Evaluation of a physical activity program for elderly people

IPP Report n°6 – January 2015

Authors: Claudia Senik, Carine Milcent and Chloé Gerves

Contacts: claudia.senik@ipp.eu, carine.milcent@ipp.eu

Summary:

For the past 17 years, the social enterprise Siel Bleu has been developing and implementing physical activity programs adapted for older people in institutions, with the aim of promoting active ageing, preventing the risks and chronic diseases associated with ageing, and supporting dependency. Siel Bleu works with 80,000 beneficiaries in 4,000 institutions and employs 400 people. In 2012, Siel Bleu, with the support of the European Union and Danone Ecosystem, set up an evaluation protocol for a physical activity program for residents of retirement homes: HAPPIER (Healthy Activity & Physical Program Innovations in Elderly Residences). The aim is to measure the impact of the program on residents’ quality of life, as well as on their cognitive and physical faculties. The protocol also provided for the evaluation of the program’s effect on the quality of professional life for caregivers and supervisors. The issues at stake in this protocol are linked to the growing importance of caring for elderly and dependent people in specialized residences, due to the increase in life expectancy, particularly in Europe. Faced with this new and massive phenomenon, the quality of life of elderly people living in institutions and the cost of their care have become pressing issues. In this context, this report examines the potential impact of practicing sports on the moral and physical health of elderly people, as well as on their risk of falling (the most serious and frequent source of health problems among the elderly).

…….

Related publication

IPP Policy Brief n°16: “An evaluation of a physical activity programme designed for elderly people”

Ce message est également disponible en : French