Perth College UHI – Sport & Fitness  Background to project  Older adults programme delivered  Limitations and barriers  Results and outcomes  Looking forward

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Higher education goes
intergenerational
Presented by: Sharon McGuire
Generations Working Together
Highlands & Islands Conference 2016
www.perth.uhi.ac.uk
Perth College is a registered Scottish charity, number SC021209.
Introduction
Perth Older Adults Physical Activity Project
 Sharon McGuire
 Lisa Dods
 Carolyn Wilson
 HND Fitness, Health & Exercise Students
 Live Active Leisure Staff
 Care Home Staff
 Care Home Clients
Session Content
Perth Older Adults Physical Activity Project
 About Perth College UHI – Sport & Fitness
 Background to project
 Older adults programme delivered
 Limitations and barriers
 Results and outcomes
 Looking forward
Our Courses
LEVEL
10
LEVEL 9
LEVEL 8 HND Sports Therapy
HND Fitness, Health
and Exercise
HND Coaching and
Developing Sport
LEVEL 7
HNC Soft Tissue
Therapy
HNC Fitness, Health
and Exercise
HNC Coaching and
Developing Sport -
Indoor
HNC Coaching and
Developing Sport -
Outdoor
PDA in Personal
Training
LEVEL 6 NQ Sport and Fitness NQ Outdoor Adventure
LEVEL 5
NC Sport & Fitness
Indoor
NC Sport & Fitness
Outdoor
Sport & Recreation:
Skills for Work
BA (Hons) Sports Management , BSc (Hons) Sport and Fitness, BA (Hons) Golf Management
BA Sports Management, BA Golf Management, BSc Sport and Fitness
Sport and Fitness Programme Content
• Psychology
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biomechanics
• Teamwork
• Coaching Techniques
• Research
• Exercise Instruction
• Sporting Activities
• Nutrition
• Conduct and Ethics
• Sports Development
• Planning for Fitness
• Strength & Fitness
• Sports Science
• Flexibility Training
• Core Strength & Posture
SCQF Level Titles Special Features
4/5 SfW or NC Programmes Safe Participation
6 NQ Leadership
7 HNC Instruction and Coaching
8 HND Applied with “REAL” Clients and
special populations
9 BSc and BA Advanced skills and opportunity to
specialise
10 BSc (Hons) or BA (Hons) Research

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Background
 2014/15 - Introduction of HND Fitness, Health and Exercise
Students have to research and report specific implications of exercise.
Assessment of health fitness then deliver a 12 week programme to special
population groups.
 Go4Gold annual event for care homes
Care Home Activity Programme
January 2015 – Project Starts
 Students completed pre projects tests
 12 Week Programme - 3 elements
1. Warm up/seated exercise
2. Otago strength and balance exercises
3. Fun games (Boccia, Kurling, Golf)
 Students completed post project tests
Benefits for both
Benefits both the older adults and students can gain from taking
part in Physical activity project:
• Improved social life
• Self esteem
• Improve communication skills
• Confidence
• Creates new ways of working together
• Can help people feel less isolated
• Fun
• Interactions with different generation
• Promotes greater understanding and respect
• Mutually beneficial activity
• Increase employability
• Improve health and wellbeing
• Improve levels of physical activity – WHY????
Importance of Physical Activity
Older adults
• The current guidelines for older adults over the age of
65, state that they should be active daily to reduce the
risk of health conditions such as diabetes, strokes and
cancer (Department of Health, 2011).
• The number of older adults above 85 is growing, as
people are living for longer. By 2031, there will be a
38% increase in adults over the age of 85 in the UK
(All our futures report, 2007).
• With the number of older adults rising, there has been
an impact on public health costs and frail older adults
account for the highest health care costs nationwide
(Youg & Khow, 2015). A way of reducing these costs
are to keep people healthy and active and reduce falls
in older adults.
Importance of Physical Activity
Older adults
• As we age, older adults see a decrease in physiological
function including aerobic capacity, bone density and
loss of muscle mass (ACSM, 2014). By increasing bone
density which can reduce injuries and the chances of
developing osteoporosis (ACSM, 2014).
• It is important to take part in physical activity to
prevent age related sarcopenia, as 40% of muscle
force can be lost over the lifespan (Concannon et al.,
2012). Sarcopenia a condition of age-related loss of
muscle mass and strength and by doing exercises to
build muscle mass, the participant can prevent loss
and build strength.
True or False?
TASK 1: Complete the 8 questions on the question
card located under your seat

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•Q1 – True - Older adults should aim to be active
daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at
least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of moderate
intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more
– one way to approach this is to do 30 minutes
on at least 5 days a week.
Answer – Q1 Answer – Q2
Q2 – False - Older adults should also undertake physical activity to
improve muscle strength on at least two days a week.
Older adults at risk of falls should incorporate physical activity to
improve balance and co-ordination on at least two days a week
(The Department of Health, 2011).
Answer – Q3
Q3 – False – Activity levels decrease with age. Statistics show that
less than 10% of over 75 year olds are meeting the current
recommendations for strength and only 20% are meeting the 150
minutes per week for moderate intensity activities (The Scottish
Health Survey, 2012).
Answer – Q4
Q4 - True - British Statistics show twice as many older adults living
in care homes were classified as inactive compared with those who
live in private households. 78% of men in care homes were inactive
86% of women in care homes were inactive (BHF Current levels of
physical activity in older adults factsheet, 2014).
Answer – Q5
Q5 – True - Nursing home residents spend 80-90% of their time
seated or lying down
 No standing activity leads to active loss of bone and muscle
 1 wk bed rest ⇓ leg strength by ~ 20%
1 wk bed rest ⇓ spine bone mineral density by ~1%
(Krolner 1983; Tinetti 1988; Skelton 2001; Beyer 2002)
Answer – Q6
Q6 – True - Falls are a major source of injury for older adults and
entail substantial healthcare costs. Structured physical activity
programmes aimed at improving postural stability are most
effective at preventing falls (BHF Current levels of physical activity
in older adults factsheet, 2014).

