Sustaining older people's mental well-being: social prescribing and the benefits of a film club.

Abstract

In December 2020 the United Nations launched the Decade of Healthy Ageing initiative, a global collaboration led by the World Health Organization which spans the years 2021-2030. It was designed to change how people think, feel about and act towards age and ageing, and to ensure that communities foster the abilities of older people. However, there is still a need to ascertain how best to arrange support in a way that redefines what it means to age well. Moreover, work remains to be done on finding resource-viable interventions that could improve the resilience of older people as they age, enriching their cognitive reserve. This article discusses how social prescribing interventions may assist people to age well, and draws on a reflective case study to highlight how collaborative action via a film club might empower older people to sustain their mental well-being.