Policy Brief: Expanding Opportunities for Elderly and Physical Activity

Doris Buezo RD, MPH (c) and Anthony Olivar MPH (c)
Executive summary

The purpose of this policy brief on Expanding Opportunities for Elderly and Physical

Activity is to examine the public health outcomes related to the aging populations access to

physical activity in the United States. Upon reviewing current policy briefs regarding the topic,

the Healthy Aging Policy Brief (WHCOA, 2015) effectively demonstrates the context related to

physical activity and aging. Policy reform within this policy brief emphasizes the need for public

health professionals to adopt ways in which communities can help promote physical activity

among the elderly in order to sustain health throughout the lifespan. This policy brief elucidates

the factors that impede the aging population from achieving positive health outcomes through

physical activity due to physical and mental deterioration. This makes the elderly an extremely

vulnerable population, causing them to face many health disparities such as the lack of access to

physical activities and the support needed to engage in those activities. Unfortunately this

population is often neglected in public policy causing them to have limited access to physical

activity resources.

This policy brief paper will reveal the challenging factors that impede the elderly from

participating daily in physical activity and how the Healthy Aging Policy Brief can be improved

to better fit the needs of the elderly. This policy brief will also provide recommendations as to

how the healthy Aging Policy Brief can be changed and improved to better tailor to the needs of

the elderly. Specifically, it stresses the need for community stakeholders to be engaged in

increase funding for community based research programs centered for elderly health and

physical activity. It also demonstrates the need to raise awareness for ways in which elderly

participation in recreational facilities, gyms, and neighborhoods within communities can be

increased to promote health. By coming together with community leaders, an increase in

awareness will function to reveal the positive health effects the elderly will have through

physical activity in order to prolong life as tolerated within their individual level and capacity.

Context and importance of the problem

The current public health issue facing many elderly nationwide is the lack of access to

physical activity and the lack of support needed to participate in the recommended amount of

physical activity per week for someone of this age group. The CDC currently recommends that

elderly need at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week and weight bearing activity on

two or more days of the week with an unspecified amount of time for moderate-intensity aerobic

and weight bearing activity (CDC, 2015). However, according to the US Department of Human

and Health Services, only 35-44% of adults 75 and older are physically active and 28-34% of

adults ages 65-74, are physically active (Presidents Council on Fitness, 2012). Associating these

statistics with the recommendations of the CDC, the problem becomes clear in identifying how

ineffective current strategies are in ensuring that the elderly actually participate in physical

activity daily at these recommended amounts per week. This is an alarming issue which raises

the need for public health policies to intervene. Lack of physical activity affects the longevity

and further aging process related to elderly age groups. The problem lies in the neglect derived

from public health divisions, communities, stakeholders, and nationwide policies that have not

identified this vulnerable population in need of immediate support.

Policy implications regarding this issue deal heavily with the increasing elderly

population and the increased health care costs associated with life and disease maintenance

associated with age. It is imperative that community leaders and national stakeholders identify

the issues with lack of policies aiming to support elderly physical activity. As mentioned in the

Healthy Aging Policy Brief, life expectancy here in the United States is approximately 80 years
(WHCOA, 2015), thus demonstrating the need for congruent and effect program interventions

aimed to sustain the longevity of this population. The importance of policy in regards to this

issue is creating sustainable environments within the community encouraging elderly to engage

in at least 150 minutes of exercise per week through supportive intervention programs.

Recommendations for action are heavily emphasized on improving elderly access to physical

activity through community centers in order to help promote positive health outcomes. Public

health emphasizes the importance of raising attention to the underserved and vulnerable, and it is

without a doubt, that the elderly are a top priority. Through policy briefs such as this one, the

public health sector can identify and determine appropriate strategies to improve the overall

health outcomes for the elderly.

Critique of policy actions

As needs change over time, elderly now have new obstacles to face in maintaining a

healthy lifestyle. Transportation can be seen as the leading factor as to why elderly do not have

access to community outreach programs. Therefore policies need to find ways to help improve

access through transportation efforts. Current policies have identified the need for physical

activity among the elderly by providing community services such as Dial a Ride, which is a free

transportation service for those who can qualify through their insurance. Dial a Ride provides a

cost effective service for both physicians and patients. This service allows people with disability

and elderly to visit their physician for check ups and information such as the physical activity

requirements. Community programs are also offered such as Innovage, an advocacy program

which aids in providing guidance for healthcare decisions based on the individuals needs.

