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Consultation to discuss barriers to physical activity for seniors

Canada's population is aging and facing alarming trends in chronic disease.

Canada's population is aging and facing alarming trends in chronic disease.

Physical activity has the potential to dramatically improve health and reduce chronic disease in older adults, but over 85 per cent of older Canadians do not meet recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

Simon Fraser University, in partnership with Fraser Health, is organizing a community consultation with seniors in Delta to hear about their experiences with physical activity and the barriers that limit it.

The central aim of this community consultation is to obtain public feedback in order to develop solutions to address these gaps and make it easier for seniors to engage in physical activity.

"There is evidence that points out that 38 per cent of men and 42 per cent of women aged 50+ are sedentary and this percentage is higher for seniors over 65. Yet over half of sedentary men and women over the age of 65 believe that they take part in enough activity to keep fit," says Sepia Sharma, a community health specialist at Fraser Health.

"Twenty-six per cent of men and 34 per cent of women aged over 70 are unable to walk a quarter of a mile on their own," says Sharma. "The problem with living a sedentary lifestyle is that it facilitates loss of physical capacity."

Those 65 and older who live in their own homes and are not currently taking part in regular physical activity (30 minutes per day) are invited to participate in this event at the Kin Village

Community Centre on Thursday, Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The morning will start with a talk from a local health expert followed by a guided small group discussion. There will some healthy living giveaways as well.

Contact Kay Dennison from Delta Seniors Planning Team at 604-5962149 or Sepia Sharma at 604-364-5627 for more information or to register.