Age UK Islington Social Prescribers help remove barriers to exercise

Age UK Islington Social Prescribers help remove barriers to exercise

The days of ‘Exercise on prescription’ have passed, but today, Age UK Islington Social Prescribers are still seeing the enormous value of connecting Islington residents into local activities and exercise options. This is usually part of a wider package of support that they provide.

Olivia and Ruby are both Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Link Workers and share their experiences of supporting clients.

Do you refer a lot of clients for exercise

When a client is referred to us, we always start with an in-depth conversation to understand what’s going on in their life and what they are struggling with or want to achieve.  Often exercise can be a useful part of a package of support that we will prescribe.

Sometimes people will be referred to the social prescribing team because they want to lose weight.  An exercise programme can play a useful part in helping people to reach this goal.  They might want to lose weight due to a specific medical reason, such as helping with diabetes or because they are pre-diabetic. 

If someone is socially isolated, we’ll discuss social opportunities that are available locally in places like community centres. The community centres allow people to engage in lots of different interests. Many of these are exercise or fitness-related.

Where we recognise that someone is stressed because of what they’re trying to cope with, anxious or depressed, we will often recommend exercise as something that they might want to consider.  This might go alongside other support such as counselling or benefits support.

I understand that you have a particular interest in the benefits of exercise?

Olivia - I am aware of the positive effect that exercise can have on people, even those living with a health condition. This includes reducing feelings of stress which is particularly important when people are trying to cope with difficulties in their life or are worried.

Since being a social prescriber, I can also see first-hand how people’s lives and wellbeing improve through doing regular exercise.  Taking part in an exercise group can help provide a structure to someone’s week and a sense of purpose. It’s not just about the exercise, it’s also the benefit of meeting new people. 

Ruby – a lot of the clients that we meet with come from different backgrounds and we strive to find activities that meet their specific needs and where they will feel comfortable.  Some people might be self-conscious about starting an exercise group for the first time. This might stem from their cultural upbringing or where they are living with a long-term health condition. Or they might not have done any exercise for a long time.  This could be because of a life altering condition or simply that they have had other priorities.

We are always on the lookout for new local activities and opportunities across Islington that we can recommend for specific interests, age groups, cultural groups, physical abilities, levels of fitness and medical conditions.

What about people with health conditions or mobility issues?

For people who have mobility difficulties, we might encourage someone to try chair-based exercise.  Clients who have some joint pain often find local walking groups beneficial. There are a range of walking groups including some which don’t go too far and are at a slower pace. There are also specific programmes available to help with joint pain.

We can usually find groups or opportunities that are a good match for someone’s circumstances and many groups have even been set-up to help with specific health conditions. 

For example, we have been working closely with Champions 4 Change which is a boxing group specifically for people with diabetes or who are pre-diabetic. This has proven to be popular with some people that have not previously found exercise options that they like. Again, we will recommend this to patients as part of a package of support options.

What about exercising in parks and outdoors?

There are many advantages of exercising in parks and outdoors, particularly in a green space.  Spending time in a green space can help reduce stress and can give you a natural mood lift. A major plus is that activities are mostly free, flexible and there’s lots to choose from.

Tai Chi is particularly popular with older people. There’s also outdoor gyms and group fitness sessions that meet in local Islington parks which tend to have more appeal with a younger client group. Recently we have delivered information sessions to asylum seekers about how to access the local healthcare system, activities and exercise options and the outdoor gyms have proven very popular with this group.

Exercise in parks does not require a membership and there are many activities which you can just turn up and do on the day.  This makes it easier to just try something out. Many of our clients are living in difficult circumstances and things for them might not be so stable.  The flexibility of these exercise options is really helpful as a result.

What are the barriers to exercise and how do you help clients overcome these barriers?

1. Having a lot to cope with. With a lot of clients that we support, many have an enormous amount to cope with in their lives – financial worries, housing issues, health issues. We work closely with clients to help them to tackle these issues, helping them to get relevant support in place and to reduce sometimes overwhelming worries.

