Informal conversational strategies to talk about loneliness and isolation

The Good Practice Mentor team invite you to join them for a practical workshop session, exploring informal conversational strategies to talk about loneliness, isolation and capture insight from older people less likely to access formal groups, activities, services and support.   

Based on a proactive outreach approach to finding and engaging older people out in the community – including on the streets and on the doorstep, this session will introduce you to practical conversational strategies and what questions to ask, to gain a picture of an older person's social world and connections. We’ll also discuss how the approach can be adapted as a tool for social action research, to inform community building and to provide a ‘nudge’ towards participation.    

During the workshop you’ll hear about:  

• The value of weak social ties and informal feeling conversations - making the most of your interaction

• Key conversational indicators of loneliness and isolation and how to respond  

• Using a light-touch conversational approach to build rapport and to ask the older person about their social world and connections and how they would like to connect with others  

• How to provide a ‘nudge’ towards participation and community connection  

• Effective tools and techniques to informally manage the interaction including bringing conversations to a positive close

• Adapting the approach for social action research to capture insight from the older people you are less likely to meet in other settings