Why is it important to get elderly people more active?

Motitech will this year be supporting Wiltshire Heights in its Children in Need charity event called ‘Pedal for Pudsey’ – a 12-hour stationary cycling event taking place at the care home on 15th November.

“There are so reasons for older people to get more active,” says Stian Lavik, chief business officer director, Motitech UK. “The benefits and effects of being active are the same no matter the age.

“We need to be active. That’s what stimulates our brains and gets our limbs moving. We see so many benefits just from the things we have done across the country. We’re in eight countries at the moment.”

Motitech is helping older people and people with dementia become more motivated to engage in physical activity by using a combination of visual technology and specially-adapted exercise bikes.

With its product, Motiview, the motivational technology gives older people the opportunity to revisit familiar places from their childhoods and other important points in their lives, through a video projection that plays whilst the person pedals.

The technology visually and mentally stimulates older people and those living with dementia, which has proven to play a vital role in preventing injuries, with numerous homes reporting an increase in residents who are now able to walk with assistance, having previously been wheelchair-bound. A Midlands care home has seen the number of falls reduced by 80% within three months of the technology’s integration within residents’ routines.

Health benefits include an improved quality of life, increased mobility, fewer falls, improved confidence and social interactions, faster rehabilitation and improved mental wellbeing. Lavik says: “Unfortunately, in many care homes, we see it Norway and other countries as well,  they are typically sitting too still.

“The walls become their horizons. What we need to do is stimulate the brain, so looking at videos while cycling actually does something to the brain in terms of being cognitively active.

“We then have even more complex benefits like the social aspect. When people are sitting together, sharing stories about what they see, they are looking forward and making appointments to meet up by the bike in the screen. We have stories of people making new friends because of the videos. All these things are reasons to do physical activity – we need to do this.”

Pedal for Pudsey will see the Wiltshire Heights residents, staff, friends, and family members, take turns to virtually cycle through over 1,900 virtual locations using Motitech’s video concept Motiview, a video projection that plays whilst the person pedals (with hands or feet, depending on mobility).

You can find out more about Wiltshire Heights Care Home’s Pedal for Pudsey fundraiser here.