When Sophie Pryce stepped up to lead Worcestershire County Council's Living Well for Longer programme, she could never have predicted its trajectory.
Worcestershire has an ageing population. The number of over 65s in the county rose by 27% between the 2011 and 2021 censuses and is expected to reach almost 29% of the total population by 2035. The University of Worcester calculates that this population change equates to a 39% increase in the risk of falls among over 65s in the area.
The Council’s Public Health team knew something needed to change to protect its changing population, promote well-being among residents, and reduce the financial burden on social care and NHS treatment in the longer term.
Nina Ali is the project's Community Development Officer. "As we know, many older people are already very active," Nina told me. “They do a range of activities, such as walking, gardening, and general day-to-day chores. This is great and should be encouraged. But often, it's not enough to build or maintain muscle strength."
Research shows that we lose up to 8% of our muscle mass every decade after turning 30, much earlier than previously believed. This decline accelerates further after 60. The Government’s CMO guidelines confirm that strength and balance activities help prevent falls in older populations.
So, Worcestershire County Council began plans on interventions to help older people build and maintain muscle strength.
Working in partnership with Active Herefordshire & Worcestershire, the Living Well for Longer team designed a 12-week programme of eight chair-based resistance exercises. Following the original plan, a 'train the trainer' programme was developed and delivered to organisations. Staff with no prior movement expertise were then able to independently lead strength and balance exercise sessions for service users over 65.
For that, the Council needed resistance bands. But not just any.
Sophie contacted Meglio about our light and medium latex-free resistance bands, but there were special requirements:
- Deliveries were required in multiple batches over three years.
- The bands needed to be in specific colours and carry the programme branding on the bands and packaging.
- Bespoke pamphlets detailing the exercises needed to be printed and packed with each band.
"It was really important for us that we were able to give residents their own resistance band and exercise guide so that they could use them both within a group setting and also at home", Sophie said. "We included our branding on the bands to help publicise and connect the bands to the programme.
Our tender process makes sure we consider all the available options. We needed a supplier who could provide what we needed as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible. Meglio ticked all our boxes."
So, we rose to the challenge and collaborated with Sophie and her team to design a bespoke blue band in light resistance and an orange band in medium resistance, along with the required artwork, packaging, and pamphlet.
With the bands created and the first batch delivered, the project would start in April 2020. Then COVID-19 broke out, forcing the plans to change.
The project was modified to ensure the programme could continue safely through the lockdown periods. Participants from a wide range of organisations were recruited to complete the 12-week exercise programme, with staff from those organisations trained on how to deliver exercises and a set of assessments. Training session attendees could also collect resistance bands to deliver to their exercise session participants.
Demand was overwhelming. 115 people across 33 community organisations, such as care homes and voluntary sector organisations, snapped up the training. There was so much demand that Nina had a waiting list for ‘train the trainer’ sessions. Additionally, bands were distributed directly to Worcestershire residents throughout the project with a special booklet detailing the exercises.
Sophie, Nina and their wider team also raise awareness for the programme at local Older Person’s Showcases and Pensioner’s Fairs, with Nina delivering live exercise demonstrations to promote the bands. "The people who come and see the demonstrations are really enthusiastic about it after watching one", she shared.
"The shows helped us demonstrate how to use the bands properly and explain any modifications.
We've had residents contacting us asking how they can get bands and how much they cost (they're free!) after hearing about them from friends and family who have been to these shows."
Today, the bands and booklets continue to be distributed for free via every local library in the county. The scheme has distributed over 50,000 to date, and residents can now also track their progress using the self-assessment tracker on the Council website.
The results speak for themselves. An evaluation by Worcester University showed that residents who participated in the programme improved in all four areas of strength and balance measured and had 'significantly improved mental well-being scores'. The response was so positive that the Council expanded the target age group to include residents over 50.
And it's not just the physical changes that have been noticeable. "People have told us about how much their mental well-being has also improved since following the programme", Nina said.
"One lady told me about how she actually had a fall recently but was able to pull herself back up. She said it wasn't just because of the strength she'd gained from the resistance band programme but also because of her belief in herself to get up by herself".
And the tangible difference it has made in the lives of the recipients is evident in the feedback that the scheme has collected:
"I have gained strength and feel a lot calmer."
"I'll be 70 in March. I suffer with osteoarthritis. I've had one hip replaced and the other one is going. I have a lot of discomfort in my hips and joints. Bands are good because they make your muscles really work. The band helps me to keep moving."
"The bands are great as you can do the exercises in the comfort of your own home. Just pick up a band and do the exercises while you're watching TV, have a few stretches, do a few bicep curls and feel the difference."
Its success is unprecedented for a scheme that had to pivot and launch during a global pandemic. The project went on to win an iESE Certificate of Excellence from the Public Sector Transformation Awards and was recently shortlisted for a UK National GO Award.
Sophie and her team are rightly proud of the overwhelming uptake and engagement with the scheme. She reflects warmly on the experience: "It's really got people in our area thinking about strength and balance. We hope it shows people and organisations that there are a lot of really accessible ways they can support themselves and their service users to stay independent, active and healthy for longer."
Worcestershire County Council's outstanding work is a sterling example of the positive impact we at Meglio strive to be involved in. We're proud to have played a part in empowering Worcestershire's older population to stay thriving, keep active and improve their strength and balance while they do so.
Jason Luckhurst, Managing Director at Meglio, couldn't agree more. "I'm thrilled about Meglio's partnership with Worcestershire County Council's Living Well for Longer programme. With the UK facing an ageing population, it's crucial to tackle the challenges this brings and help people stay strong as they get older. It's clear that this has not just physical benefits, but mental health benefits too. To me, this is a no-brainer, especially with Meglio resistance bands being so accessible for everyone", he said.
Meglio's Bespoke Branding Printing Service
Worcestershire County Council have proved that seemingly simple interventions can have a massive impact. Ready for your own success story?
Meglio offers customised printing on resistance band products. We can personalise the product itself, the outer packaging or a pamphlet insert with your branding and specific copy.
To enquire about minimum order quantities, lead times, and pricing for our bespoke printing services for your next project, please contact us at sales@mymeglio.com.
Meglio offer a range of latex-free resistance bands and loops to suit a variety of settings. Available in five colour-coded resistance strengths, our bands provide an effective way to progress exercise and rehabilitation programmes for your clients, patients and service users at excellent prices.
Check out the full Meglio resistance band range.