Helping shape healthy ageing research in Lincolnshire

Earlier this month, Paul attended a Healthy Ageing Event on behalf of LVET at the University of Lincoln, organised by Professor Nikki Adams, Director of Research at Lincoln Medical School.

The event brought together people from across health, care, research and community settings to explore how locally driven, grassroots research could better support Lincolnshire’s older population. The aim was to begin shaping research questions that are not only important, but also targeted, practical and rooted in the realities of people’s lives.

Before the event, we asked LVET members what they felt were the most important questions to ask about healthy ageing in Lincolnshire. The responses gave a powerful insight into the issues being seen and felt across communities. Members raised themes including:

• Access to services – transport, rurality, digital, hidden costs
• Ageism and bias resulting in misdiagnosis and subsequent reduction in quality of life (especially in relation to women)
• Intergenerational initiatives for health
• Health impacts of staying in one’s own home (rather than going into care) – loneliness
• Effective use of technology – virtual wards, virtual friends, virtual peer support networks and access to information to support condition management
• Increasing confidence and motivation to engage in activities (protective factors)
• Making the most of health and social care through community spaces and activity (including nature based activities and small scale, local and personalised activity in non-clinical spaces)
• Impact of loss of/ reduction of face to face services
• Ageing carers

What stood out was how strongly the responses reflected the wider determinants of health. Healthy ageing is not just about clinical care or managing specific conditions. It is also about confidence, connection, independence, access, relationships, housing, transport, meaningful activity and the ability to remain part of community life.

At the event, it was clear that colleagues at Lincoln Medical School are exploring a number of areas linked to healthy ageing, including dementia, Parkinson’s, falls prevention, cardiac rehabilitation and approaches that may help prevent people’s health from declining. Some of these priorities connect closely with the issues raised by LVET members. Others may need further conversation to understand where the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sector can add value or help shape future work.

That feels important. Research works best when it is not done to communities, but with them.

One of the conversations Paul was part of began to explore what a research question around intergenerational activity might look like, particularly in relation to isolation, loneliness and mental health. This is exactly the kind of area where VCFSE organisations have so much insight to offer. Across Lincolnshire, community groups are already creating spaces where people build relationships, stay active, share skills, access support and feel seen. That experience matters.

There are also growing opportunities for VCFSE organisations to be involved in research from the very beginning — helping to shape questions, design approaches, reach communities, take part in studies and share learning. This is not just about organisations being the subject of research. It is about recognising them as active partners and co-researchers.

Alongside this, Paul has also recently met with colleagues at Lincoln Business School who are interested in how VCFSE organisations operate, how they form, how they adapt, and what helps them to become sustainable. Their interest in organisational stories connects closely with LVET’s belief in the value of lived experience, community knowledge and the stories behind the work.

At LVET, we lead the Lincolnshire Research Network and are passionate about increasing the number of under-represented groups taking part in health and social care research. We want to make sure that research in Lincolnshire reflects the diversity, complexity and strengths of our communities.

We have also worked with partners to develop a Research Charter and a Community Research Tool, designed to support better relationships between researchers and communities. These resources aim to help community groups feel more informed, more confident and more empowered when engaging with research.

The Healthy Ageing Event was a positive step in building those connections. It helped open up conversations about where research priorities align, where further work may be needed and how the VCFSE sector can continue to play an active role in shaping research that is relevant, respectful and useful.

Thank you to everyone who shared a question or theme with us. Your insight helped bring community voice into the room and will continue to shape the conversations we have next.

If your organisation is interested in getting involved in research, sharing community insight, or finding out more about the Research Engagement Network, please get in touch with LVET here hello@lvet.org.