Presentation by Lara Lill for the ESRC Seminar Series on Ageing and Physical Activity - "Physical activity among hard to reach groups: Issues for research, policy and practice" http://seminars.ecehh.org

1. Lara Lill
ASA Head of Health and Wellbeing

2. Clear intentions and impact
• Build a network of dementia friendly pools
• Enhance the swimming experience and increase
participation
• Improve insight into motivations, barriers and
perceptions
• Supporting the PM dementia challenge
• Produce guidance for pools and those in health
care provision

3. Strategies include
 funding of local coordinators
 guidance, support and sharing with other sites
 development of local partnerships and advisory
boards with dementia-involved agencies and
charities
 creation of friendly, safe, and supportive pool
environments
 dementia-friendly training (Step inside) for pool
staff
 special swimming or water exercise sessions and
improved access and support during open sessions

4. Quick overview
1. Increase swimming’s visibility and relevance
• Training of front of house, all staff, cascade ‘Step Inside’
2. Improve the overall environment
• Reception, changing rooms, signposting
3. Tailor the swimming offer to different needs
• Aqua relax, public sessions
4. Monitoring and evaluation
• Centralised audit of participant recruitment and retention
• Case studies using interviews
• Qualitative research with participants and their carers to assess
personal challenges and benefits
• A pre and post comparison group, health economics assessment of
effectiveness for improving quality of life
• Annual lessons learned reports

5. Collaboration
• Breaking new ground – innovative and stronger
partnerships indicating local leadership is key to
success
• Raising profile of dementia and swimming – ability
to deliver strategic priorities
• Contributing to Age Friendly neighbourhoods and
cities

6. Why is the approach so
distinctive?
• New and unique collaborations between a broad
range of partners and sectors
• Enhance skills of the sector through excellent
training, wider application beyond the programme
• New work area, increase the appetite of
professionals to deliver more specific activities
• Focussed remit, dedicated resources and is well
placed in the local authority
• Its exploratory and evolutionary rather than
prescribed

7. lara.lill@swimming.org
http://www.swimming.org/dementiafriendly/