A walking campaign that delivered impressive results for care home residents in Perthshire has scored a top national award.
Paths For All’s dementia-friendly Care About Walking project is aimed at getting older people moving, after studies showed care home residents were experiencing a sedentary lifestyle, spending about 80 to 90% of their time sitting or lying down.
The scheme, which was piloted at Parkdale in Auchterarder, encourages people to integrate walking activities into their daily routine.
It was successfully expanded into five centres across the region, including the Ancaster House Care Home in Crieff.
Staff were presented with a resource pack and posters, as well as a wall chart to log the number of steps walked. Stickers and outdoor panels showing strength and balancing exercises were also displayed.
Walks were tailored to residents’ needs through consultation and taster sessions, and feeback was overwhelmingly positive, with reports of major mental health benefits.
The Care About Walking team is celebrating a big win at SportScotland’s Coaches, Officials and Volunteers 2019 awards.
The campaign won the Coaching for an Active Life prize at the glitzy ceremony in Glasgow.
Julie Wylie, manager at Ancaster House, said: “We were involved in the Care Inspectorate’s Care About Physical Activity programme and learned about the Care About Walking project with care homes by Paths For All.
“With their support, this was a natural progression for us to continue to enable our residents to have the strength, motivation and confidence to achieve goals they did not previously think possible and become more active both within the care home and within the wider local community.”
She said: “Age should not be a barrier to having dreams and aspiraitons and the sense of worth is amazing when you achieve them, no matter how big or small.”
Carolyn Wilson, of the Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership that helped expanded the programme, said: “Moving more and walking is important for health and well-being and enables us to enjoy everyday life.
“Through walking more and using the strength and balance exercise panels around the care home and gardens, residents are also reducing their risk of falling.”
She said: “Our partnership with Paths For All working alongside residents and their care staff has enabled innovative and appropriate resources to be created.
“This is providing the best practice for care services across Scotland.”
