Healthy lifestyles - Activities - Upstream

Healthy lifestyles

The Upstream project builds on the understanding that health is a proper balance between mental, physical and social well-being. To that end, mentors link activities wherever possible to ‘healthy lifestyle’ initiatives prompted by the Primary Care Trust and Local Authority in line with government priorities and the ‘Choosing Health’ agenda on, for example, exercise, healthy eating, alcohol abuse and smoking.  Mentors recognise that people are more likely to take better care of their health if they are enjoying themselves and motivated to stay healthy. Primary Care Trust ‘smoking cessation’ and ‘exercise promotion’ officers, among others, work alongside the mentor team. Here are some examples of ‘healthy living’ that are built in to activities:

• Walk and Talk: Mentors and participants worked with the PCT Walks Co-ordinator to plan suitable routes for older people in Crediton and Tiverton.
• Falls Prevention: Mentors and participant groups received training from the PCT Falls Prevention Officer.
• Healthy Eating and ‘5-a-Day’ (government initiative to encourage people to eat 5 portions of fruit or vegetable a day): mentors worked with inter-agency PCT meetings to plan initiatives. Healthy eating and cookery have been introduced into activity groups with some cookery training for individuals.
• Tai Chi: Most activity groups have included sessions provided by a professional Tai Chi instructor. One group used their own resources to buy in 10 sessions of Tai Chi after they became self-sustaining. A local fire station has loaned a training room for Tai Chi sessions.
• Gentle movement: A qualified professional in leading gentle movement sessions has proved to be particularly popular with older participants, who have found great benefit and enjoyed the exercise ball he introduces in his sessions.
• Circle dancing: provides gentle, holistic movement with the added benefit of music and social engagement. An experienced leader is building up a self-sustaining group courtesy of a room at a local pub.
• ‘Creative’ exercise: Older people with limited movement benefit from simple exercise introduced with participants as part of creative activities; for example: (a) recording reminiscence into a microphone – the need to be heard by sitting upright and control of breathing; (b) painting on a table-top easel – again the need to sit upright, and using the arm as well as the hand to achieve larger strokes (one person who no longer had the use of her right hand was motivated to use painting to strengthen her left hand).
• Getting out: Much of the physical (as well as mental) benefit of the activities comes from the incentive for participants to make the effort to get out of their homes. This may require mental and physical effort for people who have been reluctant to go out.  It strengthens them and also builds self-confidence.