Really making the difference

All about Quality of Life! Scottish Swimming Conference

Edith MacintoshRehabilitation ConsultantCare Inspectorate.edith.macintosh@careinspectorate.com

What is the Scottish picture?

• Total population of Scotland (30 June 2012) 5,313,600.• Care homes for older people (31 December 2013) 899.• Total registered capacity 38,450 places (868 homes).

Breakdown of services (868 homes)

Private 70%Local Authority 15%Voluntary/not for profit 13%Health Board 2% (Highland)

Challenges - the same everywhere?• Culture. • Lack of infrastructure.• Leadership and mentorship.• Staff – turnover and capacity.• Access to resources and training.• Permission to do things differently.• Risk benefit analysis.• Inconsistencies – training, approach.• Information sharing - across care sectors, health and social care. • Accessing local wider health and social care services. • Lack of involvement in local community planning. • Lack of recognition that care homes are part of the community –

rights and citizenshipHowever ……there is an appetite for improvement

http://tribesports.com/challenges/do-30-mins-physical-activity-every-day-for-a-year-

Living life to the full – it’s what matters!

……..personal outcomes

Go for Gold Challenge Scotland• Established in 2012 – to involve staff and residents in the care

sector in legacy celebrations offered by Olympics and the WCAA, looking towards Commonwealth Games in 2014.

• In Scotland Go for Gold Challenge supported by a stakeholder network group (now at 80 members) and a strategic reference group from national organisations.

Key aims• Promote and celebrate participation in physical activity in the

care sector.• Build capacity amongst staff to promote physical activity with

older people.• Develop links between the care sector in Scotland and

physical activity organisations.• Contribute towards the 2014 Commonwealth Games Legacy.

Now looking at a strategy for the next 3 years………

Physical activity is it important? Well……

• Research evidence is incontrovertible in terms of benefits.• Specific benefits BUT huge impact on general health and well being.• Risks around extended periods of sedentary behaviour.• Falls prevention – 3 times more likely to fall in a care home.

Being active:• Increases engagement,• improves confidence, resilience and control,• reduces anxiety and depression as well as reducing symptoms of disease,• improves function and helps maintain independence. • And we age and live well.

Ageing population – people are living longer and there’s US!

Thought provoking

• 1 week of bed rest is equivalent to 10 yrs worth of ageing on the physical body.

• Following a week of bed rest it would take over a year of regular exercise to regain lost bone density and up to 6 months to regain lost muscle strength and endurance.

• Recent research (Healy et al, 2011) shows that breaking long periods of sitting has a positive effect on health.

• Care home residents spend 80–90 % of their time seated or lying down.

The UK CMO guidelines on physical activity (2011)

• How much physical activity will bring health benefits?

• Apply to all older people (65+)• Interpret for use with frailer older people• Less sedentary behaviour• Some activity every day - some is better

than none!• Accumulating 150 mins moderate

activity per week in bouts of 10 mins• Can apply to people living with dementia

Working towards the guidelines. The challenge

Sedentary

Meeting the guidelines

Increased physical activity

Increased benefits

2012 and onwards… Go for Gold Challenge Invited to take part in one of 5 challenges

1. Games Challenge events.2. Walk With Me Challenge events.3. Dance With Me Challenge events.4. Tri-athlon Challenge events.5. Create your own activity challenges. Partnership approach

Outcomes• Many different areas in Scotland took up the

challenge – small and large scale.• Many older people were inspired to take part in a range

of physical activity challenges = fun, achievement, health improvement, socialisation and engagement with local communities.

• Participating in and living life!

What’s in the resource pack?The resource pack includes:1. A booklet with:

• an introduction to the resource, an introduction to physical activity in care homes and how to make improvements.• the physical activity self assessment tool and guidance for its use

• a description of the three key principles to promote physical activity.

2. A DVD to support implementation of the resource pack.3. Make Every Move Count – a pocket guide to active living.4. A call to action poster.5. Physical activity and self assessment tools.

An app is available to download which will provide education and awareness and support the implementation of the resource from the app store.

The resource pack has been distributed to all care homes for older people in Scotland.

Press the pause button!

• In your role do you connect with care homes in your area?

• What would you need to do to make this happen?

Lets hear about ‘Care… about swimming!’

Outcomes ……• A gentleman who required a wheelchair to mobilise commented “ When in

the water I feel like I am flying – I can move around freely, it’s exhilarating”

• A 92 year old lady who previously was a swimmer but due to serious illness had not ventured back into the water said “I am just so happy, I now know I can go into the water and swim again. I can’t thank-you enough. I plan now to go swimming with my friends. I feel young again.”

• A lady who sustained a stroke a year prior to the pilot and had lost her confidence said she now feels confident in the water and she can swim with the support of one. She hopes to continue swimming. She also felt her balance had improved.

A great philosopher

To affect the quality of the day, thatis the highest of arts.

Henry David Thoreau

Any further thoughts or questions?Thanks for taking part

Enjoy really making the difference!