Ambition Two: older people & long term health conditions
We want older people and those with long-term health conditions to live well by moving more
What's the need?
- In Oxfordshire there are 121,000 people aged over 65, with 17,000 aged over 85. 20,000 older people in Oxfordshire experience loneliness with 3,500 older people often or always lonely.
- Inactivity levels generally increase with age, but the sharpest increase comes between ages 75 and 84 (45% inactive) and age 85+ (68% inactive).
79,000 adults in Oxfordshire have depression (12.5% of the adult population)
137,000 people (all ages) live with two or more long term conditions
Over 3000 older people in Oxfordshire are hospitalised due to falls each year. Regular muscle strengthening and balance based exercises significantly reduce the risk of falls in older people. Falls are a key factor in older people losing independence and suffering physical decline
Our agreed priority areas
- We need to create a simplified physical activity pathway that strives to overcome the most common barriers and makes it easier for people to find activity to suit their needs
- We need additional workforce for physical activity by recruiting volunteers and buddies, whilst also increasing physical activity training for those working with inactive people
- We need to increase the profile of physical activity within priority area Primary Care Networks and ensure that organisations working with inactive people are aware of the consensus statement
- We need to work together to launch a Falls Prevention campaign, recognising that physical activity can play a key role in reducing the risk of falls
Actions we are taking together
In the next two years, we will take the following actions:
- We will develop Oxfordshire's Physical Activity Pathways framework and encourage new organisations to join - and by doing so, create a simplified and consistent pathway into physical activity.
- We will launch a collective recruitment campaign for volunteers, buddies and health walk leaders to help more people in priority neighbourhoods to be physically active
- We will work closely with 10 Primary Care Networks in highest priority neighbourhoods, supporting them to put physical activity higher on their agenda
- We will develop and promote a joint Falls Prevention campaign for older adults and those with disabilities
