About HAIRE

Origin of HAIRE

Healthy Ageing through Innovation in Rural Europe (HAIRE), led by the Social Innovation Group at the University of Exeter, was a project that ran from January 2020 – March 2023. HAIRE aimed to bring about social innovation and empowerment for older people. A toolkit was developed and tested in eight pilot sites in the UK, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.

What was the problem?

Older adults face many challenges in rural communities. Key issues include a lack of local support and facilities, out-migration of young people, reduced access to health and social care services, poor public transport links and isolation. These issues influence wellbeing negatively and HAIRE aimed to understand them at a community level by listening to the older adults in its eight pilot sites – and then along came the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pandemic brought a new perspective to the issues. The need to adapt face-to-face working approaches via digital support where appropriate and ensure the inclusion of older adults in local responses to social challenges became more apparent. The fragmented health and social care systems in HAIRE’s rural pilot sites added to the project’s challenges.

What did we achieve?

HAIRE introduced a new, systemic approach to understanding and responding to the challenges that older adults faced in rural communities – including loneliness and isolation. HAIRE created a toolkit that listened to communities and co-designed innovations with older adults, other local residents, volunteers, local authorities and health and social care providers.

Each community’s interests, preferences and local capabilities formed HAIRE’s innovations. These local innovations provided an inclusive culture that empowered pilot sites to voice and respond to issues.

The HAIRE toolkit in brief

HAIRE’s toolkit consisted of three tools: a Guided Conversation, Social Network Analysis and Neighbourhood Analysis. Users are encouraged to adapt the tools and the way that they are used according to their local circumstances.

All of HAIRE’s tools are designed to be administered in the community and guidance on how to approach training is provided in this Wiki. The use of HAIRE’s tools at a community level fosters a genuinely grass-roots approach to social innovation. The toolkit can bring together local people, local government, key agencies and organisations, and the voluntary sector to innovate in service design and delivery.

Referenties

• Neighbourhood Analysis Guidance, HAIRE, 1 februari 2023.
• Guided Conversations Guidance, University of Exeter, University of Exeter, 23 februari 2023.
• Social Network Analysis Guidance, University of Exeter and University of Plymouth, University of Exeter and University of Plymouth, 23 februari 2023.