2. Many of our clients do not have spare cash to spend on socialising and exercising.  We know of lots of activities and opportunities that are free and make suggestions tailored to their interests, what they want to achieve and where possible near to where they live.

3. Anxiety / lack of confidence. Quite often people might lack confidence to go along to a group for the first time, particularly if they have been isolated for some time. They might be wary of bigger groups, or they might not be confident in speaking English. We know from past experience which groups are likely to suit which clients.  This means that we can be confident that when a client goes along to a new group, they will feel welcome and that it will be a good fit with any specific requirements that they have. This avoids the risk of a negative experience, significantly improves the chance that the client will go again and that they will reap the benefits accordingly.

4. Reducing information overload. By tailoring the information that we provide to clients, we can also make sure that they don’t feel overloaded with information and options. Providing just a few, carefully chosen options makes it more likely that they will give something a try. Introducing things that people can practically include in their lives, even making small changes can make a huge difference.

5. Mobility issues / housebound. Many clients struggle with getting out and about. They might be unaware of the community transport options that exist, or we can help with a taxicard or blue badge. We can also recommend online classes and help them to get digitally connected where needed.

6. Caring responsibilities. Clients who are carers for children or family members can find it difficult to get to appointments for various types of support or to join an exercise class. We can help them find classes which offer childcare or to explore opportunities for regular respite with the support of Islington Carers Hub, another service run by Age UK Islington for people looking after an adult friend or family member.

It’s not just giving people phone numbers or contact details for services

People often think that social prescribing is just about putting people in contact with the relevant service – just to give them a phone number or email address and then that’s it. However, we are a lot more ‘hands-on’ than this.  To help people to take action and to engage with services and support, we will do things like chase support applications, follow-up with a team or service, or call a service on their behalf if needed. We do, however, encourage people to be independent and do things themselves wherever possible.

Why do I like being a Social Prescriber?

Olivia - I enjoy helping people, and it is such a rewarding feeling seeing someone's health and wellbeing improve. After receiving positive encouragement, people feel more confident to reach out to community services and take matters into their own hands. As a result, their mood improves and they begin taking the right steps to manage and improve their current life circumstances. I also enjoy knowing that I am having a wider impact on the quality of life of Islington residents, by tackling health inequalities and using my role to strengthen the communities I work in. 

Ruby – I love people and am a problem solver! The job has allowed me to learn about all of the different services in Islington and there is so much valuable support.  Often when I first meet a new client, they can be a bit lost, disengaged and don’t know where to start to access the help they need.  I get great satisfaction from finding the right match for someone’s individual needs and circumstances and seeing them get the support they need.

It might be a single mother who has lost a sense of self and confidence, struggling financially. It could be a woman caring for elderly parents who has not arranged for any statutory input for her parents for the last 4 years or it could be an asylum seeker living in a hostel who is isolated.  We see so many different people in different circumstances.

As a Social Prescriber, depending on what someone needs, I will help them to find support, help improve their financial situation and improve their self-worth.  Exercise is an important part of the toolkit that I can draw on to help make a difference to people’s lives.

Where can I get access to information about activities and exercise options in Islington?

The Age UK Islington website including our regular activities and latest newsletters with partner activities from across the borough is a good place to start!  Also see the Islington Directory to see further Sport and physical activity opportunities.

How do I get support from a Social Prescriber?

Age UK Islington Social Prescribers are based in Central 1 and South Islington GP practices. They work closely with their colleagues in the Age UK Islington team, sharing resources and knowledge.  Clients are referred to them by staff in the GP surgeries and all referrals are seen by the Age UK Islington Social Prescribing Team Leader.  Where a client is dealing with difficult circumstances, perhaps including a health condition or a more complex mental health issue, they will refer these clients to the Age UK Islington Navigation team.

Can Islington residents get help from the Age UK Islington team without going to their GP?

Islington residents that would like support from Age UK Islington should contact our helpline on 020 7281 6018 / gethelp@ageukislington.org.uk

Within Age UK Islington, we have different teams with different interests and areas of expertise, so people are matched with the person that is best placed to support them.