Programs like Innovage help seniors prioritize their time and money by providing

guidelines based on their fixed income. This is beneficial for elderly as lifestyle changes may
become overwhelming if no immediate family is involved in a seniors life. This program also

aids in providing proper physician communication and caregiver referrals. With services and

programs such as these being implemented, there is still no answer as to why 35-44% of adults

over the age of 75 do not participate in physical activity (Presidents Council on Fitness, 2012).

The elderly population still struggle to meet the recommended requirements of physical activity

even when given proper instructions from their physician.

Current policies fail by not having enough health care professionals such as nurses or

health care educators with knowledge on geriatric-focused care. This lack of focus on geriatric

health can be demonstrated through a survey conducted on the nursing content in baccalaureate

nursing programs, which found that less than 25% of baccalaureate nursing programs provided

educational courses related to gerontological nursing (Rosenfeld, Bottrell, Fulmer, & Meey,

1999). Therefore, policies must be implemented to provide not only elderly education, but also

the health educators and stakeholders information regarding proper physical activity and health

for this age group.

One thing worth noting as to why current policies also fail due to the lack of focus on

patient health literacy. As seniors visit their physician there may be some vocabulary used where

they may not fully understand what they are being told. For example, a physician may

recommend to a senior member to avoid any sedentary movement or to strength training in their

daily life. A senior member may not be able to respond well to these recommendations based on

the lack of resources or understanding the physician is relaying. Providing a list of local

resources or allowing time for the senior member to ask question may be beneficial in removing

the health literacy barrier.

 As stated previously, needs do change over time, which causes new problems to arise on

the subject at hand, therefore being up-to-date with current research regarding elderly fitness and

health is imperative for the success of this policy. Proper education for nurses and health

educators can help bridge the gap in providing new services for the elderly. This way geriatric-

focused care can not only give information based on physical activity but provide instructions on

how to incorporate exercises in daily lifestyle.

Policy Recommendations

Some of the specific recommendations for action involve increasing the types of physical

activities available to the elderly within communities that will work to empower physical,

mental, and even spiritual well-being and health. For example, in order to meet the physical

activity guidelines mentioned in the Healthy Aging Policy Brief, specific community

organizations would need to come together to promote elderly health in a way that will be cost

effective and available to all elderly. This would mean developing a policy or outreach plan that

requires every senior over the age of 65 to receive a one-on-one meeting with a health educator

to discuss the importance of physical activity funded by their insurance provider. This will allow

the elderly individual to be able to ask questions regarding their health and help them find

community resources that will allow them to conduct physical workouts near home. The health

educator will be able to provide insight on what exercises are beneficial to promote a healthy

lifestyle and be able to discredit any false information the senior may have heard. It is possible

that the policy can be funded by an insurance group which ultimately would benefit from

something like this, by lowering the risk of chronic diseases through the use of physical activity.

Insurance groups could benefit by incorporating a physical activity policy like this one because it
would lead to decreased health care costs associated with lack of physical activity among the

elderly.

Having community leaders and stakeholders come together to develop a buddy system or

support group to promote physical activity among elderly, ultimately improves the daily cost of

living for a senior. For example, public health policies influencing the joint-use of recreational

facilities for elderly physical activity can be accomplished through the use of sharing schools,

parks, and community swimming pools with the intent of extending hours and days for elderly

participation. Implementing policies which include trained geriatric coaches can help to motivate

elderly into the right types of physical activity for their capacity. Creating family-participative

events will help the elderly feel supported and recognized for their efforts of participating in

daily physical activity. This will also help to improve mental health, further reducing levels of

depression that are often seen in this age group.

Although the Healthy Aging Policy Brief will need improvement and a greater focus on

expanding the concept of introducing the elderly population to physical activity, it is something

that needs immediate attention for policy implementation. Engaging community stakeholders to

take responsibility in promoting physical activity will not only help the elderly population, but

the community itself. Having healthier senior citizens can contribute to more community

involvement through volunteer work and/or mentoring programs, thus creating a more

successfully engaged community that promotes physical activity for all. This policy brief

functions to raise awareness to the need for an elderly physical activity policy within the United

States in order to promote the health of the increasing aging population. Through the

examination of the current Healthy Aging Policy Brief, specific recommendations were proposed
that could be implemented within communities to create a sustainable and healthy life among

elderly groups.