The UK’s second Active Ageing Week will take place in Worcester next month with a range of activities to help older members of the community.
The University of Worcester has once again partnered with the International Council on Active Ageing (ICAA) for the week-long event. Worcester was the first place in the UK to host an ICAA Active Ageing Week last year.
The initiative highlights positive ageing in all aspects of life, including physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, vocational and environmental. It promotes the benefits of physical activity and showcases the ways people can be more active in the local community, including opportunities created through the University of Worcester. This year’s theme is Active at Any Age and aims to tackle some of the negative images, language and views associated with getting older.
There will be a host of free workshops, public talks and physical activity taster sessions, providing information and opportunities to help increase participants’ physical activity levels.
The event, running Tuesday, October 1, to Monday, October 7, builds on the University of Worcester’s commitment to health and wellbeing, including its inclusive sport and physical activity programme for over 60s.
Dr Clare Rhoden, Principal Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University, who is leading the event, said: “The promotion of positive ageing through becoming or staying active is important from multiple perspectives. It can bring people together, provide many emotional and physical benefits and build feelings of achievement and purpose. These all underpin enjoyment and satisfaction in later life. Being active can include such a range of activities from walking in the countryside through to Parkrun, from organised exercise classes to playing at the park with grandchildren. We look forward to welcoming people across the region with an interest in active ageing especially those beyond 50, 60, 70 or 80 years of age to celebrate and promote successful active ageing.”
Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire will be sponsoring the event for the second time.
Physical activities will include walking football, pilates, circuit training, bowls, an introduction to walking orienteering, a supervised gym session and seated exercise. Alongside these are a fitness and diet check, and sessions looking at being active with osteoarthritis, nutritional myths around chronic conditions, being active with cancer, and nutrition for sport.
Two public talks focus on challenging the negative aspects of ageing. Tom Howard, from the Sports Partnership Herefordshire and Worcestershire, will launch the My Age Can campaign with a talk at The Hive on October 1, starting at 1pm.
Dr Maggie Keeble, from Integrated Care for Older Persons Worcestershire, will deliver her talk on Negative to Positive: Changing the image of Ageing at The Hive, on October 2, starting at 12pm.