Innovation: Living Longer Living Stronger

Australia

AAI Domains:

• Independent, healthy and secure living (physical exercise, mental well-being)

• Participation in society (voluntary activity, social connectedness)

There is a very strong evidence base to support the health and well-being benefits of physical activity for people of all ages across the life course. It is never too late for older people to increase their level of physical exercise but all too often the cult of youth and the prospect of visiting a gym deters older people from taking an exercise class. One of the keys to increasing levels of physical activity is to encourage participation through an organisation that is respected and trusted by older people and the wider population as representing the interests of elderly people.

The Council On The Ageing (COTA) in Western Australia can trace its history back to 1959 when the Old People’s Welfare Council of Western Australia was formed based on an English model of voluntary organisation for older people. In the early 1960s it pioneered the provision of the ‘Golden Age Visiting Service’ for older people at risk of loneliness long before it was recognised as being harmful to health and well-being. It began to run an ‘Old People’s Week’ to highlight the issues that older people faced in what was a ‘young’ country and it developed support for families when they were choosing nursing homes for older relatives.

In the mid-1980s it brought the University of the Third Age to Western Australia and in the mid-2000s it brought the Living Longer, Living Stronger programme to the state along with working in partnership with the national Beyond Blue initiative to address mental health issues that affect people of all ages. The COTA is a non-governmental organisation that champions the rights of older people and campaigns for active ageing based on the WHO model of health, participation and security to increase both life expectancy and the quality of life.

The COTA provides a range of opportunities for voluntary activity including peer education classes delivered by trained volunteers that cover issues such as the safe use of medicines, depression, social care services and a range of other issues that affect older. In common with all organisations of this type, the operation of the organisation itself depends on the time, commitment and skills of older people to keep the wheels turning.

In 2005, COTA adopted the Living Longer, Living Stronger (LLLS) from the state of Victoria’s COTA which had pioneered the programme in 1999. It is an evidence-based exercise programme for improving the health and well-being of people aged 50 years and over through strength training programmes delivered by qualified and COTA accredited instructors. It operates in over 60 gyms and clinics across Western Australia, and in over 100 locations in Victoria, with over 5,000 older people participating on a regular basis.

Older people who want to join LLLS must see their doctor for an assessment of their health to check that they are in sufficiently good health to start a programme of physical exercise two or three times a week. All participants then have an initial assessment by the LLLS instructor and are placed in either Tier 1 or 2 of the programme depending on their level of capability.

Participants pay modest fees for classes, with rebates available through the Medicare system for the Tier 1 course, which are regulated by the COTA. If the LLLS programme does not appeal, COTA also organises Mall Walks as a form of community exercise in safe indoor locations that combat social isolation and loneliness through moderate physical exercise.

In relation to active ageing, the Living Longer Living Strong programme promotes physical exercise that should also improve mental well-being. COTA through LLLS, Mall Walking and a range of other opportunities for voluntary activity promotes strong social connectedness and seeks to improve mental well-being through its work with Beyond Blue.

COTA website