Functional Fitness MOT
Are you aged 50+?
Is your balance not that good that your worried about falling over, or you have already fallen?
Do you have aches and pains that stop you from being active?
The Ageing Well Functional Fitness MOT project is a fall prevention scheme that assesses your strength, balance and flexibility to find out if you are at risk of frailty in later life which can lead to falls.
Why is the project needed?
There are over 500 reported falls each year in Bexley for over 65s living in their own home. (59% of all falls happen in people’s homes), the main cause of falls in older people are lack of strength and balance, trips & hazards, poor vision, medication and dementia to combat this issue the Frognal Local Care Network has funded the Functional Fitness MOT project for 2 years.
The aim of the project is to support people to maintain good health and fitness levels as they get older to prevent frailty and falls in later life.
Functional fitness is about being able to maintain independence and manage the everyday things we do, we all use strength and balance in our everyday lives from getting up from a chair with ease, to carrying heavy shopping bags. By the age of 50 our muscle strength has started to decline which if not maintained can lead to frailty and unable to do everyday tasks and activities.
https://www.medimagic.com/blog/age-related-muscle-loss
The free Functional fitness MOT assesses how good your strength and balance is to make sure you can stay independent and keep doing the things you enjoy as you get older.
Am I eligible for an assessment?
Adults from the age of 50 who live in the Frognal area of Bexley (Sidcup/Blackfen/Northcray/Blendon/Albany Park/Bexley Village).
Adults with mild cognitive impairment, and mobility aids are able to have the assessment.
The assessment is not suitable for anyone who:
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Is bed bound
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Has complex needs and need help from carers/support workers to do everyday tasks
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Has severe dementia
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Is receiving treatment from a physiotherapist or occupational therapist
What happens at you free aging well check?
The assessment takes about 30-40 minutes and is completely free.
A trained assessor will work with you to carry out 7 simple tasks for example can you stand on one leg to assess your balance, how often can you get up and down from a chair to assess your strength.
Your Results
The assessor will record your results throughout the assessment and will then sit with you after the assessment to go through with you what your results mean and highlight areas that can be improved.
A bespoke plan can then be put together with you such as signposting to local fitness sessions and support to attend new activities to work on the areas that need improving.
The 2nd Assessment
Within 6 months we will ask you to come back and have a 2nd assessment, exactly like the first to see if you have improved your results from the 1st assessment.
The 2nd assessment will be able to show you that all the hard work you have been doing has been worth it, as it only take 8 weeks to see an improvement in strength and balance from when you start undertaking a new fitness activity.
How do I get involved?
- Individuals can self-refer
- Professionals can refer people on their behalf
For more information:
Email: Geraldine.russell@ageukbexley.org.uk
Phone: 0208 300 0883