Getting started with Incidental activities

The new year is a great time to reflect on the previous year. Reflecting on what happened during the year, the challenges, and the highlights, will bring closure to the year and prepare you for the year ahead.

New Year, new challenges

For many, a new year means new resolutions, and people commit to exercising more, losing weight, and improving their diet. For others, a new year’s resolution means pushing themselves to the extreme by signing up for a new sports challenge.

For clients, they may not be planning a marathon or backpacking overseas, but it’s important to talk about adopting new habits that will boost health and happiness.

This year, motivate clients to live a more active, healthy, and enriched life.

Incidental activity helps Healthy Ageing

We are all aware regular exercise is good for our health, but many older adults believe structured exercise such as hitting the gym or fitness classes is out and not within their ability. Thankfully, it turns out even small daily adjustments can have a surprisingly big impact on our health.

‘Incidental activities’ are those activities that occur as part of everyday tasks and break up long periods of sedentary time. It is an unstructured or unplanned physical activity that builds up in small amounts over the course of the day. There are opportunities for incidental exercise every day and for everyone, regardless of age or fitness level.

Introducing incidental activity to clients and helping them understand how to incorporate it into their day is an important role for providers and support staff. Incidental activity can assist clients to meet the recommended daily exercise guidelines and prevent developing some of the chronic health conditions associated with an inactive lifestyle. Understanding that there are additional benefits, not just that of completing the task but it also adds to the person’s daily ‘bank of activity’ like depositing money into a savings account.

There are opportunities for incidental exercise every day, and for everyone regardless of age or fitness level

When clients are intentionally adding more incidental activities to their day, it will boost them into leading a more active lifestyle, maintaining social connections, improving mental health and cognitive function all of which will help maintain independence at home.

To download our ‘Sit less, move more‘, info sheet, click on the image to the left. Or for our summer ‘activities to try‘ two-page A4 PDF, click the image below.

More tips to share with your clients

Here are some supportive links to this article which may be of interest to you and your clients

Tips and ideas

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour guidelines tip sheet for older Australians (65 years and over)

Physical activity and exercise guidelines for older Australians

Staying active as you get older is important for good mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Healthy ageing couple-smiling-in-the-sunshine

Moving is good for us

We all know moving more is good for us and the people we support. We know that we need to be more active to help with ageing well, but sometimes it can be difficult to get started.

For more information on any of the above, have a look at our Popular Resources for Home Care Providers page.

Find the resources you need on KeepAble

Check out our article on Preparing for your next Wellness and Reablement report here to learn what, as a CHSP provider you should consider in preparation for your yearly Wellness and Reablement Report.

Resources for Home Care Providers

Here are some useful resources to help your organisation deliver Wellness and Reablement.

Making choices, finding solutions
This guide has been developed so people can make informed decisions when choosing assistive technology and home modification solutions. Review the eBook online.
KeepAble resources to download
This page provides links to all our resources for download on one page. We do suggest reading the supporting articles however to gain a true understanding of the accompanying resource.
It’s time to get serious about goal setting
For those accessing aged care supports, setting goals and planning towards achieving them provides the person a voice, making them and what they wish to achieve the focal point of the support being provided.
Guide to writing support plans
A support plan provides guidance to clients and support staff so they can work together to achieve the client’s goals.
Preparing your annual Wellness and Reablement report
Compiling your annual Wellness and Reablement report requires preparation and ensuring you have collected the right data.
Assistive Technology Essentials (Part one)
The aim of this guide is to build awareness and knowledge among Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP) service providers and the broader aged care sector of the benefits of Assistive Technology (AT) and the role it plays as part of a Wellness and Reablement service delivery approach with improved outcomes for older people.
Assistive Technology Essentials (Part two)
Assistive Technology Essentials Part 2 is a guide for consumers, families, practitioners, and the home support sector that support them. Based on the best available evidence and extensive practice knowledge, this resource is a valuable knowledge translation tool in the rapidly evolving landscape of assistive technology.
Group Social Support – It starts with a conversation
Initial conversations undertaken with clients need to explore how they previously socialised, what prevents them from returning to previous activities, how long has it been, and how they envisage their social network to look in the future.