Feeling Safe? Feeling Vulnerable? Exploring Older People's Views and Experiences of Safety and Vulnerability in Everyday Life

Abstract

The Feeling Safe project was a collaborative study conducted by researchers at the University of Stirling, in collaboration with Ceartas Advocacy and some of their members who are older people. It was prompted by gaps in our knowledge of older people’s own priorities, meanings and experiences of keeping safe, despite developments in adult protection procedures, policy, legislation and research over the previous two decades. The research questions for the study were: - What do ‘safety’ and ‘vulnerability’ mean to older people living in the community who are supported by health and social care services? How important is safety in their lives? - What resources/sources of support do older people draw on to manage vulnerability and secure safety? What other factors impact on their safety/vulnerability? - How might improvements be made in the ways that older people in the community are able to keep and feel safe? - What might be the best methods of capturing this knowledge?