Last call for subsidised senior exercise classes

Time is running out for inactive seniors to access Australian Government subsidies for 12-low cost in-person or telehealth group exercise classes.

Time is running out for inactive seniors to access Australian Government subsidies for 12-low cost in-person or telehealth group exercise classes.

The Exercise Right for Active Ageing program is a Federal Government-funded initiative of peak body Exercise & Sports Science Australia that launched in December 2019.

It includes 12 age-appropriate classes in Pilates, yoga, hydrotherapy, aqua aerobics, falls prevention, strength, balance or general fitness training delivered by Accredited Exercise Physiologists plus a pre- and post-assessment.

ERAA is open to community-dwelling Australians 65 years and older and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 55 years and older including those who live in retirement or independent living sites.

Participants can attend classes in person or online with ESSA’s telehealth providers. Enrolments close on 11 March.

Community aged care and retirement living providers are encouraged to support their clients to participate in the program.

ESSA senior policy and relations advisor Leanne Evans said exercise physiologists can hold the classes in a range of settings including retirement villages, community centres, swimming pools or ESSA members’ clinics.

Leanne Evans

“Where participants can attend in-person, classes are held mainly in exercise physiology or allied health clinics with small class numbers. Classes are safe, age appropriate and supportive for those are engaging in exercise after a long break,” Ms Evans told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Green Apple Wellness Centre accredited exercise physiologist Zachary and participants Linda and Michele share their experience of the program in this two-minute video:

Service providers can contact ERAA project manager Leanne Evans at eraa@essa.org.au or for more information or visit the program’s website Exercise Right for Active Ageing .

Main image: Exercise Right for Active Ageing program participants

*This story first appeared on Australian Ageing Agenda

Comment on the story below. Follow Community Care Review on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and sign up to our newsletter.

Tags: essa, exercise, exercise-right-for-active-ageing, leanne-evans,

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *