HAMPSHIRE County Council is aiming to encourage older people to get involved with volunteering and exercise to be active and reduce health risks.

At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, April 18, the director of public health at Hampshire County Council, Simon Bryant, presented a report on how lifestyle affects ageing, saying: “We have been growing older since the day we were born, so how we do that in a healthy way is important.

“Physical activity is called one of the best pills in medicine. I think one of the challenges here is how we enable people to take these opportunities, whatever they are, whether it is walking or taking part in some exercise.

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“One of the things we have developed is a new model around dance so the older generation can do that kind of 20s dance they really enjoy.”

Another alternative the county council wants to promote within its elderly population is volunteering. Benefits include better health and well-being as well as the chance to meet new people, be active, increased social confidence and the opportunity to learn new skills and have new experiences.

Mr Bryant continued: “If you volunteer, you feel better, and that is good for your health but also is obviously good for the person you are volunteering.

“As we get older, we have more illnesses, but if we change one of those illnesses, it will benefit their health; and that really helps things like hospital admission, NHS struggling with adults’ social care. It is a round picture.”

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In 2021, 22.3 per cent of the population in Hampshire’s local authority areas were more than 65 years old. The leading causes of disability in older people (aged 70 and over) in Hampshire are diabetes, low back pain, age-related hearing loss, falls and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD).

Regular physical activity can reduce 40 per cent of the risk of suffering cognitive decline, 33 per cent lower risk of suffering hypertension, 48 per cent less chance of suffering depression and 66 per cent less possibility of having a bone fracture.

Leader of Hampshire 2050, Cllr. Rob Humby welcomed the recommendations “to empower and facilitate residents, to be happy, healthy and active as they age”.

Cllr Russell Oppenheimer agreed, saying: “I’m going to talk with the team in the countryside about a little action plan because I think there is more we can do to stimulate volunteering, and I think it would have great benefits”.