OPRSI is a co-operative consortium registered as a Private Limited Company and was created by a group of older people. The founder members studied for the Certificate in Research Methods on a course sponsored jointly by the University of Lancaster and the charity Counsel and Care. The course included participation in a research project, published in 2003 under the title ’Homing in on Housing: a study of Housing Decisions of People aged over 60’.

Collectively, members have a considerable amount of experience which is growing all the time, following work in collaboration with other professional and academic researchers. They have been involved nationally in workshops in health and research development at the invitation of Shaping our Lives, SOLNUN and INVOLVE, and have previously completed a Knowledge Review Assessment at the request of SCIE. Within the last 2 years workshops were designed and held and reported on in association with Effective Partnerships, as part of a commission by Ayrshire Councils, Ayrshire & Arran NHS, and the Ayrshire & Arran Alcohol and Drug Action Team and in the commission by Cumbria Social Services Dept. where the team ascertained the outcomes of the Homecare Re-enablement service and the Generic Homecare Service. We have also prevsiouly completed a one year project for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on ‘Older People as Researchers’ and a further project for the same Foundation on ‘Unmet Need for Low Level Support’.

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