Mission: To make health a top priority for everyone in Northern Ireland.

Older people actively reverse the ageing process in later life

Almost two thirds of people aged 75 and over in Northern Ireland are sedentary while half of those aged between 65 and 74 take little or no exercise at all.¹ With these statistics in mind the Health Promotion Agency and Age Concern Northern Ireland have joined forces to help launch and disseminate throughout Northern Ireland the British Heart Foundation’s, Active for later life, an invaluable resource that will support all those who work with older people to encourage them to become more physically active.

Speaking at the launch Siobhan Weir, Regional Health Promotion Manager for Physical Activity at the Health Promotion Agency, said: “Every year people spend millions of pounds putting their money into quick fix anti-age solutions in the health and beauty industry. This resource shows that there is a product on the market for the older generation that will enhance their quality of life, reverse the ageing process, and delay the signs of decay. Best of all – it is free. This product is called physical activity.”

There is overwhelming evidence of the importance of physical activity for older people, especially in assisting them to maintain their independence in later life. The benefits of physical activity include disease prevention and management, psychological benefits, social benefits and reductions in the complications of immobility.

Physical activity has been suggested as a cost-effective treatment within the health sector, having the potential to dramatically impact on the reduction in costs of health and social care and other services. Each year millions of pounds are spent as a result of falls, fractures, coronary heart disease and poor mental health, further reinforcing the importance of how physical activity can prevent these problems from occurring.

Also speaking at the launch, Bob Laventure, Older People Consultant at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Studies are unanimous that the benefits of becoming more active can be achieved by people aged 70 plus, showing that it is never too late to get active. Most importantly we know from research that older people can achieve considerable gains in a relatively short space of time. One study has shown that women undertaking strength training were able to increase their strength by as much as 20 years, in other words a 90 year old woman would have ‘70 year old’ legs as a result of being active. In effect she has reversed her own ageing process.” ²

The Active for later life resource will be distributed at the launch to all those involved in developing physical activity programmes for older people of all ages and abilities. Further information concerning the resource can be found by visiting the British Heart Foundation website: www.bhfactive.org.uk

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Notes to editors:

The launch of Active for Later Life will take place at Oxford Island, Lurgan, on Thursday 18 September 2003. A media facility will be provided from 12:45 – 1:45pm when Siobhan Weir, Regional Health Promotion Manager for Physical Activity, Bob Laventure, Senior Consultant, British Heart Foundation, and Claire Keatinge, Director, Age Concern NI, will be available for interview. A group of older people will also be doing a physical activity display at this time.

1. Figures taken from the Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey 2001.
2. Fiatarone MA, Marks EC, Ryan ND, Meredith CN, Lipsitz LA, Evans WJ. High intensity strength training in nonagenarians. JAMA 1990;263:18:3029-3034.

For further information:

Contact Jenny Dougan on 028 9031 1611.