Active for Later Life

The Active for Later Life resource, developed by the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health (in partnership with the British Heart Foundation), aims to help all those involved in developing physical activity programmes for older people of all ages and abilities. Originally published in 2003, the Active for Later Life resource has now been updated and extended to provide a new web based resource which includes:

• Section 1 - Making the Case for physical activity and older people
• Section 2 - Factors affecting planning
• Section 3 - A Guide to programme planning
• Section 4 - Working papers
• Section 5 - Putting it into practice
• Section 6 - Information Directory

Who is this for ?

Active for Later Life has been designed for a wide range of national and local agencies with the potential to work with older people to promote physical activity. These include:

• health promotion managers
• primary health care including primary care trusts
• local authority departments (e.g. leisure and recreation services, social services and adult education)
• the independent (voluntary and private) sectors, including the exercise and fitness industry
• national and local branches of age-related agencies
• residential and caring services, e.g. day centres and nursing homes
• community groups and organisations involved with older people.

The Active for Later Life resource can be used:

• as an advocacy tool to strengthen the case for investing in the promotion of physical activity with people in later life
• as a strategic planning tool to assist with commissioning, planning and delivering health, social care and public services for people in later life that include promoting physical activity
• as a practical action planning tool to assist with developing physical activity policies and programmes for people in later life
• as a workforce development tool to raise awareness and inform practice for a range of practitioners who contribute to health, social care, public, private and voluntary services for people in later life.