Two residential homes in Osona are taking part in a European project to promote physical exercise among elderly people

Staying active has benefits for people's health. However, focusing on enjoyment rather than health may be a good way to encourage people aged 65 and over to do regular exercise. Furthermore, some older people have difficulty obtaining access to exercise, and as such the programmes must also have a perspective of social inclusion. This has been demonstrated by the first pilot test in Osona of the European research project Enjoy physical activity to battle sedentary behaviour and inactivity among older adults from a socially inclusive perspective (Join4Joy), coordinated by Dr Laura Coll Planas, researcher at the University of Vic – Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). 

The approach behind the Join4Joy project is that the idea of enjoyment can be used to encourage people to join the programmes it offers, and that inclusion involves diversity. It also presents physical exercise as a lifestyle choice for groups in the population that traditionally encounter more barriers to it, such as social minorities, people with reduced physical functions, people with dementia, people with socio-economic difficulties, etc. In this context, a first pilot test was carried out with 17 users of the Aura Residential Home in Manlleu (Osona) between November 2023 and March 2024, as well as residential homes in Germany and France. 
Javier Jerez, a researcher at UVic-UCC, coordinated the project at the residential homes in the three countries involved, and the assessment of the experiences and the benefits obtained. He says that "it is quite a challenge to promote physical exercise and reduce sedentary behaviour in residential environments." Jerez explains that "the Hospital Consortium of Vic and in this case, the Aura residential home in particular have done a very good job of personalising their sessions to reach more people and help them to last longer." 

The pilot test that was carried out at the Aura Residential Home consisted of 12 one-hour group sessions, in addition to subsequent exercises assigned to the users to do in their free time and assessments to evaluate their progress. The sessions were led by the physiotherapist at the Aura Residential Home, in addition to two occupational therapists from the centre, a support team and UVic-UCC Physiotherapy bachelor's degree students doing internships. Apart from Laura Coll Planas (the coordinator of the Join4Joy project) and Javier Jerez (the coordinator of the intervention), the members of the research team were Ricard Castro, Eduard Minobes, Montse Romero, Carles Parés and Andrea Fuente, from the Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O) research group at UVic-UCC. 

Good results 

The physiotherapy service of the Aura Residential Home assessed the intervention very positively, as most of the residents were highly engaged with each activity, and among the things they liked the most was the co-creation in the programme, the empowerment of the participants, and that their own initiative is taken into account. There was also an increase in socialising among the users - both during the sessions and elsewhere - as the "happiness gymnastics", as they called the intervention, was the only structured physical exercise in which some of them participated, and was also a significant change in their level of mobility. The activities available to them included adapted volleyball and simulated fishing with materials they manufactured themselves. 

The results obtained with this experience show the benefits that can be achieved with approaches based on enjoyment. The average attendance at the sessions was 82%, the satisfaction was rated at 4.6 out of 5, there was a high level of perceived improvement among the users, and enjoyment was also rated at 4.5 out of 5. As a result, in this care centre in the Osona region, this new model will be introduced autonomously next autumn, in order to reduce sedentary lifestyles and improve the levels of physical exercise among the people who live there, starting with activities focused on social inclusion and enjoyment. 

Second pilot test and training open to everyone 

After the experience of the pilot test at the Aura Residential Home in Manlleu, the Join4Joy project will launch a second pilot test in the Osona region between September and December 2024, at the Gallifa Foundation's residential home in Sant Hipòlit de Voltrega. Laura Coll Planas, the coordinator of the project, explains that this research "shows the importance of undertaking innovative practices based on research and training, which make sense for both professionals and for elderly people."  

The Join4Joy project (www.join4joy.eu), which is taking place in five European countries, is aimed at people living in the community or in residential homes for older people, and is participatory. Several European social organisations and various local residential homes, such as the Cals Avis (Torelló) and El Nadal (Vic) residential homes were involved in its design. Each project partner in Europe carries out at least two pilot tests in their home country so that each one works with at least 24 end users. In addition to UVic-UCC, other participants in the Join4Joy project are Universitat Ramon Llull and the Health and Ageing Foundation at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain), the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), the Agaplesion Bethesda Clinic in Ulm (Germany), the European Institute for Socio-Economic Development (ISES) in Italy, and the Siel Bleu Association in France. 

Join4Joy is funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus SPORT European programme, which includes generating and disseminating training material that enriches the practice of professionals and academics among its objectives. Since education is the main objective of the Erasmus programmes, all the professionals and students participating in the Join4Joy project undergo specific training prepared by UVic-UCC and the other institutions, which is also available free of charge online for any professional or student interested in working with senior citizens. This training is constantly evolving in order to incorporate the learning obtained from the studies taking place in Europe, and it can be undertaken upon prior request by emailing andrea.fuente@uvic.cat