Case Study for All Stars project
Introduction: Advocacy for All's All Stars have been helping people with Learning Disabilities (LD) choose healthier and more active lives. With the support of enthusiastic volunteers, our weekly All Stars activity sessions have engaged around 15 people with LD each week in a range of fun activities that they choose and decide, from games to indoor sports like badminton, to accessible exercise lessons.
Those attending loved the activities, have become more confident through gaining a voice, more confident with exercise and improved their fitness. We also supported a cooking group of eight people to plan their meals, get out and about shopping, buy healthy food, manage their money, and then get together to cook delicious, healthy meals, whilst having great fun together. This
group is working hard to create a healthy eating cookbook resource to help others with LD. Why this project was needed. Reports show that on average, people with LD have worse health than people without LD (Emerson et al, 2011), and also on average live shorter lives (e.g. the Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with learning disabilities (CIPOLD) shows women with LD live 20 years less, and men 13 years less than the general population). Although often linked to secondary disabilities or conditions, poor health outcomes in people with LD are also linked to access to health and social care services, as well as lifestyle factors.
Mencap also report that having an active social life can help people with LD feel happier, included and valued (Chadwick et al. 2014, Mason et al. 2013). As in the general population, loneliness is also associated with health risks such as depression and stress amongst people with LD (Lunsky 2003, 2004, Heiman 2001), yet people with LD have fewer friends and social connections and face a number of barriers to having a social life, forming and maintaining friendships.
How we developed the project with ÂŁ50,000 of funding: This funding took the All Stars work to the next level, extending the benefits to include many more people with LD and helping them make good choices to eat healthily and live active lives. We involved more people in exercise and fun activity sessions,
gathered more people together to learn how to cook delicious healthy meals, create and promote more accessible exercise videos and build upon the website bursting with great ideas, guidance, and accessible information.
We helped people with LD gain greater confidence, bigger voices and empowered them to lead. With additional resources we directly supported and empowered people with LD to gradually lead their own additional weekly activity sessions, to run more cooking classes for friends, family and the wider community, to plan meals, shop and cook together, and also run fun activities such as ‘Come Dine with Me’ or community cooking events. Helping people to support their peers will build the groups long-term sustainability.
Peer supporters also lead the development of the healthy living website, to create a well-used, accessible resource with freely available exercise videos, the accessible cookbook and other information to encourage more people to live healthily and take part wherever they can.
How we involved our community and bring people together: * With additional resources, empowering peer supporters and creating an updated, healthy living website, we brought more people together, increasing their confidence with exercise, cooking together and eating healthily. By both directly supporting groups and helping peers to run existing and new groups and activities, we widened engagement, involved more people from among their networks of friends, family, local communities and also running activities in residential and community settings in their areas. Activities brought people together, including cooking
lessons, fun exercise and activity sessions and events such as an All Stars ‘Come Dine with Us.
CLICK HERE FOR OUR 'COME DINE WITH US' VIDEO
The All Stars project empowered people with Learning Disabilities (LD), developing their confidence, ability to speak, supporting them to live healthier and more active lives and help overcome the range of health and other inequalities experienced. Our activities gave people confidence to exercise, improve their fitness, as well as opportunities to learn new skills, confidence to travel and shop, manage their money and cook healthy meals, whilst meeting new people, increasing opportunities to engage with the wider community and have fun in social settings.
The project helped people with LD be more confident to speak up, and understand the level of service they should expect and are entitled to receive from health and care services, and should not settle for second best or second rate services, opportunities and access in these areas.
We increased the involvement of people with LD in South and Southeast London by making our promotional materials and information accessible in Easy Read, available online and information held at a wider range of facilities, with local partners and providers. We will develop a website full of accessible, useful information to encourage and support healthy living for people with LD and use social media format, our links with partners, other local groups and services, to develop and promote the activities, the healthy eating cookbook and keep fit videos and thereby ensuring many more people benefit. CLICK HERE FOR OUR 'KEEP FIT VIDEO'