Social capital has previously been reviewed in relation to mental health. However, none have focused specifically on positive aspects of mental health such as mental well-being. This review aimed to explore the relationship between social capital and mental well-being in older people. Ten relevant databases were systematically searched using an extensive search strategy for studies, analyzing the link between social capital and mental well-being. Criteria for inclusion in the systematic review were: the study sample included older people (≥50 years); the study reported a mental well-being outcome; social capital was an exposure variable; and empirical research using quantitative methods and published in English, between January 1990 and September 2011. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Each study was assessed against seven possible exposure measures (structural, cognitive; bonding, bridging, linking; individual, collective). The results showed that all included studies found positive associations between parts of social capital and aspects of mental well-being. Typically, the relationship between social capital and mental well-being differed within as well as between studies. Our results highlight that there is no 'gold standard' of how to measure social capital or mental well-being. Social capital is generated in the interaction between individual and collective life. A possibility for future research is therefore to follow Bronfenbrenner's classical division into macro, meso, and micro levels. We consider family and friends at the micro level to be the key factors in generating social capital and well-being in older people.

This paper reports and critically discusses, against the literature on culturally sensitive and cultural competency practices, the findings of a qualitative study which explored the needs and expectations of older people and their carers from eight different migrant communities and the White British majority. The study investigated the accessibility and acceptability of care and support services in Bradford, UK, a city with a large migrant population. A total of 167 study participants were recruited from February 2008 to October 2008; of these 134 were older people and 33 carers. The age ranged from 25 to 90 years. The study found that older migrants and their carers described expectations of services as complex constructions of "abstract expectations", the study participants" general beliefs regarding what services should be about, and "pragmatic expectations", their specific views about how they would like to receive care and access services. All groups, irrespective of their ethnic background, expressed three "abstract expectations": high standards of good practice; cultural understanding; responsiveness to individual expectations. This similarity did not imply a similarity in their preferences for how services should provide for their "abstract expectations". Dignity was a central expectation for all older people in the care of their bodies. However, a number of culturally specific "pragmatic expectations" emerged in the Gianfranco Giuntoli and Mima Cattan 2 practices that older people and carers associated with maintaining dignity in older age. Nevertheless, differences could not always be explained as an outcome of different cultural backgrounds, but were rather linked to individual characteristics and life experiences. This study indicates that whether and how older migrants" knowledge systems inform their expectations of care and support should be object of investigation rather than taken for granted, as implied in some literature on culturally sensitive practices. Exploration of older migrants" knowledge systems may help us to understand if older migrants" expectations differ with regard to what they expect to receive from a certain service, their "abstract expectations", and/or how they expect to receive it, their "pragmatic expectations". This Keywords: cultural competency; cultural sensitivity; older migrants; elderly care; emotional needs IntroductionIn recent years, research has shown a rapid growth in the number of migrants ageing in Europe, with higher rates of increase in the middle-old and oldest-old age groups (Fenton, 1987, Blakemore 1999, White 2006. Despite some variations in countries and migrant communities (White 2006), this phenomenon is common to the five types of older international migrants identified in the literature: older forced migrants, European labour The purpose of this article is to explore these latter issues and their relevance for culturally sensitive practices. It does so by describing and discussing the findings from a study which set out to explore commonalities and ...

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Asset-based approaches seek to identify and mobilise the personal, social and organisational resources available to communities. Asset mapping is a recognised method of gathering an inventory of neighbourhood assets and is underpinned by a fundamentally different logic to traditional needs assessments. The aim of this paper is to explore how asset mapping might be used as a tool for health improvement. It reports on a qualitative evaluation of a pilot asset mapping project carried out in two economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Sheffield, UK. The project involved community health champions working with two community organisations to identify assets linked to the health and wellbeing of their neighbourhoods. The evaluation was undertaken in 2012 after mapping activities had been completed. A qualitative design, using theory of change methodology, was used to explore assumptions between activities, mechanisms and outcomes. Semi structured interviews were undertaken with a purposive sample of 11 stakeholders including champions, community staff and strategic partners. Thematic analysis was used and themes were identified on the process of asset mapping, the role of champions and the early outcomes for neighbourhoods and services. Findings showed that asset mapping was developmental and understandings grew as participatory activities were planned and implemented. The role of the champions was limited by numbers involved, nonetheless meaningful engagement occurred with residents which led to personal and social resources being identified. Most early outcomes were focused on the lead community organisations. There was less evidence of results feeding into wider planning processes because of the requirements for more quantifiable information. The paper discusses the importance of relational aspects of asset mapping both within communities and between communities and services. The conclusions are that it is insufficient to switch from the logic of needs to assets without building asset mapping as part of a broader planning process.

This article reports the findings of a mixed-methods evaluation study on the impact of a national fund to support volunteering as a mechanism to achieve health and social goals, within the Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund (HSCVF) programme, established by the formerly named Department of Health (now the Department of Health and Social Care). The article adds understanding of the mechanisms through which government organisations can build voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisational capacity to support volunteers. First, the programme increased capacity via resource mobilisation to enhance volunteer recruitment; second, it strengthened VCSE organisations through partnerships/linkages/networking; and finally, it supported learning and skills development. The HSCVF impacted on both volunteering projects and host organisations to produce a range of positive outcomes that were particularly marked in smaller organisations: ‘small project, big difference’. Successful community capacity building can result from programmes such as HSCVF, with this article contributing to the evidence base by detailing the processes through which this occurred.

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