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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Lockdown doesn’t mean sit down

This news post is almost 4 years old
 

A charity is encouraging older people to remain active throughout lockdown so they can stay fit and confident

Older adults in Scotland are being encouraged to keep active during isolation so they remain fit, well and able to get out and about again once restrictions are eventually lifted.

A new Stay Mobile Stay Connected campaign video, made by people in their 70s, 80s and 90s, is being launched by ROAR Connections for Life reminding older people to get up and get moving while they’re stuck inside for weeks on end.

The two-minute video “LOCK DOWN NOT SIT DOWN”, featuring five Scots aged from 79 to 92, launched this week on social media and opens with the line: “Don’t just sit there. Get up and get moving!”

Paisley-based charity ROAR, whose mission is to reduce loneliness and social isolation in older age, is sharing a programme of simple exercises through local media, on social media and by distributing exercise booklets by post.

Lock-down, Not Sit-down - ROAR from media co-op on Vimeo.

ROAR has had to suspend its network of clubs, activities and projects. Instead it is offering a friendship and welfare phone service and has organised a gang of volunteers to deliver shopping and prescriptions for people who are isolating. The charity will soon be able to offer domiciliary toenail trimming to their current members to keep them mobile.

Chief executive Nicola Hanssen says it’s vital to keep older adults on their feet just now so they remain fit throughout this difficult period.

She said: “It’s not just about physical fitness, though that’s hugely important. It’s about confidence too. When our clubs are closed for two weeks over the Christmas holidays, many older adults struggle to get back out of the house and get involved again. With lockdown for the most vulnerable to Covid-19 lasting for a minimum of 12 weeks, it’s going to be very daunting and difficult for many to cross over the threshold again and feel safe. We cannot afford to wait until restrictions are lifted to address the problems that older people will face. We need to be thinking ahead and ensuring older people are ready to face the future.”

Stay Mobile Stay Connected campaign champion, 82-year-old Norrie Mathieson recorded the introduction and ending for the video on his mobile phone while in isolation in his home in Erskine. He hopes everyone in lockdown will heed the message: “Lockdown not sitdown. It’s simple. In between my favourite TV programmes, I get up, stretch my legs and have a wee dance around the room. And Roar’s exercises are easy to follow and really make a big difference.”

Families have a key role to play in enabling and encouraging older relatives to take on the advice about keeping active. ROAR hopes sharing the new video will help motivate families to think about ways of promoting movement while in lock-down.

89-year old Agnes Alexander said: “I’m missing my friends and family so much just now. But I’m determined this lockdown won’t affect my ability to get on with my life once it’s all over. I want to keep moving and keep active even if it’s in the kitchen. I don’t want to end up not being fit enough to join in when the doors open.”

Vilte Vaitkute from social enterprise media co-op, who facilitated the film-making, said: “It was inspiring to work with older adults discovering their own film-making creativity. And heart-warming to see clips from their films given a new lease of life in the pandemic.”

The exercises can be viewed on ROAR’s Twitter and Facebook pages.