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 Active for Later Life
Dissemination events for Wales and Northern Ireland announced!
The BHFNC in collaboration with the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland and Age Concern Northern Ireland will be hosting their event on:
Thursday 21st May in Templepatrick
Download the flyer
For further details contact Nicola Browne at the Health Promotion Agency
The Wales events, in collaboration with Age Concern Cymru and Welsh Assembly Government will be held:
Wednesday 25th June - South Wales
Thursday 10th July - North Wales
Download the flyer
For further details contact Glenn Little
The powerpoint presentations made at the Engalnd 'Promoting physical activity with older people' seminars can now be downloaded:
Presentation 1: Evidence update
Presentation 2: What is an older person?
Presentation 3: BHFNC guidelines on older people and physical activity
Presentation 4: Recommendations for older people and physical activity
Presentation 5: Policies and partnerships
'Someone Like Me' Senior Peer Mentor Physical Activity Programme
These training sessions are designed for health professionals who work to promote physcial activity with older people. This one day course is for those who want to develop their knowledge and understanding of the concept of senior peer mentoring and experience of working with volunteers and who wish to undertake their own specific local training of Senior Peer Activity Motivators with a specific focus on physical activity.
For further information about the course, email Bob Laventure
What is the Someone Like Me Programme ?
Based upon the principles and values of the Age Concern England, Ageing Well UK Health Mentor training programme, the Someone Like Me programme is designed to enable older people to maintain and improve their health by promoting healthy lifestyles. This is achieved by providing training and support for Senior Peer Activity Motivators, the empowerment of individuals and the dissemination of information. Originally developed from work commissioned by the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills, the programme has been in existence for some four years and is now supported by a national partnership between the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University, Age Concern - Ageing Well and Later Life Training Ltd.
The role of a Senior Peer Mentor
The concept of the Senior Peer Mentor is not new, they have been in existence in the UK and in the US for some time within a variety of specific projects. By involving older people themselves in health promotion activities with their peers there is the potential to deliver a health gain in partnership with large numbers of older people.
A peer 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. They:
- point people in the right direction
- help by providing appropriate information
- are someone that an older participant can talk to
- are someone who will understand things from “their point of view“
- are someone who provides positive health promotionare
- a positive role model.
The Senior Peer Activity Motivator Programme uses physical activity as the focal point of mentoring programmes and is designed as a means on encouraging older adults of all ages to take up regular physical activity.
Senior Peer Activity Motivators are not expected to give medical advice. They encourage those involved to seek this help as appropriate from health professionals and by helping to remove fear and listening to their concerns.
For a full job description of a Senior Peer Mentor click here
The aims of the Someone Like Me Programme.
There is substantial evidence relating to the benefits of physical activity for the older person as a means of improving physical and psycho-social health, promoting independent living and well being. However, for many older people, physical activity is not an integral part of their lives.
The aim of the Someone Like Me Programme is to increase opportunities for older people to become motivated towards and participate in health enhancing physical activity.
Programme Objectives
- To train Senior Peer Health mentors to include the promotion of physical activity in their work.
- To train Senior Peer Activity Motivators to support local programmes
- To provide training and support for local programme coordinators and trainers.
- To develop a national network of training partnerships.
The Senior Peer Activity Motivator Programme can be used by a range of agencies as a means of initiating physical activity among older adults and provide a “strategic fit” to local health and activity promotion programmes which target older adults.
Two different courses have been designed (click on course details below) to provide choices for local programme coordinators to meet local needs:-
Working with and Training Senior Peer Activity Motivators
Bespoke Training for local partnerships and stakeholders
Planning your local programme
To assist programme coordinators in the planning, implementation and evaluation of their programmes, we have developed a 10 steps to programme planning, based upon the experiences of established programmes. We can also share lessons from previous development work and local programmes in our Good Practice guide”. And our top 10 lessons
Learning from Local Programmes
Other lessons can be learned from the following reports and documents from local programmes
Cotswold Report
Ashfield Activity Friends in Nottinghamshire
Nottingham LEAP
Resources to support the programme
We have also developed a range of resources to support local programmes that are made available through our training activities.
Case Study
Kirklees Physical Activity Motivator Project
Initiated in 2002, the aim of this project was to initiate a network of Physical Activity Motivators (PAMs) to support older people to become more active. Over a period of two years, some 60 PAMs have been trained. Many PAMs volunteer for a regular one hour session, once a week, but some are able to commit themselves to mentoring for 5 or more days a week.
Many PAMs have gone on to additional training, some of which is provided by Kirklees Metropolitan Council including, warm-up and cool down exercise techniques, self-awareness sessions, dignity and equality at work courses , techniques for circuit training, WHI Walk Leader Training (at least half now have this qualification) and other physical activity training.
PAMs work with newcomers to the local exercise referral programme and act as a buddy – assisting them through the initial introductory stages of the programme, encourage, provide support and are a source of confidence as such programmes can be daunting for newcomers who can see others more able and confident than themselves. Mentees are also accompanied by PAMs after they have completed their 45 weeks for continued support and encouragement.
For more details contact Michelle Bland, Departnent of Culture and Leisure services, Stadium and Business Complex, Stadium Way, Huddersfield HU1 6PG or email michelle.bland@kirklees.gov.uk
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Someone Like Me - Is it effective, does it work ?
There is growing evidence that such programmes can be very effective in helping older people to make decisions about their own health and become more physically active. There is also evidence of the benefits to those involved in volunteering and mentoring.
Evidence based practice
Local programmes will identify their own criteria for success and there is detailed advice on evaluating local programmes included in our resources and training activities. The examples included below indicate both the nature of evidence that can be collected about successful programmes as well as the way in which programmes can be used to target different groups of older people.
The Champs Programme
Ageing Well and Healthily in the Netherlands
Bradford PCT and Positive Action on Falls Prevention
The Braveheart Project
Volunteering and imporved health
frequently asked questions
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