Archive

Over the years my work has changed - partly as my life's changed, and partly as a result of taking chances (where that's been possible) to explore different ideas.

This page summarises the work I used to do.

Under the headings below I've added 'health, care and housing', because that's very much been the focus of much of my work: explaining, exploring, informing, rebutting, and trying to influence the English systems of adult social care, family care, housing for later life, disability-related housing, NHS ongoing (continuing) care, and other NHS services - with, for, and alongside those who were involved in this, in all ways. In other words - all things care, all things health, and all things housing, as experienced by and as needed (especially) for people at later stages in their lives and for younger disabled people.

But the purpose of these systems and services has, to me, always been about providing each of us with the  support, if needed, to go about our lives. Life is never just about health, care, and housing. Nor should it be.

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Social Policy -
health, care, and housing

Social policy means what governments and other organisations/people can do to meet human need, across the world. 'Human need' means things like security, education, work, health and well being. It's never just one thing - it's many things in your own life that become intertwined with and affected by local, regional, national and global matters, like population growth, climate change, and poverty.

My work in social policy included funding for care, family care dynamics, the future care of older men, and age discrimination within social care. One area I haven't pursued in detail, but still interests me, is the effect of two major things happening at the same time - climate change, and the ageing of the population.

Information -
health, care, and housing

A friend once tried to work out how many people I'd given information to, about having a good life when that also ends up involving health care, social care, and housing systems and services. She gave up at 500,000! Which sounds like a ridiculously large number, but I did start a very long time ago (!), a lot of the people I gave information to then shared it with others - and it might help to know that, in one year alone, one of the (many) factsheets I have written was requested by over 10,000 people.

Information has been shared in lots of ways over the years - through written factsheets, web pages, letters, and emails, as well as private chats in person, phone calls, articles, books, in-person seminars and talks, and (online, of course!) webinars.

Training -
health, care, and housing

This photo is from 2013 - lecturing to MSC Geronotology students at Southampton University. Over the years I've trained postgraduate students; solicitors; barristers; social workers; mental health workers; NHS staff; housing workers; occupational therapists; social care workers; managers; commissioners; information and advice workers. In other words, people working across the voluntary, charity, private, and public sectors, at all levels.

People who come to training sessions get asked for feedback. But, if you are ever on a course, do be aware that trainers know who's really paying attention, which organisations they'd love to work with again, and which one of of you has been a total pain in the proverbial. Just so you know :-)