Today is the 36th United Nations International Day of Older People. The day serves to raise awareness and mobilise action on the issues faced by ageing populations. As a charitable foundation focused entirely on supporting the research and social innovation needed for ageing well, this awareness day is something we at the Vivensa Foundation can really get behind – today and every day.
This year’s theme of ‘What’s on your doorstep?’ is about celebrating the people, places and services that help us to stay active and connected in our communities. What’s available on our doorstep – from healthcare to social groups – can influence how we age. But not everyone has easy access to these things. Finances, poor transport links, ill health and a lack of local services can all create barriers. This is particularly the case for older people living in rural and underserved communities.
Here are just three of the ways in which we’re supporting older people. These include social investments, funding research and partnering on transformational projects.
Hip-hopping to health and happiness
We invested in The Blair Academy from our social investment fund. It’s a social enterprise that supports happy, healthy ageing through hip-hop dance classes. What started in 2019 with a weekly chair-based hip-hop class in an East London care home, has expanded to over 30 locations across London. Classes run in care homes, day centres and community settings. It’s not just improving the physical and mental health of older people but bringing joy and connection to their lives too.
As founder Charlie Blair says: “Too often, ageing is associated with limitation, but creativity, self-expression, rhythm and fun don’t disappear with age. When we create spaces where older people can move, laugh, connect and feel seen, the impact goes far beyond physical well-being.”
Helping care home residents’ access better glaucoma care
By 2050, 1m people will live in UK care homes. One in ten will have glaucoma, an eye disease that can cause irreversible blindness but is treatable with regular, lifelong hospital appointments. Yet many older care home residents struggle to attend these appointments.
That’s why we are funding Dr Pete Jones from City St George’s, University of London, to evaluate the feasibility of performing glaucoma assessments directly within care homes. He’s working in collaboration with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. These in-home assessments have already proven effective for other eye conditions such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. They have resulted in a better patient experience, faster assessments, fewer follow-up appointments and reduced costs. However, glaucoma still remains difficult to assess outside of hospitals.
Pete’s long-term goal is to develop more efficient and effective methods of glaucoma management. By bringing care into homes, glaucoma monitoring will be more frequent, more convenient and will reduce the strain on overstretched hospital services.
Creating better housing for an ageing population
Our homes, neighbourhoods and the local services on our doorstep can help us stay independent, connected and well as we age. Through our five-year SHAPE (Suitable Housing for our Ageing Population Evidence in action) Exchange partnership with the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN), we are bringing together older people and organisations across housing, health, care and community support to create more age-friendly homes and places.
The programme aligns with national priorities including the Older People’s Housing Taskforce, the NHS Neighbourhood Health Guidelines, and adult social care transformation. National research by IPSOS and Housing LIN shows that most people aged 50+ want to remain in their own homes with the right adaptations and support, while others seek better mainstream and specialist housing options. The UK’s current housing supply doesn’t meet their needs.
Later this month we will launch the SHAPE Challenge Fund. At least £3m will be available over three years to turn evidence about better housing for an ageing population into practical action. We are looking for meaningful improvements to the quality and provision of age-friendly, technology-enabled housing and places at a locality level. In addition, we want to support services that help independence and facilitate better care at home. We will launch the fund at Housing LIN’s HAPPI Hour webinar on 27 October, which you can register for here.
Turning ideas into action
We want everyone to have the opportunity to age well. We will continue to invest in the people, projects and partnerships that can help us to fulfil this mission.
#IDOP2026
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To find out more about what we do and who we support, take a look at our Strategic Framework for 2025-30. You can view our current funding opportunities and application deadlines here.
