Age Well East
Physical Activity Hub
Specialist sports flooring was installed at Age Well East’s Colchester hub site. This enabled residents, aged 50+ living with long term health conditions or a disability to access holistic physical activity to help increase strength and fitness.
Physical activity had previously been significantly restricted due to the flooring in the building and the concerns over the safety for residents with mobility issues. Funded through the Essex Local Delivery Pilot, the Age Well East team have seen significant benefits, including the introduction of a new physical activity programme for its participants, with seated exercise, line dancing, Tai Chi and other activities through the Dementia Café.
The well-established Dementia group have been able to utilise the room regularly and offer additional activities such as table tennis, skittles and bowls. Fundamentally, as key users of the room, they helped to select the floor colour; the colour blue was chosen as this is the last colour a dementia patient loses, making it much more inviting for these participants.
Active Essex have helped to co-produce the project, alongside Age Well East, strengthening this important relationship further. The physical activity programme has helped provide regular opportunities for participants to attend, supporting their physical and mental wellbeing, as well as their social interaction.
Over the past year, many participants now regularly attend more than one class, as they want to catch up with their newly formed friends. Through the introduction of a new floor, it has helped make the room more conducive to movement and made it a more inviting, and safer space to get active in.
