Dr Alison Armstrong is a Visiting Research Fellow from the University of Surrey who is currently working as Project Director, at Whiteley Foundation for Ageing Well.
Her work there has unearthed some very encouraging findings on the benefits of almshouse living and now the Almshouse Association has commissioned Alison to undertake research across the whole of the almshouses movement.
In order to do this, we need the help of our members!
Alison writes..
A couple of years ago, one of the trustees of Whiteley Village received a tip-off that there were archived records of past residents in the loft of the Village’s care centre. After a dusty exploration, they were rewarded with a treasure trove of information dating right back to the founding of the Village in 1917.
It was clear to the Trust that this quantity of data could yield some very interesting and useful insights into ageing over the past century – but also that it would require expert analysis. Through a contact of one of the Trustees, Whiteley Homes approached actuarial academics at Cass Business School to ask if they would decipher and analyse the records as part of a joint project (majority funded by The Company of Actuaries Charitable Trust Fund), to explore what insights these data might yield.
Cass Business School agreed and what transpired has confirmed what we always suspected: that residents at Whiteley Village live longer than their compatriots in the general community [1] click here to access Whiteley Village Case Study . This outcome diminishes or even removes the link between socioeconomic group and longevity, whereby lower socioeconomic groups generally live shorter lives.
Almshouse Association member, the Whiteley Homes Trust, has responsibility for Whiteley Village; a purpose-built retirement community, set in 225 acres of beautiful Surrey woodland, featuring a large collection of almshouse properties dating from 1917. There are over 260 cottages, 50 extra-care apartments, and from May 2019 a brand-new care facility with 30 state of the art care suites, which current residents of the Village’s care centre will move into when it opens.
The research findings offer an intriguing insight into the positives of almshouse living. We found that women lived on average 2.7 years longer (and up to 4.9 years longer) compared to the same socioeconomic group in the general population, taking some to having a life expectancy equivalent to the highest socioeconomic group. For men, the effect was more modest, taking Whiteley Village men’s life expectancy to be equivalent to the middle socioeconomic group in society. This still represents a very positive outcome.
Discovering that historically, residents have lived longer than would be expected for their socioeconomic group, has been enormously valuable for raising the profile of the Trust and the Village and in establishing a research foundation to investigate this further.
We have started to ask more considered questions about well-being, ageing and the benefits of almshouse living. One fascinating question that you could help answer is this one – is this longevity gain only a Whiteley Village phenomenon, or does it apply more generally to almshouses? This is a question the Almshouse Association are rightly asking, and if you have an interest in helping us answer it, please click on the link below and fill in the enclosed questionnaire telling us what historic data you hold, so that we can assess whether there is enough comparable information for us to find out.
Dr Alison Armstrong
Project Director, The Whiteley Foundation for Ageing Well
(1) Does living in a retirement village extend life expectancy? The case of Whiteley Village
Les Mayhew, Ben Rickayzen and David Smith www.cass.city.ac.uk
If you able to to help, please click here to fill out our survey.
Alternatively, you can download a printable version and send to the address detailed on the document.
Closing is 31st May 2019. Thank you so much for your help.
Dated: 29 / 04 / 19