Age UK Redbridge has been selected as the sole pilot site in the UK for the new ‘Get Up and Go’ Postural Stability Instructor led falls prevention exercise programme.

We are looking for qualified Postural Stability Instructors to help take this exciting project forward.

The successful candidates will be keen to develop classes at a variety of venues in Redbridge and Barking and Dagenham over the next three years.

An eagerness to work with groups of older people of a variety of abilities including people with Dementia will be essential.

The ability to provide detailed records of outcomes is necessary to the success of the project.

If you are keen to be a part of this exciting project contact Tina Sinclair on 020 8220 6000 or e mail her on tina.sinclair@ageukredbridge.org.uk for more information.

The 7th UK Stroke Forum conference will take place on 4–6 December 2012, at the Harrogate International Centre. This event offers invaluable opportunities to meet professionals from across the stroke care pathway and hear about the latest developments in research.

The Call for Abstracts is open from 15 March until 21 May and they welcome applications from all areas of stroke research and service delivery.

More will be released in due course on the UKSF website

The British Society of Gerontology (Scotland) are hosting a half day seminar on “Keeping Fit in Later Life” on March 15th 2012.

Venue: Glasgow Caledonian University, 3rd floor seminar room, Buchanan House, 58 Port Dundas Road. Glasgow G4 OHG.

Cost for attending will be £10 but free for unwaged and students. Download the registration form and send off to Dr Jane Robertson.

Programme
12-00 … Arrival and lunch
12-25 …. Welcome, Louise McCabe
12-30 …. Active Ageing – context, evidence and policy, Dawn Skelton
13-00 … Presentation 2 (title to be confirmed), Fergal Grace
13-30 …. The evidence for physical activity and dementia, Ruth Jepson
14-00 … Tea break
14-20 … Student presentations
14-50 … Presentation 4 (title to be confirmed), Emmanuelle Tulle
15-20 …. Open session/round table discussion and opportunity to share news
16-00 … Finish

Dr Fergal Grace is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland. He has been identified as one of the world’s most productive authors in anabolic steroid research, and also publishes in a variety of physiology related topics ranging from cardio-respiratory function to nutritional supplementation.
Dr Ruth Jepson is Senior Scientific Advisor, Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy (SCPHRP), MRC Human Genetics Unit, and Senior Research Fellow, Co-Director Centre for Public Health and Population Health.
Professor Dawn Skelton is Professor in Ageing and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. Dawn is the Scientific Advisor for the Society for Physical Activity, the Prevention of Osteoporosis, Falls and Fractures, and the British Heart Foundation National Centre for Physical Activity.
Dr Emmanuelle Tulle is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University. Emmanuelle has over 10 years experience of conducting research on sport, physical activity and later life.

A systematic review of the evidence behind implementation studies on falls prevention, by Victoria Goodwin (one of our PSI tutors) and colleagues, has shown that Interventions that involved the active training of healthcare professionals improved implementation. The evidence around changing the way people who fall are managed within primary care practices, and, layperson, peer or community delivered models was mixed. We still have much to learn. You can download the full paper here if you are a member of Science Direct (free to register).

The Right Prescription: a call to action on the use of antipsychotic drugs for people with dementia

Thousands of people living with dementia are taking antipsychotic medication that they do not need and that could possibly harm them. A time limited prescription of antipsychotic drugs may be appropriate sometimes, but too often antipsychotic drugs are over prescribed. We must reduce their use and adopt alternative interventions for disturbing or distressed behaviour to make things better for people with dementia and their carers.

The Call to Action Network are offering a series of exclusive free web seminars featuring prominent national leaders involved in the reduction of inappropriate prescribing of anti-psychotics for people with dementia. This is your chance to ‘ask the expert’ direct, engage in stimulating conversations with your peers and gain valuable insight and learning from others’ experience nationally. Online seminars offer the convenience of networking from your desk and create the opportunity for a wide cross-section of professionals to join in the conversation.

Professor June Andrews of the Dementia Services Development Centre at the University of Stirling invites you to participate in a seminar at 4.30pm GMT on 21st February 2012. She will present practical strategies that can be used by carers, or health and social care workers for each of the common problems in order to avoid inappropriate prescription of antipsychotics.

The seminar is based on the book “Ten Helpful Hints for Carers” and includes very practical strategies that can be used by staff or taught to carers on

Creating a relaxing environment
Aggression
Agitation or anxiety
Depression
Hallucination
Sleeplessness
Wandering

Register for this web seminar here. Once registration is complete, you will receive further joining instructions for the day and a ‘top tips’ guide to online seminars.

If you are unable to attend on the day, the web seminars will also be recorded and available on the Call to Action Network

If you have any questions regarding this invite or accessing the Call to Action Network, please contact jennifer.ribbands@institute.nhs.uk

*If you have difficulty accessing the registration link, please visit the NHS Institute’s website and you can register via the events section.*

Following on from the successful Active Ageing Seminar last year, Vida Wellness, in conjunction with the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity and Health, Later Life Training and HUR Fitness bring you another fun-packed and information full day!

Are you an exercise instructor or leader working with older adults?

Do you lead or manage fitness or physical activity programmes with over 50s?

Are you interested in improving independence, mobility and wellbeing amongst older people?

The Active Ageing Seminar 2012 will inform and inspire all wellness professionals who work with or would like to work with older adults.

Join us on May 2nd, 2012, to spend the day with fellow active ageing professionals, listen to our inspiring speakers and take part in informative group discussion and networking sessions.

In the morning we will focus on reaching out to our target and marketing our services. In the afternoon we will look at successful programme delivery and client retention.

See the full programme and speaker details online:

Online booking is now open – make sure you don’t miss out on the Early Bird Discount…. Book online now!

Seminar brought to you by Vida Wellness & the BHF National Centre for Physical Activity & Health. Event Sponsors: Later Life Training and HUR Fitness.

Every year the BGS Falls and Bone Health Section put on a truly multidisciplinary event somewhere in the UK.  This year they have opted for a Monday (rather than a Friday) and it will be in Leeds.  As soon as we know more about the programme and the venue we will update this page, but keep the date in your diary!

Visit the BGS Conference Website.

Welcome to the second INSPIRE newsletter We are enjoying the relatively mild winter here in the highlands (compared to last year!). We have some updates on events in 2012 you may want to be part of, some great articles from instructors on the “frontline”, some snippets of new research and highlights of resources for you on the LLT website. We want to continue producing content that is relevant and interesting to you, so please do send in your articles to Simon. We aim to get the next newsletter out in late summer. Happy reading

Make sure you right-click the link and choose “Save As…” if you are having trouble downloading the file. If this doesn’t work, check your computer for updates and try reinstalling Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Download the LLT Inspire Winter Jan 2012 Newsletter.

We are really pleased to let you all know that one of the LLT Directors, Dawn Skelton, has just (1 Jan 2012) been made a Professor of Ageing and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. The promotion gives recognition to her work in research, knowledge dissemination and implementation in terms of exercise for older people, particularly in falls prevention. We are sure you will join us in saying “Congratulations” to Dawn

Dawn Skelton was involved in a lengthy new Cochrane review update on Exercise to Improve Balance in older people last year. The new update includes 94 research trials and gives useful information for practitioners out there wanting to concentrate on balance improvements (as opposed to falls reduction) in older people.

You can read the full review (if you have a few hours to spare!) or a summary of the review here.

There is a podcast by the first author, Professor Tracey Howe, that you can view here.