Your invitation to join the Ageing Better Experts by Experience Network

About the Centre for Ageing Better

We believe everyone has the right to a good life as they get older, and we want to inspire and inform those in power to address the inequalities faced by older people so that more people experience good health, are treated fairly and with respect and experience financial security.

To achieve these outcomes, we focus on three main areas of activity including challenging ageism and building an Age-friendly Movement, creating Age-friendly Employment, and Age-friendly Homes.

Who is invited to join the Ageing Better Experts by Experience Network?

Like you, the other members of the network have all been invited to join because of work we have already done together.

Your unique knowledge and perspective, gained through personal experiences, can greatly enhance our work and the network helps us stay connected beyond anything you might have recently been involved in.

You can expect to meet people who have drawn on or shared their personal experiences with us either as part of a research project, by taking part in a photo shoot, joining a community conversation, testing ideas for services we have developed, sharing personal stories on our website, or even designing and influencing new ways for Ageing Better to work.

What is an expert by experience?

An expert by experience is a term used widely by the charity sector to describe a person who has knowledge of a particular issue, drawn from their own personal experience.

Our aim is for your lived and living experience (past and current personal experiences) to complement the professional knowledge of our staff. This will enhance our understanding of what it means to age well, and influence how we talk about inequalities and ageing. Bringing professional and lived expertise together ensures solutions to inequalities in ageing are grounded in real world experiences.

What to expect

We regularly invite network members to join online discussions to share ideas and knowledge and we ask you to take part in at least one session per year.

In the past, these informal 90-minute conversations have covered issues like the cost of living crisis, gathered feedback on advertising campaigns and explored what ‘Age-friendly’ means in relation to where we live.

We also have a calendar of other optional activities which include:

Quarterly member- led online get-togethers
Quarterly online spotlight sessions led by Ageing Better staff to keep you updated about our work
Occasional in-person meetings to connect with other members

In addition to our regular activities, there are occasional opportunities to speak to journalists, join working groups, participate in research, take part in filming or photoshoots or join our campaigning efforts.

Practicalities

This is primarily an online group and we keep in touch via email, meaning you will need:

Access to an internet connection
Use of an internet-enabled device with a video camera
An email address

Discussion groups and most of our other activities take place online using Zoom. Confidence or experience using Zoom isn’t necessary as we can help you with that.

All opportunities are shared in a monthly email, exclusively to network members and you can choose what to get involved in, depending on your interests and availability.

Being a network member doesn’t mean you have to tell us everything about your personal experiences but instead we ask you to draw on those experiences to share your knowledge and we will support you to maintain comfortable boundaries.

We don’t pay you to be part of the network but if you take part in activities that last longer than an hour and ask you to draw on your lived experience, we pay you for your time. We have fixed payment rates and will share the details and how much you can expect to be paid each time we advertise an activity. If you don’t wish to be paid, you are still welcome to be part of the network.

Next steps

If you’re interested in what you’ve learnt about the role so far, complete our online joining form to accept our invitation

This membership form to accept our invitation should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and works great on computers, tablets and smartphones. Once you’re finished, our Voice team will get your details and be in touch within seven days. They’ll welcome you to the network and make sure you have all the information you need.

If you have any questions about network membership, you can get in touch [email protected]

Your invitation to join the Ageing Better Experts by Experience Network

This opportunity is for you if:

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