Tackling Stigma and Future-Proofing for our Ageing Population
Our ageing population is resulting in many challenges for Scotland, from creating higher pressure on the NHS to finding solutions to help people live in their homes longer. Stigma is a huge barrier to services, exclusion and negative experiences and we need to find solutions, particularly in housing, to remove these barriers where possible.
Professor Vikki McCall is a Professor of Social Policy in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling. She’s joining us at this year’s TPAS Annual Conference to provide some
of the first insights from the Intersectional Stigma of Place-Based Ageing (ISPA) project and explore how housing services can tackle stigma by integrating inclusivity and accessibility.
The ISPA Project is an ambitious 5-year study that will explore and understand how the stigma attached to where people live can intersect with experiences of disability and ageing. The project is a collaboration between the University of Stirling and the University of St Andrews, Newcastle University and University of Bristol, partnered with the Housing Learning and Improvement Network (Housing LIN) and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA).
Vikki’s presentation will explore insights into the lived realities of disabled adults with sensory and mobility impairments, identifying how different types of stigma (related to age, disability and place) converge to produce added barriers to living inclusively. She will explore how these insights can help us generate understandings place-based practical solutions in housing practice for tackling intersectional stigma and inequality via accessible homes and communities.
Make sure you have booked your ticket for this year’s TPAS Annual Conference to hear from Vikki and others exploring ways to improve housing services and tenant engagement across Scotland. Tickets can be purchased by emailing elaine.scoular@tpasscotland.org.uk More information can be found here.
Professor Vikki McCall is a Professor of Social Policy in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Stirling. Vikki’s work includes leading projects focusing on housing, ageing, stigma, co-production the role of front-line workers, service users, volunteers and the policy process. She is Principal Investigator on UK-wide projects including Intersectional Stigma of Place-based Ageing (ISPA) project funded by the ESRC (2022-2027) and Co-I on the UKRI funded Designing homes for healthy cognitive ageing: co-production for impact and scale (DesHCA) project (2020-2024) part of the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge. Vikki is also Creative Director and co-founder of Socialudo, a social enterprise supporting research impact through Serious Gaming, currently working with SCIE, United St Saviour’s Charity and the Housing LIN (funded by the Dunhill Medical Trust) on supporting local housing partnerships in planning for ageing.
Professor McCall teaches the Postgraduate MSc/Diploma of Housing Studies at the University of Stirling and has won the RATE award for excellence in teaching in the Faculty of Social Sciences in 2016, 2019 and 2023. Vikki is Honorary Secretary for the Social Policy Association Executive Committee and Editorial Board member of Social Policy & Society.