HMR Circle has one of the highest response rates in the world

Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Circle

3 More Image(s) In Gallery

Scroll down for Video

HMR (Heywood Middleton and Rochdale) Circle, which specialises in helping older people socialise and stay active in later life to avoid mental deterioration, has one of the highest response rates in the world, according to a recent project.

A worldwide database was compiled by Innovage, with 150 exemplar social innovation projects in this field. HMR Circle came out as one of those exemplars and was rated as having the highest response rate of all the projects contacted. The local project stood out especially for its dedication to keeping older people interactive, which it is believed prevents mental illnesses developing such as dementia.

HMR Circle has been looking into the positive effects of older people socialising and how a happy and interactive life can lead to less mental illnesses, including dementia, as it has been scientifically supported that an active mind and social engagements in particular can prevent dementia and dementia-related illnesses in later life.

Mark Wynn, who works for HMR Circle, said that the project is “pioneering in the home of the pioneers”. He added: “It can be anything from a coffee to a day trip in Manchester taking a look around the town hall. What matters is that older people who aren’t getting out much have the chance to engage on social activity.

“We run a tight ship here and without central funding it unfortunately isn’t a sustainable ship that we can keep up forever, so in honesty we are hoping for some help. Until then we just want to keep going what we do, and that’s help older people to stay happy and stay healthy.”