Kerry’s Active Ageing Festivals

Description

Kerry’s Active Ageing Festivals promote physical activity for older people, providing attendees with an opportunity to try activities on-site which are available in their locality such as Pickleball, bowls, chair yoga, Go For Life Games, Activator Pole walking and other activities.

In addition to the introduction to these sporting activities, the event also hosts upward of 45 information stands, promoting local organisations such as; Charities (ALONE, SVDP, Meals on Wheels, etc.), local sports clubs/activity providers, the HSE, Local Development Partnerships, Kerry Age Friendly Programme, Kerry Library, Kerry Public Participation Network (PPN), An Garda Síochána, Kerry Volunteer Centre, Men’s Sheds, Age & Opportunity, etc.

In general, the events attract keynote speakers who are experts in their field who aim to stimulate thinking, discuss topical issues and create memorable moments. At the Foilmore event, Mickey Ned O’Sullivan (former Kerry footballer, selector and manager) was the main speaker; an advocate of ageing well and remaining involved in your community and in sport as the years progress. The interest and eagerness of the South Kerry community to learn about active ageing was evident with the early demand for registration.

Aim of Initiative

•Provide older adults the opportunity to experience activities first-hand and to meet local support organisations face-to-face.
• Create awareness around the concept of Active Ageing among older people in Kerry.
•To encourage social inclusion and equal opportunities in sport and activity.
•To strengthen cooperation between sporting organisations, older adult groups and communities and health stakeholders.

Who is it aimed at

The initiative is aimed at older adults from the across County Kerry. It also encompassed the local community and partners, along with volunteer students from the MTU.

3 Steps critical to success

1. Step 1: Engage & Understand
   The Kerry Active Ageing Festivals was first conceived and delivered in Tralee, in April 2022 through the co-ordination of Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership and Health and Leisure Department at the Munster Technological University (MTU). Each year approximately 150 attendees engaged in a busy schedule of activities, facilitated by the experienced and qualified activity leaders and the students and staff of the Department of Health and Leisure Studies (MTU) all with the same goal of supporting good health in later years for older people to continue to play an active role in community life. Many community organisations and networks were represented over the years such as Kerry County Council, Age Friendly Kerry, HSE, Sport Ireland, Baile Mhuire, Kerry Library, Centre of Smart Ageing, Active Retirement Groups such as Probus and Age & Opportunity. The MTU students facilitated a functional fitness check with components such as flexibility, balance and posture to the fore.
   Due to the success of these events in Tralee and from the feedback and input given by the attendees over the last few years, it was decided to take the festival to other parts of Kerry. After much analysis of the venues on offer in South Kerry and after consulting groups such as the Older People’s Council, Foilmore Community Centre was chosen for its location, wheelchair accessibility and meeting size requirements.
2. Step 2: Plan Strategically and Implement
   All partners involved were united behind a common vision. That vision is to create awareness around the concept of Active Ageing among older people in Kerry. Partners that were involved included Age Friendly Kerry, Older People’s Council, Kerry County Council, HSE, the Kerry Public Participation Network (PPN), South Kerry Development Partnership and local older adult groups.
   Activities were carefully selected, with the organisers being conscious of making sustainable links for the attendees to be able to participate in these activities in their own communities after the event. For example, the local Pickleball group provided a taster session in Pickleball with a view to encouraging new members to join their group afterwards. Other activities that were showcased on the day were Irish Dancing (delivered by All Irish Dance), Activator Pole Walking and Chair yoga. All these activities are available locally for people to participate in after the events and to start their fitness journey in their communities. For example, Activator Poles are available to loan to library members across seven library branches in Kerry.
3. Step 3: Evaluate & Monitor
   The Department of Health & Leisure at MTU Kerry promotes the concept of being active across the lifespan. This concept ties in with the ethos of the Active Ageing Festival. Initially, when the festival was held solely in Tralee, it gave the students the opportunity to engage in real life learning while also supporting the running of a valuable event. Older people can generate community-based learning experiences not only for themselves but also for the young and this intergenerational learning is a creative approach to teaching and learning. The learnings were taken from the MTU event and informed the design of the Foilmore event, as a result of analysing feedback and discussing the event in post event meetings with partners.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. The promotion and the recruitment of attendees for the event was initially a challenge. The uptake was slow in the early stages as the local people did not know what to expect. However, after using local channels to promote the event such as doing an interview on Radio Kerry, sending out a press release to local news outlets, e.g. the Kerryman and Kerry’s Eye newspapers, and sending information to the local parish newsletters and engaging with the Older People’s Council, the event gained traction quickly and sold out.
2. Another challenge was trying to encourage more men to attend the events. There was some outreach done with the Men’s Rural Development Officer in South Kerry Development Partnership to try and encourage men to attend the event. This resulted in some members of the local Men’s Sheds from Waterville and Caherciveen attending the event. However, more work needs to be done to significantly increase the number of men attending such events going forward.
3. It is important to showcase the opportunities older adults have to be regularly active in their locality. Kerry’s Active Ageing Festivals do this by providing a forum to promote physical activity and enabling information specific to older adults to be disseminated. The message that is delivered at this festival needs to be accurate and precise but also engaging. Therefore, it can be a challenge to book a suitable Keynote speaker to deliver a succinct message at this event, particularly in South Kerry due to its remote location.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. The attendees are more aware of the benefits of movement and active ageing. They are also more informed of the social benefits of belonging and staying involved with groups and activities. The activities on display were all activities either currently available or in development for the region, thus providing a signpost via the Kerry Recreation & Sports Partnership to the relevant activities and supports available in the community.
2. The community groups represented are now more familiar with each other and have had the opportunity to exchange information. The event brought together some groups/organisations that might not have connected prior to the event. For example, the Centre for Smarter Ageing met with the HSE Health Improvement officers for the first time. The Charity, ALONE, were trying to establish a presence in South Kerry and connected with local organisations such as South Kerry Development Partnership (SKDP).
3. The participants and partners were very appreciative that this event was hosted in Foilmore, South Kerry. This was evident in the huge numbers that attended the event and the feedback afterwards. Deputy Michael Cahill, TD, was in attendance as was Cllr. Tommy Cahill, Cathaoirleach, Kenmare Municipal District, (who officially opened the festival) and both parties agreed that it was a highly successful event that should be replicated across the county over the next few years.