Seek out exercise groups for older people – most Local Authorities run these at leisure centres or community halls – if you feel anxious about going alone, invite a friend to join you. Use a couple of tins of food and do upper limb exercises, raising the tins to your side and front to tone your muscles. Once you are comfortable, do this without the support of the chair. Use items around your house to boost your balance, like the back of a dining chair for support and lift one of your legs off the floor. You may wish to start with simple chair exercises or simply walk out to greet your neighbour the key is to remember to increase the distance you walk each week, which in turn will improve your stamina and confidence. It’s never too late to start or increase your physical activity. Understanding these influences will help you confront them and do seek help where necessary to address the issues. Try to acknowledge what is causing your lack of confidence in your walking ability – is it the fear of tripping and falling, is it the lack of wanting to use mobility equipment (even though this might help as a tool to improve your gait or skills), is it a psychological barrier, such as telling yourself you cannot walk far (and therefore you don’t walk far) or is it the fear of going out after such a long period in isolation? Identify what is causing your reduced confidence All of them involve building up your confidence in walking again. The distance to the venue may be too much to do straight away, so think about building up your walking capability by doing short walks each day, increasing the distance a little each time get the bus or taxi there and walk back or look at finding a rest point halfway, or call a friend to pick you up halfway back.Īnother goal could be returning to the exercise class you did prior to the pandemic or walking to the local pub or the knit and natter group or the bingo session or walking to meet a friend for lunch. What do you want to achieve? It could be one thing or a long list, whatever you do make them achievable and if necessary, break the end goal into bite-size pieces to achieve those goals.įor example, your goal could be to walk to have a coffee with friends at a local café. However, it’s important to note that we can improve our confidence in our mobility, balance and strength by following my top tips: Set personal goals A loss of confidence can lead to a loss of mobility and with a loss of mobility comes a further loss of confidence, resulting in a cycle of deterioration which can be difficult to break.
Reduced confidence and mobility are closely linked and can exacerbate one another. Deconditioning is a syndrome of physical, psychological, and functional decline that occurs as a result of prolonged inactivity and associated loss of muscle strength, which is having a detrimental effect on older people’s mobility and confidence, preventing them from returning to previous levels of engagement in social activities. The wider impact of this inactivity has resulted in increased numbers of older people now experiencing what is described as deconditioning syndrome. In addition, the report stated that older people experienced a considerable reduction in strength and balance activity, with the greatest change in 70–74-year-olds. Lockdowns during the pandemic had a significant influence on our confidence and we are now only just realising the long-term effects on the health and well-being of our older population and in particular the impacts on their physical health because of reduced activity.Ī study published by Public Health England in August 2020 found that 32% of older people were inactive (less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per week) between March and May 2020 and the average duration of strength and balance activity decreased from 126 to 77 minutes per week in the same period. The dictionary defines confidence as ‘the quality of being certain of your abilities’ some say it’s the feeling of and the belief that you can do something and succeed – but we need confidence to be able to carry out all our daily activities and provide meaning and purpose in life. Our treasured occupational therapist from The OT Service, Kate Sheehan, shares her advice for maintaining or regaining your confidence in later life. It’s important to feel confident in your abilities, no matter your age.
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