Poems gifted by Alec Finlay 2020 our artist in residence.
Just like water, walking holds memory. The memory of the sounds, the sights, the smells, the crunch under foot, the slip on the ice. Running to the school gate, slipping out of Dad’s hand. Walking down the aisle, on the beach, with the dog, through the gales. How many steps we walk in our lifetime contributes to who we are and how we live.
To think that as we age, we are to slow down, to creak, to sag, to stop. To stop moving and to stop walking is, to me, a scary thought.
It is well documented that residents of care homes sit for the majority of their day and that this is one of the most preventable causes of death, described well in the REACH study.
However, there are shifts in care home culture happening that see a greater amount of movement creeping back into the daily lives of care home residents.
Our Care About Walking project aspired to get more residents moving, walking and enjoying their surroundings both inside and outside of care homes.
10 care homes in Perth and Kinross signed up to be a part of the Care About Walking project with the wider Care Home Activities Network in Perth and Kinross involved and benefiting thanks to project partners, Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership. A combined methods approach saw residents and staff increase steps and time outdoors with new resources to guide and support them.
Strength and balance activities were introduced to indoor and outdoor spaces, added as focal points or creating a walking route around the home. Homes coming up with catchy names to encourage residents to take part and to imbed the walks into the culture of the home itself.
Supported by Paths for All’s Dementia Friendly team, residents living with dementia consulted on the project’s resource designs and development making the end results more meaningful and practical for residents living with dementia to take part in and enjoy.
One resident said:
Having exercise posts in the garden has made me fitter and helped improve my confidence in going outdoors. It’s good fun too.
Funded by Spirit of 2012, Care About Walking has helped to provide goals and a community spirit, linking care homes with local Health Walks, providing upskill training for care home staff and ideas for the homes to give a focus for family members and visiting intergenerational projects.
The benefits of increasing steps were not only felt by the residents. Some care home staff also undertook personal challenges and have been spotted enjoying the exercise panels with teams signing up for the Step Count Challenge.
The global pandemic has altered the delivery methods of the project in its second year and this put some care homes into very difficult circumstances and understandably, not all homes could complete some of the Care About Walking activities.
Nevertheless, remote support was gladly received and the resources put to good use during such hard times as homes shut their doors to try to keep their residents safe. One care home manager reported:
Residents were challenged to take 100,000 steps in 28 days. We smashed that reaching 124,745 steps finishing with a party.
We have been inspired by the initiative and motivation demonstrated by care home staff during Covid-19. Many homes were able to adapt and use the Care About Walking project and resources to great effect, to give the residents and staff something positive to focus on. For example:
We have made an art trail in conjunction with the Paths for All signs and strength and balance panels indoors whilst the weather is not so great.
One care home coordinator thought:
It’s made us a tighter team, enjoying the weekly challenges. It has given us something really positive to focus on.
A special thank you to Carolyn Wilson of Perth and Kinross Health and Social Care Partnership. Carolyn’s enthusiasm, support and knowledge have been integral to the reach and impact this project has achieved.
The legacy of Care About Walking is a research project in partnership with the University of Stirling, funded by Life Changes Trust’s Digging Deeper fund.
The Sit Less Move More research project is investigating how older people living in care homes in the UK can be supported to Sit Less and Move More as part of their day to day routine. The team has created a short survey so that staff and volunteers working in care homes can relay their experiences. To access the survey, click here.
Paths for All will continue to support care homes through the Care About Walking resource pack which is free to download, our Dementia Friendly strength and balance resources and our Walk Leader training for care home staff.
