This working paper is about engaging with older people around the development of community services. It sets out to do three things: make a case for engaging with older people to find out about their lives and the support they may require as they become ill or frail and to develop services in line with their experience and aspirations; describe an approach to engaging with older people which may be helpful to groups of older people and professionals (an approach based on some pilot work carried out in Kirkby, Merseyside); and suggest lessons from the experience in Kirby, and thoughts about how this approach might be developed in the future.