Services that support physical activity and well-being for elderly people in Northeastern Helsinki – near their home

Project

The comprehensive well-being of older people will be promoted by bringing meaningful joint activities close to their homes. An employee will be hired to coordinate recreational activities based on the wishes of older people. Activities will be held around the major district of Northeastern Helsinki focusing on the areas of Pihlajamäki, Pihlajisto, Pukinmäki and Puistola.

The start of the project was delayed due to the coronavirus situation. The project started in September 2020. A more detailed action plan for the project is described below the news-section.

News: 

• The project is extended until the end of 2021 due to the coronavirus situation.
• Currently, chair exercise classes are organised virtually and the participants are able to join direct from their homes.
• These interactive classes are organised every week from Monday to Friday starting at 11 o´clock (except during holidays i.e. Easter) until June 24.
• From June 28 classes are organised every Tuesday and Friday until the end of August.
• The instructions are given in simple Finnish, but the instructor shows all the training movements so it is possible to participate by simply following the example.

Join the class by clicking here

Objectives: 

The aim of the project is to promote the functional capacity, comprehensive well-being and inclusion of older people by organising low-threshold physical activities close to home that support their well-being. In addition to this, the project aims to bring operators in the area together at various events to increase awareness of the recreational opportunities and services in the area among the area’s residents and operators. Improved cooperation and mutual communication between operators would better serve the residents of the area.

Actions:

The core action in the project is to start group activities for older people in housing companies in the Northeastern Helsinki area in accordance with the Age Institute’s Together in the Neighbourhood -operating model. The regular group activities in housing companies’ club rooms, courtyards and surroundings will be planned together with the residents, and the activities will be directed by "TaloTsemppari" volunteers who will be trained for the task. New Together in the Neighbourhood -groups will be supported in starting the activities and organising physical activities, in particular, and clubs will be provided with plenty of material and tips for activity content. The goal is for the clubs to continue to operate independently once they get started. During the project, the clubs will be supported by the project staff, and after the project has ended, support will be provided by the Age Institute. Two TaloTsemppari trainings were organised during the autumn of 2020 in the Northeastern Helsinki area. The trainings planned for the spring of 2021 were cancelled due to the coronavirus situation.

During the project, the possibilities of digital solutions in organising physical activities for older people will also be explored. In the spring 2021, multiple different virtual exercise classes are organised on weekly basis. The themes/contents for the classes are based on the wishes of the participants of the chair exercise classes and of the outdoor event organised in October 2020.

To strengthen local cooperation, events will be organised in the area during the project, bringing together different operators and informing residents about the services available. Also different outdoor exercising events will be organised in the Northeastern Helsinki area, focusing on Pihlajamäki, Pihlajisto, Pukinmäki and Puistola. Information on upcoming events in the area will be shared e.g. on the OmaStadi website, and advertising will be carried out locally. Events will only be held when the coronavirus situation allows. During the spring of 2021, no events will be organised due to the corona situation and restrictions. It will be evaluated whether it would be possible to organise events again in the summer or autumn of 2021. The aim is to implement various recreational activities based on older people’s wishes in cooperation with local operators.

Operating areas and schedules:

In the autumn of 2020, the project focused on the areas of Pihlajamäki and Pihlajisto, and the original plan was to expand the operating area to Pukinmäki and Puistola during the spring of 2021. Due to the coronavirus situation, this has been postponed until further notice. These areas do not have a lot of exercise services for older people provided by the City of Helsinki, which is why the areas have been selected as the main operating areas for the project. However, it will also be possible to start older people’s group activities in other districts of Northeastern Helsinki. The aim is to launch eight new clubs for older people in the Northeastern Helsinki area during the project, and housing companies and volunteers interested in the activities can be directly in contact with the project worker. Information about TaloTsemppari training to be organised will be added to the project’s OmaStadi page, and advertising will be carried out locally in the area.

Safety: 

Based on the City of Helsinki´s coronavirus guidelines, all physical group activities have been suspended until further notice. For now, activities are organised only virtually to ensure safety. Should the coronavirus situation improve, it will be evaluated whether it is safe to start again with organising group activities and events.

If the physical groups can be initiated again, the safety of the group participants will be ensured by keeping the group sizes small and reminding people of the importance of good hand and coughing hygiene and safe distances in the prevention of coronavirus infections. The City of Helsinki’s coronavirus guidelines will be applied in the activities.

Past events:

• Chair exercise was arranged in Pihlajamäki Youth Centre during November 2020. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, chair gymnastics was canceled from week 49 for the rest of the year. The schedule for the continuation of the group will be announced later.
• TaloTsemppari training in the autumn of 2020 were organised in Pihlajamäki and Pihlajisto on Tue 10 November and Tue 17 November
• The first outdoor event of the project was organised in Pihlajamäki on 1 October 2020 in cooperation with Helsinki’s Sports Services, Pihlajamäki Local Centre and Pihlajamäki Church. In the event, older people living in the area were asked for their wishes regarding services that support well-being and information was shared about the operators and recreational opportunities in Pihlajamäki. The wishes gathered at the event will be utilised in the future plans of the project.

Timeline

1. 1
   Summer 2020

   Recruiting a project employee

2. 2
   Sept 2020

   Starting the project and planning content

3. 3
   Nov 2020

   Volunteers are recruited and educated, new groups are started

4. 4
   Dec 2020- Feb 2021

   Online guided exercise, other activities suspended due to restrictions

5. 5
   Mar-Apr 2021

   Mid-term evaluation

6. 6
   May-Oct 2021

   Instilling the established activities

7. 7
   syys-marras 2021

   Toiminnan siirtäminen terveysturvallisesti takaisin lähiohjaukseen, myös etäryhmät jatkuvat

8. 8
   Nov-Dec 2021

   Final evaluation. End of project