March 2013 - Hunter New England Health - NSW Government

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Project officer, Community Falls injury prevention
strategies, sue green
into programs that will help them develop their
balance and leg strength.”
This brings us to the heart of Sue Green’s
work. For the last two years, she has been
connecting with providers of community-based
exercise programs across our district and
encouraging them to list their programs in the
NSW Health ‘Active and Healthy’ web-based
directory (www.activeandhealthy.nsw.gov.au).
The site is easy to use. Just enter your
suburb or town and you can find a range of
exercise programs available in locations most
convenient for you.
“We want everyone to know about the Active
and Healthy site,” Sue said.
As part of the Preventive Care program
everybody who comes into contact with Hunter
New England Community Health Services is
screened for health risk behaviours, including
the risk of falling.
“For people over 50 at low risk of falls, our
advice is to go off and engage in communitybased
programs, but it’s not just about physical
activity. They need to challenge their balance,
improve their leg strength and ideally, they need
to devote two hours a week,” Sue said.
Hunter New England Health has devised
exercise programs which specifically cater for
the needs of people aged 50 plus, including
‘Active Over 50’s' in the Hunter and Lower Mid
North Coast and ‘Balance and strength’ across
New England, which are supported by external
programs such as Heart Moves from the Heart
Foundation. Health also offers support to
a range of private providers to start up new
programs in towns where programs are not
currently available.
“Sometimes we recognise that external
programs don’t include enough balance and
strength content and we work with these
providers to re-design their activities,” says Sue.
There is no re-design is necessary when
it comes to Tai Chi. This graceful and
deceptively simple Chinese martial art
consistently shows evidence that participation
reduces the risk of falls.
Accredited Tai Chi providers across Hunter
New England see regular classes of older
locals, going through the gentle movements
that have such an impact on the quality of their
lives.
Nearly any activity which keeps us on our
feet and moving can help to maintain good
balance. In Tai Chi, people not only bend
off centre and test their balance; they also
improve leg strength through bending and
stepping. Yoga, Pilates and Dance are among
other activities which help to enhance balance.
The Population Health experts are looking
for one or more of these routines, when
they assess the external programs for their
potential to build balance and strength.
“We have identified external accredited
providers whose exercise programs will
develop balance and leg strength,” Sue said.
“We ask these providers to make sure that
their programs are listed in the Active and
Healthy website, using the site’s home page
registration function.
“Whenever they change their classes, they can
update their entry.”
Regardless of age, weight, health problems
or abilities, it is important for people aged
over 50 to continue to be as physically active
as possible, to help maintain their health and
independence.
“We try to get the word out to the community,
before people become sedentary or overweight.
“But even for those people who have become
sedentary, small changes can make a big
difference and all these efforts to maintain
balance and leg strength can help people
maintain independence in their own home.
“Getting involved in some form of exercise
can also put you in a better frame of mind, it
can increase your confidence at home and in
public and when you get involved in exercise
programs, you widen your social circle.”
“It doesn’t have to be a group exercise program,
but these programs are a chance to meet
new people and have a bit of fun and that’s
motivation to continue attending.”
In the perfect world, exercise is a lifelong pursuit,
but it’s not always possible. The trouble is there
are drawbacks if we don’t keep active.
Societies are looking at simple ideas around
the importance of standing, rather than sitting.
Suggestions include workplace meetings where
people stand rather than sit and meetings
conducted while teams are out walking.
Find some tips below on how to review your
basic routine.
How to stay
balanced
Exercises which challenge balance are
those where people:
• Stand with feet close together or on
one leg (movement from one leg to
the other).
• Undertake exercises while standing
with minimum use of hands to assist.
• Undertake exercises with controlled
movement of the whole body
while standing (e.g. reaching while
standing).
You can inlcude specific balance exercises
in your daily routine. For example:
• Heel to toe standing
• Knee raises
• Heel to toe walking
• Side leg raises
• Sideways walking
• Heel raises
• Stepping up a step
• Sit to stand exercises.
hnehealth.nsw.gov.au 5