Category Archives: Advocacy

Advancing the case for independent advocacy

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Kath Parson is Chief Executive of the Older People’s Advocacy Alliance. (486 words)

Here at the Older People’s Advocacy Alliance (OPAAL) we’re focused on getting word out about the benefits of independent advocacy. Advocacy supports and enables people who have difficulty representing their interests, to exercise their rights, express their views, explore and make informed choices. We have lots of great data from our Cancer, Older People and Advocacy programme and other project work as well as from our members about the positive impact advocacy has on older people’s lives. Continue reading →

On compassionate care

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Dr Joan RapaportDr Joan Rapaport reports on the seventh Annual Joint Conference of the Social Care Workforce Research Unit, Making Research Count, and Age UK London (with support from the British Society of Gerontology), which took place at King’s last week. (2,508 words)

In her welcoming introduction, Professor Jill Manthorpe (Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King’s College London) said the topic ‘Compassionate Care’ had been chosen to explore what we mean by compassion, where it might be needed in older people’s care, its place within the hierarchy of priorities and whether it concerns individuals or wider social relationships. She said the purpose of the conference was to find out:

  • Where is the passion in compassion?
  • Should we all be compassionate all the time?
  • Do all older people want compassion?

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The value of advocacy support for older people affected by cancer

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In a guest post Kath Parson, Chief Executive of the Older People’s Advocacy Alliance (OPAAL), writes about a project supporting older people affected by cancer.

‘Cancer, Older People and Advocacy’ is about supporting older people affected by cancer to find their voice and say what it is they want. Evidence from Macmillan Cancer Support, our project partner, and the Department of Health indicates ingrained age discrimination in cancer services: ‘Older people with cancer receive less intensive treatment than younger people. …… there is increasing evidence that under-treatment of older people may occur‘

image001We’re doing our best to change that by recruiting, training and supporting older people who have themselves been affected by cancer to become peer advocates. We’re working on the basis that those who’ve lived through the experience of cancer, either because they or someone close to them have had a cancer diagnosis, are best placed to empathise and support others in the same situation.

I’ve also been affected by cancer and lost relatives and very close friends – so I can relate to a lot of the issues that people have and some of the unfairness that happens… I’m not afraid to challenge. That’s the kind of thing people haven’t got when they have an illness. All those strengths are taken out because of the day to day – the appointments, the pain, and the personal issues they have to deal with. Advocate

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Where we’ve struggled so far has been in helping health professionals understand that there might be a problem in cancer services for some older people. Despite the evidence there seems to be a reluctance to refer to independent advocacy. Maybe it’s because they don’t like being questioned or maybe they simply don’t see the need. Whatever the reason, it is a problem. One advocate explains:

That was a difficult session, particularly because there were three consultants in the room. The consultants were quite apprehensive really, I would say, about me being there… One of them actually did ask what my role was, which I explained. I emphasised that my role was not to make decisions for my client. It was to help him to understand the situation, what was on offer, to help him to make some informed choices, and decisions about his treatment and that was OK after that.

To find out more about Cancer, Older People and Advocacy, check out our blog.