Walking, combined with Strength and Balance, encourages mobility and independence by increasing a person’s stability.
Reducing the risk of falls, or a repeat fall, helps to build confidence, particularly when accessing the outdoors. Our training and resources support healthcare staff to deliver these activities by building them into daily practice and care plans.
Care About Walking
Our Care About Walking resources aim to improve resident, patient, and clients health and wellbeing by encouraging people to move more in and around their care setting or home. All resources are dementia friendly designed for increased accessibility.
Activities can be tailored based on individual needs and include both internal and external walking routes, with the overall aim of walking a little bit further each time. We strongly encourage using this resource alongside Strength and Balance. Personal goals can be set and evaluated each week.
Download the Care About Walking information booklet. This information booklet explains the benefits of walking and moving more for anyone in a care setting.
Download the Care About Walking Guidance Note for Healthcare Staff
The Care About Walking Guidance Note explains the resources available and how best to encourage residents, patients and clients to use them. When used alongside the wall chart, steps can be tracked, and a visual record of progress can be created.
Download the Care About Walking A4 Wallchart
Download the motivational Care About Walking A4 Posters (x8)
Strength and Balance
Strength and Balance can be built into daily practice and care plans. Its aim is to build muscle strength and improve a person’s stability. Healthcare staff can deliver this with residents, patients, and clients, whilst also encouraging individual practice.
Our dementia friendly designed Strength and Balance resources consist of:
- Cue cards
- Indoor wall vinyl stickers
- External post and panels with optional support handles
Resources can be purchased from our shop.
Please contact SHWN@pathsforall.org.uk to enquire about external post and panels.
Strength and Balance Training Workshop
A half day workshop that explains why walking, plus Strength and Balance provide the key to active older age. Delegates will spend time learning how to encourage mobility and activity and build Strength and Balance into daily care. This course is delivered by our qualified trainers who have extensive experience in health and social care. Please find more information here.
We have also produced a Strength and Balance 10-minute animation video which explains each movement.
Find out more in Amy's story about how HND Fitness, Health, and Exercise students at UHI Perth strengthened intergenerational connections by delivering Strength and Balance sessions in care homes across Scotland.
Walking with Nature
Our Walking with Nature Information and Activity Note, includes an outdoor kit, which offers guidance on how to encourage more time spent outdoors through nature-based interests and interactions. Considerations have been made for people with dementia, sensory challenges, and cognitive impairment to ensure inclusivity within care settings.
Our Walking with Nature pack is available for purchase from our shop.
The UK Chief Medical Officer's Physical Activity guidelines recommend that adults should aim to be physically active every day and that any movement is better than none at all.
1. Moving more often every day
2. Build up your physical activity gradually
3. Be sure to add activities that will help you to be strong and steady
4. Break up the amount of time you spend sitting still
5. The health benefits of physical activity outweigh the risks
6. It’s never too late to start
Please contact us if you would like to discuss walking with Strength and Balance for your care setting.