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Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Event

Overview 

On May 15, 2024, the ATTAIN Network hosted the ‘A community in conversation: Have you say in healthy ageing in Scotland’ knowledge exchange workshop. The event brought together a range of stakeholders to share insights, discuss challenges, and collaborate on strategies for fostering healthy ageing. 

Glasgow event

Community Perspectives 
Throughout the day, various community perspectives were shared, highlighting real-world experiences and initiatives: 

Weekday WOW Factor (WOW) specializes in improving lives through innovative, health-focused programs designed to keep individuals active, connected, independent, and safe within their homes and communities. Their WOW events promote well-being and disease prevention by encouraging socializing, shared meals, and personal challenges, fostering a sense of belonging and self-awareness. These activities help participants, known as ‘Wowers’, stay well and prevent diseases linked to inactive and disconnected lifestyles, such as certain types of dementia. With over 20 years of occupational therapy experience within NHS Scotland, Weekday WOW Factor is committed to creating healthy, engaging, and creative forums for people to learn about themselves, challenge their abilities, and engage in new experiences. 

Glasgow Life is a charity dedicated to benefiting everyone in the city by improving mental and physical wellbeing through culture and sport. They support Glasgow’s visitor economy and enhance its reputation as a great place to live, work, learn, and visit. Their mission is to inspire people to become engaged and active in a city globally renowned for culture and sport, finding innovative ways to make this happen across Glasgow’s diverse communities. Their programs, whether co-locating libraries, museums, and sports centres or hosting international events like the UCI World Cycling Championships, promote inclusion, happiness, and health while supporting the city's visitor economy. Many of their experiences are free, bringing value and meaning to people's lives, enhancing mental, physical, and economic wellbeing. They are committed to the transformative power of culture and sport ensuring everyone can experience their life-changing benefits. 

ROAR: Connections for life  - https://roarforlife.org/ 

ROAR is dedicated to empowering older adults in Renfrewshire through a holistic approach to well-being. With over a decade of experience, their highly skilled team offers a wide range of services aimed at combating loneliness, social isolation, and falls prevention among older individuals. By providing personalized support, education, and companionship, they strive to enhance the physical and mental abilities of older adults, enabling them to stay active, independent, and in charge of their lives. Through their compassionate and understanding approach, ROAR is helping transform the lives of older people, fostering social connections, promoting physical activity, and ensuring a vibrant and fulfilling aging experience for all. 

Interactive Workshops 
Three main workshops facilitated in-depth discussions and collaborative activities: 

Interactive sessions

Workshop 1: What is happening to promote PA to older adults in our Scottish communities?  Where are the gaps?   

Workshop 2: How do we engage with communities to promote PA and reduce inequalities?   

Workshop 3: What are the key priorities for promoting PA and reducing inequalities? What should ATTAIN focus on?  

Conclusion:

This fourth and final ATTAIN workshop was a significant step towards shaping ideas for the development of future initiatives and enhancing existing collaborations with a clear focus on promoting healthy aging and reducing inequalities. The learnings from all four workshops will enable ATTAIN to design the Sandpit event in Autumn 2024 where key projects will be identified and grant applications will be developed for submission to future UKRI calls, aligning with ATTAIN's  aims and objectives.