There are unfair and avoidable differences in health and wellbeing for older people living with frailty, particularly for people from ethnic minority groups. Despite greater need, ethnic minority groups have poorer access to care. This is due to numerous obstacles including a lack of cultural inclusivity, discrimination, language and communication barriers. We must better understand what drives these unjust differences to result in poorer wellbeing – especially for those with many characteristics that combine to result in multiple disadvantages.
Well-being in Later Life in Bradford (WeLL-Bradford) study will gather detailed information on the health and well-being of older people with frailty and caregivers they live with. We will use the detailed information to study care transitions, care needs and care networks, and how these are influenced by characteristics such as age, frailty, gender, socioeconomic factors and ethnicity. We will study how wellbeing changes in later life and how finances, living conditions, and shifting support networks across the life course impact wellbeing. This will help us find out what factors may improve or reduce wellbeing in later life.
Uniquely, WeLL-Bradford will focus on experiences of older people with frailty who experience multiple disadvantages. We want to understand their experiences to find ways to address long-standing unequal opportunities for wellbeing in later life. Importantly, the focus of WeLL-Bradford on older people with frailty will ensure that we include people who are often missed by current national studies.
