VASL column: Exploring JoySpan with VASL Community Champions

This article is part of a regular column by VASL in Market Harborough

On 25th August, clients from the Community Champions project at Voluntary Action South Leicestershire (VASL) came together for a conversation session facilitated by Community Champions volunteer Wendy Aspland.

The session explored the concept of ‘Joyspan’, drawing on the ideas of American gerontologist Dr Kerry Burnight, that explore how we can continue to thrive in later life.  It encouraged clients to think about the difference between lifespan (how long we live), healthspan (how long we remain healthy) and joyspan (how much joy or happiness we experience into older age).

Wendy began the session by asking participants to consider what moments of joy they had experienced in the past week. The group then reflected on what it means to age, including the challenges of getting older, what people have enjoyed about later life, and the messages society gives us about ageing.

Clients reflected that they have felt they become ‘invisible’ as they have aged or feel society views them as ‘too old’ for certain things.

A key message from the session was that our attitudes to ageing matter.  Research suggests that people who feel positively about getting older live, on average, 7.5 years longer than those who view ageing negatively and may experience old age as a time of joy, growth and better health outcomes.

Some of the positive outcomes of ageing that clients expressed included ‘wisdom’, ‘confidence in talking to people’ and ‘no longer caring what people think about me’.

The group explored the four domains of Joyspan: Grow, Connection, Adapt and Give. Grow was described as the determination to keep developing as a person; Connection as fostering existing and new relationships; Adapt as the desire and ability to adjust to life’s inevitable challenges; and Give as the willingness to share yourself for the enrichment of others.

For each domain, clients considered what might get in the way and what joy practices they could try. The discussion showed that joy is not always found in big events. It can be present in learning something new, making or renewing a connection, finding ways through change, helping someone else, sharing memories, or simply being listened to in a safe and welcoming space.

The session closed by asking what had made people glad they came and what questions they still had. By exploring Joyspan together, Community Champions clients were able to celebrate what already supports their wellbeing and consider how to bring more joy into everyday life.

One client reflected: “Joining VASL has been such a good thing: so nice to meet other people and make new friends”.