On August 12th 2021 Public Health England released a report entitled ‘Wider Impacts of COVID-19 on Physical Activity, Deconditioning and Falls in Older Adults’.
The report looks at the huge effects of lockdowns, shielding and the changes in society caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults. It contains recommendations to address deconditioning, improve older adult mental and physical health and reduce falls risk.
One of the recommendations is: Increasing access to and promotion of strength and balance activity for all as a means of falls prevention. This is where Dance to Health comes in!
Sheffield Hallam University evaluated Dance to Health and concluded it:
• Reduces falls by 58%.
• Is an effective and cost-effective means to address the issue of older people’s falls.
• If an older person visits A&E because of a fall, the likelihood of the becoming an in-patient is 35%. This reduces to 13% for Dance to Health participants.
Dance to Health participants have been improving their strength and balance for years. Our participants were able to keep this going throughout the pandemic by joining online sessions via zoom. We recommend joining a Dance to Health group if you would like to improve your physical and mental health particularly if you feel deconditioned by the past 18 months. If there isn’t a local Dance to Health class in your area (yet) then you can join one of our national online sessions.