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If you require more information about the BHFNC older adults projects please contact Bob Laventure on 02476 735676 or at: bob.laventure@ntlworld.com
Active for Later Life
New Guidelines on Physical Activity and Older People
Moving More Often
Senior Peer Mentoring
Active for Later Life - New web-based resource launched!
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:
Presentations to complement the resource can be downloaded below
- Making the case for physical activity and older people
Making the case presentation references
- Physical activity and the prevention of falls among older adults
Prevention of falls presentation references
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
Updating the Active for Later Life Resource
Over the next 12 months the BHFNC will continue to update and add to the Active for Later Life Resource. If there are topics and information that you would like to see included, please contact us at: bhfnc@lboro.ac.uk
Active for Later Life in Scotland
A separate and complimentary resource has been produced for those working in Scotland and can be accessed at www.healthscotland.com/topics/stages/healthy-ageing/index.aspx
Dissemination Events
The BHFNC have completed a series of dissemination events across England to provide professionals with the opportunity to explore the resource and its contents in more detail. Its is now possible to download a summary of these seminars with links to the PowerPoint presentations made:
Seminar summary and PowerPoint presentations
New Guidelines on Physical Activity and Older Adults
These guidelines have been drafted to assist the work of those in the position to promote physical activity and well being with all older people. They do not provide exercise recommendations relating to specific diseases and conditions associated with ageing or on exercise prescriptions for individuals. Sources of such recommendations are included in the appendices to this document and included in the revised Active for Later life Resource
In particular the Guidelines highlight
1. Current guidance on appropriate physical activity recommendations for the older person
2. Guidance on translating evidence on promoting physical activity with older people into practice
The use of evidence
Decisions about policy and practice in the public sector are increasingly driven by consideration of the best available evidence. The process of drawing together, analysing and synthesising evidence from research is a central principle of evidence-based practice. Typically, the process of reviewing an area of practice or intervention will include the production of a systematic review of effectiveness, a meta-analysis or some other review level synthesis and interpretation of evidence from research e.g. Health Development Agency (2005) and the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (2006).
More recently, there has been a move towards more inclusive summaries of evidence (e.g. King et al 1998, DOH 2006) including those from locally developed practice (including components of good practice) and in particular using such information to fill some of the gaps in evidence where systematic reviews have left incomplete guidance for health and other professionals.
These guidelines have drawn upon a range of sources of evidence and have been designed to assist professionals answer the questions
1. Do we know what works? and
2. How can I use this evidence to inform my planning?
Download a copy of the guidelines here
Using the guidelines to asses you current and future practice – click on Guidance check list as a means of assessing your own programming and practice.
BHF “30 Minutes a day - any way” Campaign
The BHF 30 a Day campaign sets out to tackle one of the most important issues affecting the health of older adults – physical inactivity. The campaign aims to:
- Show the over 50s how easy it can be to get active
- Urge the government to take a lead in helping over 50s to get active
To help older adults be more active a information booklet '30 minutes a day anyway fit for life plan' was produced.
To get the gorvernment to take a lead in helping over 50s get more active a policy blueprint was produced.
For more details on the BHF campaign please visit BHF campaign
Moving More Often
Moving More Often is a national training programme for health and care workers and volunteers who work with older people and who wish to promote physical activity and learning in a range of care settings.
Over a three year period, beginning in April 2003, the programme has developed appropriate resources and opportunities for use with older people in a range of settings such as day centres, sheltered and other supported living accommodation and residential and nursing settings. The programme, designed to promote participation in regular physical activity targets older people who are most likely to be within the National Service Framework for Older People categories of the Transitional Phase and Frail Older People.
Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Programme
The Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Programme has been developed by the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University in collaboration with Age Concern – Ageing Well. The project has been funded by the Department for Education and Skills.
The aim of the Senior Peer Mentoring Physical Activity Programme is to increase opportunities for older adults to become motivated towards and participate in health enhancing physical activity.
The objectives of the programme are: -
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To train Senior Peer Mentors to include the promotion of physical activity in their work.
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To provide training and support for Senior Peer Mentor trainers/co-ordinators.
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To develop a national network of training partnerships.
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To further develop the skills of Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Motivators
The Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Motivator programme consists of training courses, with supporting materials and a national network of projects that can be used to support local health promotion programmes which target older people.
A peer health mentor is someone who will help their peer group overcome some of the barriers to physical activity that older people face and move into or step up their campaign for healthy living and successful ageing.
A senior peer health mentor: -
- points people in the right direction
- helps by providing appropriate information
- is someone that an older participant can talk to
- is someone who will understand things from "their point of view"
- is someone who provides positive health promotion
- is a positive role model.
The Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Motivator Programme uses physical activity as the focal point of mentoring programmes and is designed as a means of encouraging older adults of all ages to take up regular physical activity.
The Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Motivator programme is based upon the successful Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) programme from the USA. CHAMPS was a six month public health intervention aimed at encouraging people aged 62-91 years of age to increase their activity levels by taking part in existing, local activity opportunities including walking, swimming, general conditioning, tai chi, strength training, dancing and recreational sports.
Successes:
The North Nottingham programme (Sutton in Ashfield, Mansfield and Selston) has been quoted as example of best practice in Audit Commission Best Practice in Older People’s Services Review. (2006).
5 of the current LEAP programmes are including senior Peer mentoring as part of their intervention.
7 of the new DH POPPs projects are including Mentoring within their programme.
To view senior peer mentor traning dates and locations, click here
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