Committee
Equal Opportunities Committee 16 March 2015
16 Mar 2015 · S4 · Equal Opportunities Committee
Item of business
Age and Social Isolation
Today’s evidence is part of our inquiry into age and social isolation. We are meeting at the Bridge in Easterhouse. I thank the venue for hosting us, and I thank the people who have given up their time to give evidence. I also thank the Presiding Officer for letting the committee be part of the Parliament day in Easterhouse. For those who do not know, the Presiding Officer will hold a public meeting in this room at 5.30 this evening. Before we begin, I will explain what we mean by the term “social isolation”. Social isolation can be defined as an objective measurable state of having minimal contact with other people including family, friends or the wider community. Although it might be possible to measure social isolation, the feelings of loneliness are personal and individual. For some people, it may not be the number of contacts that is important, but the nature of those contacts, including who they are with, the length of time spent having them and the activity involved. We want also to look at social isolation and loneliness in younger people under 25 who have not settled into working or family life, and in older people who might have had changes in their lives through retirement or bereavement. We also want to consider how loneliness and isolation might differ depending on where a person lives. We are in Easterhouse to find out what things are like in a busy urban area. In May we will visit Islay to hear from people in a remote rural location. This morning, John Mason and I visited Food Train to meet a lovely lady in Old Shettleston Road and a couple who live in a top floor flat in Alexandra Parade. We heard about the difference that Food Train makes to their lives. I will start with introductions. We are supported at the table by clerking and research staff, official reporters and broadcasting services and, around the room, by security staff. I welcome everyone in the public gallery—we are delighted that so many people have taken the time to come along this afternoon. My name is Margaret McCulloch. I am the committee’s convener. Members and witnesses are spaced out around the table; I ask everyone to introduce themselves in turn, with witnesses explaining a little about their organisation or project that they are involved in.
In the same item of business
The Convener
Lab
Today’s evidence is part of our inquiry into age and social isolation. We are meeting at the Bridge in Easterhouse. I thank the venue for hosting us, and I t...
Sandra White (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
SNP
Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for coming along. I am the deputy convener and MSP for Glasgow Kelvin. I should perhaps declare an interest: I used t...
John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Ind)
Ind
Feasgar math. Good afternoon. I am an MSP for the Highlands and Islands.
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (SNP)
SNP
I am the MSP for Glasgow Shettleston. I cover the other side of Edinburgh Road from Easterhouse, so I do not cover this area. I declare an interest: I am a...
Michelle McCrindle (Food Train)
Good afternoon. Thank you very much for the invitation to come along. I am the chief executive of Food Train, which is a Scottish national charity that suppo...
Chris Kerr (FARE)
I work for FARE, which is based in Easterhouse and works all over the north-east of Glasgow. We deliver services for toddlers right up to senior citizens. We...
Sandra Stuart (Glasgow Disability Alliance)
I am from Glasgow Disability Alliance, which is a disabled persons-led organisation. We run courses, programmes and workshops for disabled people.
Pauline Smith (Connect Community Trust)
I am the chief executive of Connect Community Trust. We operate in the greater Easterhouse area four community facilities for young people, the elderly, adul...
Stephen McLellan (RAMH)
I am the chief executive of RAMH—Recovery Across Mental Health—which is based in Paisley. We support about 4,000 people per year across the spectrum of menta...
Annabel Goldie
Con
I am a member of the Scottish Parliament for West Scotland.
Christian Allard (North East Scotland) (SNP)
SNP
Good afternoon. I am a member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland.
Ruth McGill (Clerk)
I am clerk to the Equal Opportunities Committee.
Ailsa Burn-Murdoch (Clerk)
I am assistant clerk to the committee.
The Convener
Lab
We will start with questions from Christian Allard on causes of social isolation.
Christian Allard
SNP
I thank the witnesses very much for coming. In our inquiry so far we have heard a lot about the impact of social isolation and loneliness. We would like to k...
The Convener
Lab
If anyone would like to speak, they should indicate that to me or the clerk on my left. If no one asks to speak, I will just have to pick someone.
Pauline Smith
Over the three years for which we have run the people’s gateway project our experience has been that there is a social aspect to employability; people come t...
Michelle McCrindle
I will say a little bit about how volunteering can be useful to people who are isolated. Over the 20 years during which Food Train has been in operation, l...
Chris Kerr
One of the issues that we face in relation to employment is predominantly among young men. Easterhouse has a history of gang violence; many young men have be...
Stephen McLellan
There is an enhanced likelihood of someone being unemployed as a consequence of mental illness. If someone has a job, they may or may not like it, but at lea...
Christian Allard
SNP
It is interesting to hear that, especially with regard to the effect of loneliness and social isolation on people who perhaps did not at first have a problem...
Stephen McLellan
In general, yes we have, but regardless of whether someone has been diagnosed as having mental illness, the things that will ultimately get to them are lonel...
Christian Allard
SNP
Have people who have been on medication and been isolated got a lot better when your services have become involved—perhaps even to the extent that they no lo...
Stephen McLellan
I suspect that what our services all have in common is that they provide a focus; we provide community of some description and human companionship, whether t...
Sandra Stuart
Employability is a huge issue for young disabled people, and their being unemployed leads to increased isolation. We have found that young disabled people mi...
Pauline Smith
On people coming off or reducing their medication and employability, we have evidence that employment can reduce stress. We have in the past worked with peop...
The Convener
Lab
On that point, I will throw a question out to the witnesses. If general practitioners were more aware of the causes of isolation when people came to see them...
Michelle McCrindle
It is not only about GPs; all health and social work professionals need to think about the person much more holistically. An older person presenting with an ...
Christian Allard
SNP
Has the third sector perhaps been guilty of labelling people too fast as having one particular problem—a drug problem, an alcohol problem, a health problem o...
Pauline Smith
I would completely disagree with that. The third sector is based in communities and can build support from the heart of those communities in order to support...