, developing skills. Good Practice Report (2009, 492kb, 67pp) which summarises published examples of good practice in supporting organisational change and the training of older workers.
2. Caring and working in ageing societies: flexible lives… ageless working…
This publication was inspired by a seminar in Lublin, Poland during November 2009, as part of two English projects: Ageless @ Work and Flexible Lives for Older Workers - both supported by the European Social Fund. The seminar was hosted by the Medical University Lublin (Uniwersytet Medyczny w Lublinie) and the College of Economics and Innovation of Lublin (Wyzsza Szkola Ekonomii i Innowacji - WSEI).
We would like to thank all those who made the seminar possible, in particular: the contributors; Age UK Milton Keynes; Skills for Care South West; the host universities; and the interpreters, Maria Grudzinska and Patrycja Mikulska. Special thanks to Maria who translated all of the Polish papers into English and English to Polish, and to Chris Bell and Peter Clarke who edited the English edition.
In view of the size of the report, the chapters have been made into individual .pdf downloads, accessible by clicking on the links below.
1. Introductory material, including Preface; The European Social Fund in England; Ageless @ Work - project overview, and The FLOW (Flexible Lives for Older Workers) Project
2. Demographic changes in Poland
3. The effects of demographic change on the care sector in England
4. Healthy ageing - global crisis or global challenge?
5. Social Care in England - a brief history
6. Medical and social services in Poland - caring for older people
7. The Municipal Family Support Centre in Lublin
8. Adult social care qualifications in England
9. Training social workers in the College of Economics and Innovation, Lublin
10. Communication between social care workers and older service users
11. Influence of age on communicative competence in assistance-related professions
12. Social exclusion and discrimination of older people in Poland
14. Perception of own illness by older people
15. Ethical principles and moral virtues in the doctor-patient relationship
16. Falls and disability in older people
17. Breaking down barriers to employment
18. EU programmes for older people in Poland
19. School of supergrandparents - a new educational proposal for older people
20. Teaching information technology to people aged 50 plus - barriers, experiences and opportunities
3. Achieving change in the care sector: A guide for managers and staff involved in organisational change (2011) offers a series of tools to help care managers introduce, manage and achieve positive change. It uses examples that illustrate ways to increase the person-centredness of care work.
Please click here for the full guide (816kb, 75pp) or the summary in the form of 'Top Ten Tips' for Achieving change (148kb, 2pp)
Further Ageless@Work publications will be posted here in due course.
The Prime Project
The following video clip from our YouTube channel shows how the European Social Fund supported older apprentices in the South West.
