Introduction
In June 2010 the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (the Arts Council) appointed Wallace Consulting to design an evaluation framework and undertake an ongoing evaluation of the Arts and Older People Programme (AOP, the programme) throughout its lifetime.
This document provides an overview of progress towards the AOP’s aims and outcomes as reflected in its Logic Model at Interim stage. It summarises recent research and policy developments and presents an analysis of the work conducted to date. The implications for programme development are also discussed.
Rationale for the Evaluation
Northern Ireland’s population is ageing and older people are accounting for a greater proportion of the population. Falling birth rates, increased life expectancy and better health are the main factors in this trend that now sees 31% of our population aged over 50 and 19% aged over 60 years. Population projections indicate that 44% of the population could be over the age of 50 by 2058.
Certain aspects of health and wellbeing decrease as people get older, in particular general health and the prevalence of long standing illnesses increases. In particular, the number of people suffering from dementia is predicted to rise substantially over the next fifty years.
Research by Help the Aged in 2007 (now Age NI) revealed that 21% of people in Northern Ireland aged 65 years and over, feel lonely often or always. Sixteen percent do not leave their homes more than once a week and 7% never leave their homes. However those who participated in arts activities reported improvements in overall mood and confidence.1
Despite identified perceptual and practical barriers to arts engagement, there is a wide range of research relating to the benefits of the arts for older people. For example, the arts have an important role to play in helping older people find their voice, providing the tools to express the issues which affect them on a day to day basis, such as poverty, isolation, loneliness and mental illness.
The evaluation of the AOP will be used to highlight and raise awareness of social justice issues, to inform any future programme and to establish success relative to its outcome indicators.
http://www.artscouncil-ni.org/departs/strategy/reports/schemes/aop_interim_report_jan_2012.pdf