Sport and lifestyle for seniors

Sport participation is well known to promote health outcomes for children and adolescents. Our biology changes as we get older, causing seniors to have different reasons for staying in shape compared to younger generations. Thus, in the last years, more studies have shown the importance of regular physical exercise. (Jenkin, C.R., Eime, R.M., Westerbeek, H 2017,Kim, A.,Park,S.,(2020). An increasing number of studies are showing that exercise is hugely beneficial to promote brain and memory health in older adults. The outcomes of older adults’ sport participation included life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress reduction, hedonistic values, socialisation, competition, and personal psychological outcomes such as personal empowerment, self-confidence, self-esteem and resistance to the negative view of ageing. Our project’s starting point is based on this past year’s features- lockdown, restricted access to medical services and closed gyms, alongside our wish to promote a healthy lifestyle and satisfy the needs of senior citizens in terms of physical therapy assistance. We desire to create a bond between generations so that undergraduates and postgraduates of sport universities can support seniors in practicing personalized physical exercise. We consider that the help of specialists in the field of health sciences would allow for a multidisciplinary approach to seniors’ needs, offering a correct evaluation of their health condition. Therefore, aforementioned specialists’ help would lead to a decrease in the negative effects caused by practicing physical exercises that are not fitted for the seniors’ needs.
Main goal of the project
The main goal of the project is to increase the engagement of seniors with physical exercise in a safe environment, using tailored activities based on their health status.
Specific objectives
A large number of senior participants engaging with light, adapted to their functioning status, sporting activities .
Evaluation of the seniors’ health status by a specialized personnel, from the perspective of either taking part in light sporting activities or physical therapy sessions
Internships for volunteer students in medical centers, so as to gain the competence to overwatch the progress of seniors’ programs.
Creating volunteering centers and establishing connections between them and other institutions interested in developing projects for maintaining seniors’ health and wellbeing.
Creating guidelines consisting of exercise examples and specific programs that can be done at home, so that physical activity can happen during lockdown conditions
Direct target groups: seniors / students.
Indirect target groups: senior clubs / medical staff / municipal authorities who can support seniors in practicing physical exercise.
We are looking for partners to implement our project: universities, sports clubs, NGOs, rehabilitation clinics.

Maximum budget/project:
60.000 euro for collaborative partnership;