Blog: 'Physical activity can change the world for older people'

The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) website features a blog post every Friday through the year.

October's theme is older disabled people, with the first of the month being the United Nation's International Day of Older Persons.

Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day. Physical activity can have numerous benefits on everyone's lifestyle, including our mental wellbeing. This week, Sean Smith and Hannah Luckie, Physical Activity Project Workers at Age UK, discuss the success of two national physical activity projects.

Sean and Hannah’s blog:

In the Health and Wellbeing team at Age UK, we truly believe that physical activity can change the world for older people; the benefits go far beyond the health impacts.

The Government’s paper Moving More, Living More found that “physically active people are happier and more satisfied with life.”

With World Mental Health Day 2015 tomorrow, it is important to recognise that exercising can also improve people’s mood and outlook on life.

For older people, loneliness can be a killer, so we place as much emphasis on people having fun in a social and friendly environment as the physical benefit itself.

One Get Going Together participant told us:

“It makes a difference to my mental state as I look forward to coming here on an afternoon and enjoy what’s going on.”

At Age UK we are currently running two national physical activity projects, although there will also be many more opportunities available through our local Age UK network.

Get Going Together, a GlaxoSmithKline funded project, works with five local Age UK groups and is focused on getting people with long-term conditions to be more physically active.

The project provides tailored support for people with acute health needs and has given us the chance to work in partnership with some great organisations with condition-specific expertise, as well as strengthen relationships with the likes of the NHS Falls Prevention Service and other local health professionals.

Another Get Going Together stakeholder said:

“Get Going Together gives older people an opportunity to reconnect with the community, particularly for those that have been in hospital or live alone.”

We also run Inspire and Include, which is funded from Sport England’s Inclusive Sport Fund. We work with 10 local Age UK groups to support older disabled people to be regularly physically active through a range of over 20 different sports -  scuba diving, sailing, shooting, table tennis, walking football, bowls, boccia and kurling are to name but a few!

Delivering adapted sports has really enabled us to work with a wide range of National Governing Bodies of Sport and National Disability Sport Organisations to enhance the physical activity catalogue for older people. These include the Football Association, England and Wales Cricket Board, British Shooting and the English Federation of Disability Sport, .

The impact of these projects for older people has been fantastic- like from one of our Inspire and Include participants from the Asian Blind Association. She had a stroke and has been struggling with her mobility down one side. Excitedly told the project co-ordinator that she had been able to make chapattis again for the first time since her illness - she was thrilled!

Experiencing first-hand the impact that regular activity can make to people’s lives means that we completely agree with Public Health England when they say: “If physical activity were a pill, people would be rushing to prescribe it”.

We believe that sport and physical activity can change people’s worlds and Age UK is going to keep working to make that happen for older people.

Find out more about Age UK's programme Inspire and Include on their website.