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The national charity and leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity

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Recognising accessible activity for all ages on Older People's Day 2015

People are living longer and 23% of the UK will be aged 65 and over by 2035. UK Older People’s Day is on 1 October every year to coincide with the UN International Day of Older Persons. The English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) recognises the importance of opportunity and choice for all disabled people, including a large proportion who are older people.

The main aim for the day is to be a celebration of the achievements and contributions that older people make to our society and the economy. Older People’s Day supports the campaign to challenge negative attitudes and outdated stereotypes.

In 2012, the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS) were commissioned by Age UK to write a resource - ‘Fit as a fiddle: Delivering Physical Activity to Older Disabled People’. The guide supports health and fitness practitioners who deliver in this field.

The resource presents information, recommendations, expertise and examples of good practice from EFDS’s programme, the Inclusive Fitness Initiative (IFI), and Age UK’s past Fit as a Fiddle (FAAF) project. These national projects already support and encourage more disabled and older people to access and participate in physical activity for better health and well-being within their local communities.

Fit as a fiddle, one of Age UK's flagship programmes, has now ended. But you can take advantage of our new programme, fit for the future. Fit for the future is an extension of the fit as a Fiddle programme, supporting people aged over 50 to take part in physical activity.

Disabled people can find it more difficult than others to take part in sport and miss out on both the physical and mental benefits that participation in physical activity can offer. Age UK wants to remove some of the barriers that prevent older disabled people from participating and encourage people to lead a more active life. They created Inspire and Include, a project designed to encourage older disabled people to participate in sport.

This unique project offers a range of activities in which older disabled people can take part. The sessions are designed to be adapted to different people's needs and abilities. There is also a range of volunteering opportunities within the project which can work towards an accredited qualification.

This project is funded by Sport England as part of their Inclusive Sport fund. For further information please contact Inspire&Include@ageuk.org.uk.

Live long, live well

Physiotherapy can help people of all ages to live long and live well, playing a crucial role in maintaining health and mobility. Additionally, physiotherapy helps keep people of all ages fit and healthy, including young people and the workforce.

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists (CSP) is marking the day with events around the country. Members involved in Older People’s Day have set up a variety of events, from Nordic walking and Pilates classes to balance sessions.

You can download free resources including public health leaflets, exercise advice and popular items such as the Your Generation booklet. Find out more here on Live long, live well pages.