Help and Care, is challenging older people in Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset to get active and stay active in later life in support of Older People Day (1 October 2011).
By 2020, half the population of the UK will be aged 50 or over and this will bring fundamental changes to the nature of society. Help and Care believe more older people could become involved with activities, social clubs and volunteering if they knew more about the support available to help them to get involved.
The charity provides a range of information about local social and leisure activities, runs a walking group and a service that helps older people to get out and about to activities or take up a new hobby. Many Help and Care volunteers are older people themselves; the oldest volunteer is 93 years old!
Mark Sharman, Chief Executive of Help and Care said: “Many older people are not getting out and about because they are not aware of local activities and groups, or feel concerned about how they are going to get there or attending alone. We are here to provide a range of support to help older people to be active and independent and I would urge people to call us on 0300 111 3303.”
Helping people to stay active as they get older provides many specific benefits, for example it:
· helps maintain independence
· is a good way of maintaining and increasing social networks
· gets you out and about in the local community
· is an opportunity to learn new skills
· increases energy levels and zest for life
For more information about volunteering or local social and leisure activities for older people call 0300 111 3303 or visit www.helpandcare.org.uk.