Forget Me Not Activity Club
Seated exercise for older residents
Based at St Johns Church Hall in Brentwood, a 12-week programme was established with the Forget Me Not group to increase activity levels among local residents who live with dementia and other mental health or mobility issues.
It was found through previous taster sessions, that seated exercise had significant improvement on members mood and mental wellbeing. Taster sessions were delivered in seated yoga, seated cricket and seated Kurling. Often struggling to engage with their male members, Forget Me Not deliverers found that they really engaged with these activities, and wanted this offer to continue.
Funded through the Find Your Active Small Grants from London Marathon Foundation, as a result of RideLondon-Essex 2023, the group sessions have engaged members living with dementia, Parkinson’s, mobility problems and sight impairment. Through this project, the group have wanted to showcase that no matter your disability, sporting activities such as seated cricket and seated yoga can be adaptive and therefore inclusive.
Participating in activities that are accessible and have been adapted for those living with long-term health conditions, has helped individuals to achieve purpose and pleasure. It has been found that over the course of the 12-weeks, physical activity can play a significant part in helping to deal with challenging behaviours.
It is fantastic to see an organisation bring together multiple deliverers, to provide a range of adaptive activities for those living with dementia, all between 70-90 years old. This funding has allowed the members of Forget Me Not to not only experience different activities, but to also feel included and understood throughout their time at the club.Stuart Tryhorn, Assistant Relationship Manager
