Active body, active mind
Declining mental wellbeing is not an inevitable part of ageing and can often be fended off by staying active. But it is not always easy for older people to maintain physical activity: poor physical health, financial insecurity, attitudes in society, geographical location, access to support and services and the responsibility of caring for others can all get in the way.
With 9.7 million people aged over 65 in the UK, and the number set to rise to one in five of the population by 2020, this is a big issue for older people and the NHS. So in October 2008 NICE issued new public health guidance on occupational health and physical activity interventions to promote the mental wellbeing of older people in primary and residential care. Recommendations include physiotherapists providing tailored exercise programmes such as dancing, swimming or walking. In addition, the guidance says that occupational therapists should work with groups or individuals to fi nd ways of building activities that promote wellbeing into the daily routines of older people.
Professor Catherine Law, Chair of the Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee at NICE, said: "Despite longer lives and an increase in wealth over the last 50 years, there is evidence that many older people live with low levels of life satisfaction and wellbeing. Forty per cent of older people attending GP surgeries, and 60% of those living in residential institutions, are reported to have 'poor' mental health. All people coming into contact with older people, including health and social care professionals, have the potential to promote and maintain physical activity, health and independence, factors frequently mentioned by older people as important to their mental wellbeing."
This page was last updated: 11 August 2009
