Activity Matters

NICE Public Health Guidance 16: Occupational therapy interventions and physical activity interventions to promote the mental wellbeing of older people in primary and residential care

This public health guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), published in 2008, presents a unique opportunity for you as occupational therapists to demonstrate your essential role and expertise in the active ageing agenda. 
Occupational therapists working with older people and their carers can promote health and active ageing in the following ways:

• group or individual sessions to encourage and support older people to carry out activities
• help to increase older people’s knowledge and awareness of where to get reliable information
• develop and deliver local training schemes for health, social care and residential care staff

 
The NICE guidance is aimed at occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals who have a role in, and responsibility for, promoting older people’s mental wellbeing. This includes those working in primary care, local authorities, public and voluntary organisations. NICE have produced a quick reference guide for the guidance.
 
View quick reference guide - Mental Wellbeing and Older People on the Nice website
 
The College of Occupational Therapists would urge all occupational therapists working with older people to engage this guidance and play a part in with the successful implementation of recommendations from the guidance.

Recommendation 1 - Occupational Therapy Interventions

Occupational therapists (and others trained to apply the principle and method of occupational therapy) should offer intervention sessions promote active and health ageing on either an individual or group basis.

Recommendation 2 - Physical Activity

Older people should be encouraged to take part in appropriate exercise programmes which may be delivered by a variety of professions including those in health and social care and the leisure and voluntary sectors.

Recommendations 3 - Walking schemes

These should be delivered in the community possibly using the ‘Walking the way to health’ initiative walker leaders and other appropriate community groups.

Recommendation 4 - Training

The provision of training for others for the implementation of the guidance.  Occupational Therapists should be involved in the design and development of locally relevant training schemes for those working with older people.
 
Following the publication of the Guidance the College ran a series of events around the country. These informed occupational therapists about the guidance and how it could be implemented in to theirpractice. This led to the development of a Regional Directory of Occupational Therapists supporting the implementation of NICE guidance PH16 which enables those with a responsibility to promote active ageing to make links with occupational therapists in their locality and to work together towards implementation of the NICE recommendations. 
 
Download Regional Directory of Occupational Therapists
 

Resources for occupational therapy staff

The College has developed resources for occupational therapists to aid implementation:

Promoting active lifestyles for older people in care environments - A learning resource (CD rom) 

This resource considers the NICE guidance, the context of active ageing and occupational therapy in care environments. It includes a variety of learning resources and links to key resources. 
Download Promoting active lifestyles CD ROM order form

Implementing the NICE public health guidance - a series of three leaflets

The first leaflet explains what the guidance means for occupational therapists, and two self directed study guides that will help you explore the guidance and consider your practice in relation to it.
 
Download Activity Matters - Implementing the NICE Guidelines

Download Activity Matters - Self-Directed Study Guide 1

Download Activity Matters - Self-Directed Study Guide 2

Lifestyle Matters: An Occupational Approach to Health Ageing

This practical resource (with supporting CD-ROM) written by Claire Craig and Gail Mountain contains a wealth of ideas and activities for occupational therapy staff working with older people in the community.
 
Download Lifestyle Matters

Getting involved with the implementation of this guidance gives you as occupational therapists an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your specialist skills and knowledge in this area.
 
For the full guidance and implementation and audit tools:
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH16
 

The Scottish Perspective on NICE public health guidance 16 is available to download from the NHS Health Scotland website

 
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/3518.aspx
 
The document is designed to:

• provide a readily accessible summary of action points (or key priority action points) for Scotland
• give easy access to the full action recommendations for Scotland (incorporating additions as considered appropriate in a Scottish context)
• provide useful information for implementing the recommendations
• provide, via web links, access to the NICE guidance and to relevant Scottish policy documents, strategies and action plans

 
The slide set to support implementation of the recommendations for Scotland as set out in the Scottish Perspective on NICE public health guidance 16 also contains notes pages to aid presenters.
http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/3518.aspx