Fife Sports and Leisure Trust is welcoming the growing recognition of the role older adults can play in encouraging others to get physically active as it recruits a new instructor to its health and wellbeing team.
Retired physiotherapist Moira Bell has joined the trust’s team of qualified instructors, who deliver health classes for local people living with a range of long-term health conditions such as diabetes, cardiac issues, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Moira, a level 4 Postural Stability Instructor, recently retired from NHS Fife where she used to refer patients to the trust’s health and wellbeing programme so that they could experience the benefits that physical activity can deliver.
Moira’s appointment comes at a time when health officials are encouraging older adults to retrain as personal trainers in a hope that it will inspire others approaching older age to get more active and feel less self-conscious about joining a fitness class or gym.
Fiona Prendergast, health and wellbeing coordinator for Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, said: “There is lots of evidence to show that being active in older age can deliver significant health benefits and protects against frailty, loss of balance and mobility.
“We welcome the recognition by health professionals that older adults have a wealth of experience and knowledge to offer people in their local communities. The trust has a long-established strategy of engaging with older adults and has seen year-on-year increases in over 60s attending its facilities.
“Moira is a great addition to our team and we are delighted that participants of our health and wellbeing programme will benefit from her years of experience.”
Moira said, “Following my retirement I became a volunteer with the trust, supporting participants in its physical activity classes and felt I could contribute as an instructor making use of my previous experience in my career as a physiotherapist.
“I would encourage anyone thinking about getting active, particularly those who have never experienced a fitness class or gym, to get involved – physically activity is so important to our health as we age and participating in a class also has massive social and wellbeing benefits.”
Photograph: Fife Sports and Leisure Trust’s newly-appointed instructor Moira, with Active Options participant Kay Stewart
