title: Evaluating the delivery, impact, costs and benefits of an active lives programme for older people living in the community.
abstract: Aim Age UK Lancashire received Big Lottery funding to deliver an active lives programme from January 2012 to December 2014 to the population of West Lancashire aged over 50 years. The overall aims of the associated evaluation were to measure older people's experiences of participating in the programme, identify the impacts on their health and well-being and their suggestions for services development, and establish the costs and benefits of the programme.
  
  
  
  The World Health Organisation recommends older people should be able to achieve physical, social and mental well-being throughout their lives, and that international, national and local policies should be developed to support older adults, promote their independence and well-being, and encourage physical exercise. Consequently, the West Lancashire programme was to establish preventative community support for older people to assist in improving their well-being and physical and mental health, particularly those isolated due to age-related illness or disability. It was to provide interventions not available from local social care providers.
  
  
  
  A mixed methods approach was adopted, with the qualitative evaluation utilising focus groups to establish people's experiences, identify impacts on their health and well-being, and suggestions for services development. This paper describes the quantitative evaluation, which involved three surveys and a costs analysis. The surveys were scheduled to give timely feedback to management about programme delivery and content, and overall benefits of participation. Findings The active lives programme and groups offered a wide range of flexible and local activities that provided benefits for older people in terms of health and well-being, social well-being and quality of life, and reducing social isolation. There was interconnectivity between these benefits. The programme was delivered in an affordable and flexible manner. Such programmes should be made more widely available.
authors.affiliation: 1Visiting Professor,Liverpool Business School,Liverpool John Moores University,Liverpool,UK.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gandy
authors.affiliation: 3Senior Lecturer Adult Nursing, Faculty of Health and Social Care,Edge Hill University,Ormskirk,UK.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.affiliation: 4Reader in Educational Technology,Research Forum Chair,Liverpool Business School,Liverpool John Moores University,Liverpool,UK.
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.affiliation: 5Professor of Health Research,Evidence-Based Practice Research Centre, Faculty of Health & Social Care,Edge Hill University,Ormskirk,UK.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: active ageing; costs analysis; older people; quality of life; social isolation