This document discusses the importance of physical activity for residents in care homes. It notes that care home residents spend 80-90% of their time sedentary and discusses the benefits of being more active, including improved health, well-being, falls prevention, and independence. It then provides details about care homes in Scotland and challenges to promoting physical activity. It introduces the Go for Gold Challenge Scotland programme which aims to promote physical activity in care homes. It outlines a new resource pack for care homes that includes self-assessment tools to help care homes improve physical activity based on 3 key principles. The document ends by sharing stories of success and outcomes residents experienced from increased physical activity.

1. ‘Make Every Move Count’ in Care
4 March 2015
Generations Working Together
Edith Macintosh
edith.macintosh@careinspectorate.com

2. Physical activity is it important for residents in care
home residents? Well……
• Research evidence is incontrovertible in terms of benefits
• Specific benefits BUT huge impact on general health and well being
• Falls prevention – 3 times more likely to fall in a care home
• Risks around extended periods of sedentary behaviour
Care home residents spend 80–90 %
of their time seated or lying down.
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.
• Age and live well – enjoy life!

3. What is the Scottish picture?
• Care homes for older people 888 (31 December 2014)
• Total registered capacity 38,156 places
Breakdown of services (888 homes)
Private 626
Local Authority 132
Voluntary/not for profit 115
Health Board 15 (Highland)

4. Challenges or opportunities?
• Culture - do it to!
• Lack of infrastructure
• Leadership and mentorship
• Staff – turnover and capacity
• Access to resources and training
• Permission to do things differently
• Risk benefit analysis
• Information sharing - across care sectors, health and social care
• Accessing local wider health and social care supports
• Lack of involvement in local community planning
• Lack of recognition that care homes are part of the community –
rights and citizenship
However ……there is an appetite for improvement

5. Go for Gold Challenge Scotland Programme
• Established in 2012 – partnership between the BHFNC and
the Care Inspectorate.
• To involve staff and residents in the care sector in legacy
celebrations offered by Olympics and the WCAA, looking
towards Commonwealth Games in 2014.
• GFG supported by a stakeholder network group and a
strategic reference group from national organisations.
Key aims are to:
• Promote and celebrate participation in physical activity in the care
sector.
• Build capacity amongst staff to promote physical activity through
challenge events, piloting different sporting ideas, learning events and
developing resources.
• Develop links between the care sector in Scotland and physical activity
organisations.
• Focus on particular areas such as intergenerational practice and
community engagement.
• Contribute towards the 2014 Commonwealth Games Legacy.

6. GFG ….how do we know this has made a
difference?
Outcomes…….
• Many care services across Scotland have taken up the
5 challenges (small and large scale) and this has grown
incrementally over the years. (especially 2014!)
• Many older people, staff, relatives, friends and the local
communities have been inspired to take part - fun,
achievement, health improvement, socialisation and
engagement.
• Many good news stories from challenges, swimming and
golf pilots, walk programmes and individuals in care homes.
• Intergenerational practice and community engagement taking place.
• Attendance at learning events has grown and more areas
getting involved.
• Development and implementation of resource pack for the
care sector launched March 2014.

7. New resource
pack for
care homes!
Launched
March 2014
Self Improvement
process

8. Based on 3 key principles, 3 areas for
improvement in each (WHO health promoting settings)

9. Care… about physical activity

10. Working towards the guidelines.
The challenge
Sedentary
Meeting the
guidelines
Increased physical activity
Increased
benefits

11. 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 provides situated learning and supports the implementation of the resource
pack. Available from app store. https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/physactive/id845153995?mt=8
The resource pack has been distributed to all care homes for older people in Scotland.

12. Self assessment process based on 3 key principles

13. Make Every Move Count
• Designed to make something small
but important happen on a regular
basis
• Principles of Make Every Moment
Count
• Ideas to enable the resident to
have a voice and make a
choice
• Realistic/achievable opportunities
• The resident at the heart of the
process

14. What does success look like?
Care home residents will….
•Have a voice and make a choice
•Be at the heart of the process
•Have every opportunity to be active and
involved
•Be physically active every day – realistic and achievable
•Will move, move more often and move regularly and frequently
•Be socially connected and take part in the life of the community
because of this.
•Have purpose and meaning added to each day of life, making
every day special

15. Stories of success….personal outcomes
• 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.”
• “You are never too young or too old to have fun, keep active and be part of a
team.” (resident in Angus care home games challenge)
• Jess who is 99 years old said smiling. 'I feel like 21 again' 'it was the best fun I had
in ages. I hope we can do it again soon'. Talking about getting her medal to a
friend. 'There's a first time for everything, even at our age'.(Perth and Kinross
games event)
• “It is really good for older people to take part in something like this, its good
exercise as it helps with upper body strength” (Spectator at Dance with Me,
Aberdeenshire)

16. Living life to the full and ageing well - it’s what matters!
……..thanks for listening!

17. Intergenerational ideas
At your tables for a few minutes think about:
•In your area of work could you support care
homes to promote physical activity?
•How could you use all/some of the resource
pack to support intergenerational practice?
•Are there things you do now that could also be
done with care home residents?