Programme: Dublin City
WHO Theme: Community Support and Health Services
Cost: 10000+
Status: Ongoing
Description
Siel Bleu Ireland is a social enterprise dedicated to enhancing the lives of older adults and individuals with chronic conditions through tailored exercise programmes. Our mission is to combat inactive ageing, a ticking economic timebomb and social issue in Ireland, by promoting the importance of physical activity for maintaining health and independence in older age.
We offer a range of fun and interactive group and one-on-one exercise programmes designed to improve physical function, reduce health risks, and enhance overall quality of life. Our programmes are crafted to meet the unique needs of our participants, helping them build strength, improve mobility, and gain confidence to lead fuller, more independent lives.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully transitioned to online programme delivery, reaching a broader audience and raising nationwide awareness of our services. This adaptability has allowed us to continue supporting our community that our trainers can’t reach in person.
Our current initiative focuses on expanding our services nationwide. By hiring additional full-time staff members in various regions across Ireland, we aim to extend our reach and impact. These staff members will establish their schedules and deliver our exercise programmes to approximately 1,400 people per week. This expansion supports our strategic goal of achieving full national coverage by 2025, aiming to serve over 30,000 people weekly.
Through our commitment to promoting physical activity, Siel Bleu Ireland strives to transform the lives of older adults and those with chronic conditions, ensuring they have the ability and confidence to live as independently and actively as possible.
Aim of Initiative
The aim of the initiative is to expand Siel Bleu Ireland’s reach to provide nationwide access to tailored exercise programmes for older adults and individuals with chronic conditions. This expansion seeks to improve physical function, reduce health risks, and enhance the overall quality of life for these populations, thereby promoting health and independence in older age across Ireland.
Who is it aimed at
The initiative is aimed towards older adults and individuals with chronic conditions across Ireland. This demographic benefits significantly from physical activity to maintain their health, mobility, and independence, particularly in the context of recovery and continued well-being following the challenges posed by their lifestyle as they age, surgeries they might have gone through, social exclusion and overall decline in physical and mental health.
3 Steps critical to success
- Recruitment and Training
– Hire additional full-time staff members in various regions across Ireland.
– Provide comprehensive training to ensure new staff members are well-prepared to deliver tailored exercise programmes effectively. - Regional Deployment and Programme Delivery
– Deploy staff members to targeted regions such as the Midlands, Galway, and Cork.
– Establish their schedules and integrate them into the local communities.
– Commence the delivery of exercise programmes, aiming to reach approximately 1,400 people per week. - Monitoring, Community Engagement, and Sustainability
– Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the programmes, gathering feedback to make necessary adjustments.
– Engage with local communities and healthcare providers to raise awareness and foster partnerships.
– Develop strategies to ensure the sustainability and future expansion of the initiative, aiming for full national coverage by 2025.
3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery
- Operational and Logistical Complexity
– Coordinating a geographically dispersed team and managing resources across multiple regions poses logistical challenges, including ensuring consistent programme delivery and overcoming local logistical barriers such as transportation and venue access.
– Recruiting and training new staff members in different regions to maintain service quality and alignment with Siel Bleu’s mission adds to operational complexity.
– Adapting digital infrastructure for programme delivery across diverse communities, considering varying levels of technological access and proficiency, also presents challenges. - Financial and Resource Management
– Securing adequate funding to support expansion initiatives, including hiring additional staff, establishing new programmes, and sustaining operations across a larger scale, is a critical challenge.
– Effectively allocating resources to balance the demands of scaling up while maintaining the quality and effectiveness of existing services.
– Navigating regulatory compliance and healthcare standards across different regions, ensuring adherence to local policies and procedures, adds complexity and potential costs. - Community Engagement and Awareness Building
– Building awareness and trust in new communities about the benefits of Siel Bleu’s tailored exercise programmes for older adults and individuals with chronic conditions is essential but challenging.
– Engaging local stakeholders, healthcare providers, and community organisations to support and promote Siel Bleu’s initiatives requires dedicated effort and effective communication strategies.
– Adapting engagement strategies to local cultural contexts and health perceptions to ensure programme uptake and sustainability in diverse regions is crucial for successful expansion.
3 Outcomes / Benefits
- Improved Accessibility and Health Impact
– By expanding nationwide and hiring additional staff across Ireland, Siel Bleu will significantly increase access to tailored exercise programmes for older adults and individuals with chronic conditions.
– This expansion aims to enhance physical function, reduce health risks, and improve overall quality of life for approximately 30,000 people weekly by 2025.
– Addressing the issue of inactive ageing, the initiative promotes the importance of physical activity, potentially reducing healthcare costs of the HSE associated with falls, strokes and other conditions related to inactive ageing. - Wider Social and Economic Benefits
– Siel Bleu’s initiative not only promotes physical health but also encourages social interaction and community engagement among participants.
– By employing more staff members in various regions, the organisation contributes to local economies and provides meaningful employment opportunities.
– The educational aspect of our programmes raises awareness about the benefits of physical activity, influencing public health strategies and perceptions of ageing. - Adaptability, Resilience, and Long-term Sustainability
– Successfully transitioning to online programme delivery ensures continuity of service and has made us a dependable provider of essential health services.
– Setting strategic goals for national coverage by 2025 ensures long-term sustainability, allowing Siel Bleu to establish a robust foundation for continued growth and impact in improving the lives of older adults and those with chronic conditions.