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Answer – Q7
Q7 – True - The National Institute for health and care excellence
(NICE) Guidelines (2008) state that tailored, community-based
physical activity programmes can improve mental wellbeing in over
65’s.
Answer – Q8
Q8 – False - A tailored exercise programme can reduce falls by as
much as 54 per cent (Age UK, 2013).
Our Physical Activity Project
Preparation
 All students trained instructors – Level 2 (as minimum)
 Theory - older adults and exercise
 Health and functional fitness tests for older adults
 Seated exercise to music
 Visit to Michael Woods Centre, Glenrothes
 Taught Boccia, Kurling and Adapted Golf
 Students completed:
 Strength and balance course
 Walk leaders course
HND Fitness, Health and Exercise
Functional Fitness tests
• 30 second chair stand
• Chair sit and reach
• 8 foot up and go
• Back scratch
• Handgrip test
• Single leg stand
• 6 minute walk
Tested pre and post project
Functional Fitness Tests
“Life in your years”
-requires more than just stamina and energy, requires
strength and balance to feel confident in all other
activities you go on to do....
The Strength and Balance exercise programme incorporates 14 Otago style
exercises which are simple, can be combined with walking to reduce
sedentary behaviour and improve strength and balance, therefore reducing
the risk of falls in older adults.
Strength and Balance Programme Care Home Commitment
• What we asked for from participating care homes:
 Min 10 participants
 Staff present at all times
 Staff move the residents
 Staff deal with any issues
 Working alongside PA Coordinators (Care Homes)

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Our Physical Activity Project
 Provided games equipment
 Provided extra training
 Insured through Live Active as volunteers
Live Active Leisure – Colin Melville
Wellbeing Officer
Our Physical Activity Project
 Helped to design and set up project
 Provided Support
 Liaised with Care homes
 Helped to collect feedback from residents and care home staff
NHS – Carolyn Wilson, Falls Prevention Manager
Limitations/Barriers
1. Students anxious prior to going into homes.
2. Some residents initially unwilling to participate.
3. Couldn’t do all tests as planned.
4. College didn’t have own adapted games.
5. Weather (student travel and for outdoor walks).
How we overcame these barriers….
Example of test results
Example of pre and post testing results from one
male resident at Louise Brae Care Home
Test Week 1 Week 12 Improvement
Back Scratch 37cm 44cm 7cm
Up and Go 15seconds 6.5 seconds 8.5 seconds
Seated Sit and
Reach
0cm 13cm 13cm
Sit to Stand 5 18 13
• All care homes reported a steady increase in the numbers of residents
participating with many residents attending every week.
• By the end some care homes had up to 18 residents attending. This
equates to approximately 75 residents overall who benefited from the
programme.
• Care home staff were continuing the exercises.
Outcomes
• The project opened our minds to working with this
special population.
• “I loved getting to meet the residents of the care home
and being able to build a working relationship with
them…”
• Seeing the improvements in the residents mobility week
by week was amazing
• Upon completion of the 12 week programme I continued
going weekly…
Student Feedback

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• “Looked forward to a ‘wee bit of
sport”
• “I feel my legs are more flexible and I
get around easier”
• “Oh aye! Legs feel better. Not so much
pain up my legs”
• “Sad that its ending, I was just getting
used to taking part”
• “Changed the rest of my life”
Residents Feedback
Residents feedback on the students:
• “I enjoyed the energy and enthusiasm of the teachers, very motivating”
• “Enjoyed meeting the students and taking part in the exercises”
• “Very friendly and always listened, encouraging during the sessions”
Residents Feedback on Students
• “Having the school children and students in
made the session enjoyable”
• “The students conversed as well as interacting with the residents which they
enjoyed. The residents enjoyed the new activities brought to the home.”
• “Everything. Games. Music. Laughs. Exercise”
• “I feel the residents are now keener to participate in physical activities and
have asked when they will be returning to Beechgrove. They met young
people who they love and they all appeared livelier after the sessions.”
• “Family members have commented that the teachers were very bubbly and
happy. It was a breath of fresh air.”
• “The programme was effective as the students were very good at explaining
their programme to the residents which encouraged them to participate.
• “They made it fun which helped the residents to be more involved which then
was a benefit to their fitness”
• “The return of the programme would be eagerly accepted.”
Care home staff feedback Changes made to this year - 2016
Delivering programme this year in 4 residential homes
HND Students had more training:
 Falls awareness session for students– Carolyn Wilson.
 Live Active delivered additional workshop using equipment.
 Alison Clyde delivered Generations working together workshop with
students.
 Used Later Life Training functional fitness tests.
 Purchased more games equipment.
Looking Forward
 Project to be delivered each year - £££
 New college projects at care homes
including ‘playlists for all’ project run by
Perth College UHI computing students
 Jobs opportunities for students:
 Continue to help at Go4Gold events
 Speaking at SQA Event to encourage
other colleges to get involved with
similar projects
 Look to improve links for students
working with older adults
Interest in the Project

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Questions